the indoor air question
Composite panel association hear the call for lower emissions
by John Bradfield.
Interior-use wood panel products, such as particleboard, medium density fibreboard [MDF], and hardboard, have often been singled out because of their use of urea-formaldehyde [UF] glues and their negative effect on indoor air quality.
The Composite Panel Association, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland and in Ottawa, launched an Environmentally Preferable Product [EPP] Certification Program two years ago to lower formaldehyde emissions from interior-use wood-based panels.
An EPP-designated product has been third-party certified to comply with the environmental criteria referenced in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Guidelines for Environmentally Preferable Purchasing.
Wood panels certified to CPA’s EPP Certification Program must demonstrate that they are made from 100% recycled or recovered fibre and meet emissions of maximum 0.2 parts per million of formaldehyde. Compliance requires rigorous quarterly audits at the manufacturing site and independent third-party product emission testing.
CPA’s EPP Certification Program is the first EPP certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute [ANSI]. The EPP stamp can be found on panel unit bundles, or on purchase documents. The CPA web site, www.pbmdf.com, has a list of EPP-certified companies.
In addition to the EPP program, companies such as Columbia Forest Products, Sierra Pine, and Roseburg Forest Products have launched their PureBond, ARREIS, and SkyBlend products, respectively, that are expanding the niche for formaldehyde-free wood panels.
Formaldehyde-free panels generally come at a price premium, but not so in the case of Columbia Forest Products’ PureBond veneer-core hardwood plywood. Using an adhesive-based on soy flour developed by wood-science professor Kaichang Li at Oregon State University, Columbia has converted all eight of its North American plants to PureBond production.
Some of Columbia’s hardwood plywood, made with purchased particle board and MDF cores containing UF glue, still use surface veneers glued with the PureBond adhesive system that blocks most of the emissions originating from the cores.
The AERRIS MDF by SierraPine uses a proprietary UF-free resin system, however, its production-driven price premium prevents the product from being more widely specified. Nevertheless, AERRIS is finding application in commercial and institutional projects including cabinetry, office furniture, flooring, moulding, millwork, electronics and store fixtures.
Roseburg Forest Products’ SkyBlend particleboard has third-party verification of UF emissions of only 0 to 0.01 ppm. The panel, tinted blue for easy identification, can also be used as core material for hardwood veneer and melamine-faced panels.
The positive strides these companies have made represent a small percentage of overall panel production. Supply will increase with demand, but on the practical side, a shift to UF-free panel production is akin to switching our cars from gasoline to ethanol - a tall order that will take time to accomplish. However, close to 60% of the Composite Panel Association’s members, who represent 95% of North American production, have adopted the [EPP] Certification Program so far - a sign of substantial progress made in the last two years.
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