The chemical industry accounts for 20% of global industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the plastics production is increasing worldwide by approx. 4% annually. To reduce GHG increase transparency in value chains despite secrets, we developed an approach to estimate product carbon footprint chemicals site-specifically without using classified data. new approach, applied two comparative ca...

BACKGROUND While the importance of the Th2 cytokine IL-13 as a central mediator of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) has been described in allergic protein-induced asthma, this has never been investigated in chemical-induced asthma. OBJECTIVE We examined the importance of IL-13 in a mouse model of chemical-induced AHR, using toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI). METHODS In a first set-up, wild type (W...

Kujin contains antiallergic compounds that inhibit upregulation of histamine H1 receptor (H1R) and interleukin (IL)-4 gene expression. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We sought to identify a Kujin-derived antiallergic compound and investigate its mechanism of action. The H1R and IL-4 mRNA levels were determined by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. To investigate the effects of m...

The diurnal variation in peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was studied in 26 mixers from eight factories making polyurethane foam, who were exposed to toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and 26 unexposed controls matched for age, race, and smoking. They were all men. The mean diurnal variation in PEFR of the mixers was 6.2%, which was significantly higher than the 4.3% for controls. Six mixers had a diu...

Diisocyanates are the leading cause of occupational asthma, and epidemiological evidence suggests that occupational rhinitis is a comorbid and preceding condition in patients who develop asthma. The goal of the present studies was to develop and characterize a murine model of toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced rhinitis. Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to workplace-relevant concentrations of TD...

To determine the validity of ultrasonic nebulization of distilled water (UNDW, "fog") in comparison with methacholine challenge, in the assessment of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) asthma, we evaluated 75 subjects exposed to TDI with work-related respiratory symptoms. Subjects were submitted to bronchial challenge with methacholine at first, thereafter to UNDW inhalation and to specific challenge w...

Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a leading cause of occupational asthma. Although considerable controversy remains regarding its pathogenesis, TDI-induced asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by airway remodeling. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) has been shown to play a critical role in the control of airway inflammatory responses. However, no...

UNLABELLED Toluene diisocyanate (TDI), a highly reactive industrial chemical, is one of the leading causes of occupation-related asthma in industrialized countries. The pathogenesis of TDI-induced asthma, however, remains not fully understood, in part due to lack of appropriate animal models. Twenty five female BALB/c mice (age: 8 weeks) were randomly divided into 5 groups: Ovabumin (OVA); OVA ...

Segmented linear polyurethanes (PUs) containing Diels-Alder (DA) adduct were synthesized in toluene solution from poly("-caprolactone) (PCL, Mn = 10, 25 and 50 kg/mol), diisocyanate (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), 2,4toluene diisocyanate (TDI), 1,6-hexamethylenediisocyanate, (HDI)), furfurylamine (FA) and bismaleimide (BMI). The order of the segments in the PUs was -PCL-MDI-FA-BMI-. The...