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Hi Newbie, As far as I know there is no paint or primer by itself that contains isocyanates. They are contained in the additives (called hardeners) that are used in the two-part paints, sometimes referred to as "2K" paints or primers. All hardeners that I know of contain isocyanates with the single exception of that used with two-part epoxy primers, which is more properly called a catalyst rather than a hardener. Sometimes the hardener may be referred to as an "activator" but it will still contain isocyanates. The hardener or activator label should indicate if there are isocyanates. Read all that fine print :o). Any chemical term with "isocyanate" in it would indicate the presence of isocyanates, which have several specific variations. Diisocyanate is a common one. You can also check out the manufacturer's safety data sheet (MSDS) for the particular product which will give the hazardous constituents and all safety information for using the product. For the common auto-paint manufacturers, the MSDS sheets along with the technical data usage sheets are available on-line at the manufacturer's web site. IMO, there are, indeed, "good" quality paints that do not require the addition of materials containing isocyanates. They are generally referred to as "1K" paints because they are one-part (not including any reducer/thinner that may be used) and do not require the hardener. The better ones in this category would be the automotive acrylic enamels such as, for example, DuPont's Centari and PPG's OMNI MAE. You will not get the higher performance that is gained by the use of hardeners but if you are aware of the potential problems and can live with them, then they are perfectly satisfactory and will be a step up from the synthetic enamel "tractor" paints and the hardware store enamels like Rustoleum and Benjamin Moore's "Impervo" enamel. My thoughts on the potential problems when not using a hardener are here. All the urethanes and clear coats actually require the use of a hardener so that high performance paint chemistry would not be an option if you wish to avoid isocyanates.  Rod
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