Global Matrechs Inc., Ridgefield, Conn., is pleased to announce that its licensed HNIPU flooring and corrosion-protection products have become eligible for importation into the United States in accordance with the rules promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). HNIPU is a group of new chemical substances that had no previous registration with the EPA. The company holds an exclusive worldwide license from Eurotech Ltd. to market, manufacture and sell all HNIPU products, including the flooring binders and coatings version of the chemical.

HNIPU, a modified polyurethane that does not use the toxic isocyanates found in conventional polyurethanes, was not previously registered with the EPA for importation or manufacture into the United States. However, Global Matrechs completed and filed with the agency Pre-Manufacture Notices (PMN) for HNIPU's flooring and corrosion-protection products, and the EPA review period expired without rejection of applications. Global Matrechs may now begin the importation and manufacture of the subject products. The company plans to file additional PMN applications with the EPA for other HNIPU products.

The HNIPU product can be incorporated into many applications, including crack-resistant composite materials, chemically resistant coatings, industrial flooring sealants, glues and paints. The main and distinct technical advantage of HNIPU is that while it has the mechanical properties of conventional polyurethane, it has a higher chemical corrosion resistance comparable with epoxies that lack the mechanical properties necessary for such resistance.