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New Californian formaldehyde regulations to be toughest in world

California will have the world’s toughest emissions standards for formaldehyde in 2012, when the second phase of new rules comes into force.

Phase I begins on 1 January next year, when stricter limits on formaldehyde emitted from hardwood plywood, composite wood panels and finished wood products sold or used in the state come into force. This includes furniture, cabinets and flooring products.

The current European standard for maximum emission levels of formaldehyde is 0.14 parts per million, lower than the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Phase I rules (which will set a limit of 0.08ppm for hardwood plywood, 0.18ppm for particleboard, and 0.21ppm for MDF). However, Phase II will see these figures fall to 0.05ppm, 0.09ppm and 0.11ppm respectively.

Formaldehyde is known to be carcinogenic, although it has been used in composite wood products for decades and there is virtually no risk from the material at the levels most people are exposed to in their lifetimes. The amount of formaldehyde that should not be exceeded in ambient air from all formaldehyde emitting sources is 0.1 milligrammes per cubic metre of air (equivalent to about 0.08ppm), measured over a 30 minute reference period (World Health Organisation).

The UK’s Building Research Establishment has tested the air quality in typical British homes and found the average concentration of formaldehyde is less than one quarter of the guideline limit from all formaldehyde emitting sources in the home. Not all wood-based panels contain added formaldehyde and whilst it is difficult to make any accurate projection it has been estimated that the contribution from formaldehyde from wood-based panel emissions to the ambient indoor air level would be less than one-eighth of the WHO guideline limit.

CARB plans to use a third party certification process using random product testing and a strict chain of custody requirement.

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