Styrene Safety
Since 2016, when concerns regarding styrene emissions used in the CIPP process first emerged, NASSCO and other industry organizations jumped into action to learn everything they could to keep our workers safe. Now, five years later, and after three phases of independent research, NASSCO has used those findings to continually and transparently update our industry on best practices in the safe use and handling of styrenated resins. Full reports are available below. We encourage all contractors and public agencies to read, understand, and follow the critical safety recommendations found on this simple, one-page document and to utilize NASSCO guidelines and specifications on safe and effective CIPP installations.
INDEPENDENT STUDIES
Published reports have questioned the safety of emissions from the CIPP process when using styrenated resin. NASSCO has gone to great lengths to ensure our workers and communities stay healthy through the funding of objective research. In Phase 1, the Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education (CUIRE) found previously published reports to be NON-CONCLUSIVE.
READ THE FULL REPORTField studies in a variety of geographic locations – testing various liner dimensions, conditions, and worker exposure – were conducted by the Trenchless Technology Center at Louisiana Tech University (TTC) and resulted in specific recommendations for refrigeration/storage trucks and emission stacks including active air monitoring in trucks, 15-foot perimeters around exhaust manholes, and more.
Read the Full ReportIn Phase 3, TTC evaluated the breakthrough time of various coating/resin combinations. The final report suggests that once doors are opened and styrene thresholds reduce to below regulatory agencies’ limits for planned exposure time of workers, the truck can safety be entered for that amount of time with minimal PPE. If durations must be exceeded, however, manufacturers could consider using thicker coatings, more impermeable coatings, wrapping the liners with impermeable materials to reduce the
Read the full report.