The identification of Isopar H in vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring manufacturers use plasticizers to decrease the viscosity and increase the pliability of vinyl. Several ignitable liquid plasticizers used in the manufacture of vinyl flooring were identified and investigated in this study. Twenty-nine collections from five major vinyl manufacturers, a total of 72 samples, were analyzed using passive headspace concentration in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM E 1412-00) and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis as described in ASTM E 1618-01 (1,2). Norpar products and TXIB (2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol diisobutyrate) are ignitable liquids common to the manufacture of vinyl flooring and were identified in all recently obtained samples. Isopar H is an ignitable liquid found in various products such as charcoal starters, copier toners, and some solvents (2). Of the 29 collections analyzed, Isopar H was only identified in Armstrong's Interflex-Traditions pattern.