Montreal, February 7, 2023 – WorkSafeBC has granted $150,000 in funding to an IRSST team headed up by Simon Aubin, chemist, hygienist and Assistant to the director – research, Laboratory Division; the team members are Pierre-Luc Cloutier and Sébastien Gagné, joined by Loïc Wingert, an expert in aerosol metrology.
This financing will support the Method development and validation for the evaluation of airborne TDI according to IFV notation project, which has the aim of developing and validating a method to evaluate toluene diisocyanate (TDI) according to IFV (inhalable fraction and vapour) notation, as defined by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®); the notation has been incorporated in the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety since 2020.
Simon Aubin points out “isocyanate exposure has long been linked to the development of occupational asthma. In 2016, the ACGIH® lowered its recommended TDI exposure value from 5 ppb to 1 ppb and assigned IFV notation to it. IFV notation capitalizes on the fact that TDI is present in air in both vapour and particulate form. Thus, it’s very important for workplaces to have access to such a method. WorksafeBC is of the same opinion, and since the IRSST is a global leader in isocyanate evaluation, this kind of collaborative project makes perfect sense.”
“This success story provides yet more evidence of the excellence of the research done at the IRSST and in our labs,” affirmed Lyne Sauvageau, President and CEO of the IRSST. “I’d like to congratulate our scientists for obtaining this funding. Their efforts fit into an institutional initiative to develop co-financing collaborations for OSH research projects.”
WorkSafeBC
Since 1917, WorkSafeBC has helped to improve the health and safety of British Columbians in the workplace by building a sustainable no-fault insurance system that supports both workers and employers. WorkSafeBC’s Research Grants Program supports research related to occupational health and safety and work disability to provide insight and solutions for issues faced by workers, employers, and WorkSafeBC.
For more information:
Simon Aubin
Assistant to the director – research
IRSST