Key Points

Fire

• Flammable
• Reacts with water, aniline, strong oxidisers, acids, bases, amines and alcohols
•  Emits toxic fumes of cyanide and oxides of nitrogen when heated to decomposition. Reacts with water to form carbon dioxide
• In the event of a fire involving toluene diisocyanate, use fine water spray and normal fire kit with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic by all routes of exposure
• CHIP classification: possible carcinogen, very toxic and irritant
• Inhalation causes dry throat, chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. Exposure to high concentrations can cause inflammation of the airways, severe asthmatic symptoms and fluid accumulation in the lungs. Symptoms may be delayed for 4-8 hours after exposure
• Ingestion of toluene diisocyanate may cause stomach upset 
• Skin contact with toluene diisocyanate causes irritation, inflammation, itching and blisters 
• Eye contact may cause irritation, itching, tearing, sensitivity to light and inflammation

Environment

• Avoid release into the environment
• Inform the Environment Agency of substantial releases

 

All sections of the compendia are available to download:

• Toluene Diisocyanate - General Information (PDF, 50 KB)
• Incident Management (PDF, 113 KB)