HCHO Emissions Debate Invites Scrutiny of Lab Tests, Economics

F or longevity, few issues in the forest products industry rival the formaldehyde (HCHO) debate. The issue came to the fore in the mid-1970s as increased use of HCHO-emitting board products in more tightly constructed homes led to numerous complaints. As a result. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD) ruled in 1985 that the HCHO level of air in mobile homes would be limited to 0.4 parts per million (ppm) to be accomplished by limiting HCHO emissions from particleboard and plywood to 0.3 and 0.2 ppm. respectively (source: Margosian ‘86). Similar problems in Europe enticed the German health ministry in 1980 to set a guideline limiting the emission of HCHO in construction particleboards to 0.1 ppm, the well known E-l classification. Higher HCHO-emitting particleboards, those used for furniture and classified as E-2 or E-3. were required to be sealed with laminates. which serve as barriers to gas movement (Ernst ‘82). For particleboard producers. the HCHO issue posed marketing as well as environmental challenges. Field reports indicated that “problems with formaldehyde offgassing have created (mobile home) manufacturer interest in products bonded with phenolic resins” (Anderson ‘83). In response, producers modified their process to significantly reduce HCHO emissions (Fig. 1). Notwithstanding these advances, regulatory concern about HCHO continued. In May 1984, EPA initiated an investigation based on its conclusion that there might be a significant health risk to occupants of homes containing wood products. In April 1987, EPA formally classified HCHO as a “Group Bl probable human carcinogen.” In June 1991 EPA published an Agency Options Paper in which a ban on HCHOcontaining flooring products under regulatory authority was discussed along with certain labeling requirements for other products. The issue was poised to come to an important point this past November with the posting of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). This was expected to call for a ban on the use of urea formaldehyde (UF) in pressed boards made for flooring. While such an outcome is still a possibility, industry and EPA representatives have continued to meet with the expectation that a set of voluntary guidelines for the amelioration of HCHO in pressed wood products will be worked out by spring 1992. This article reviews the main points of contention between regulators and producers. Discussions are ongoing. and positions attributed to EPA are not final. Data attributed to EPA here were obtained from an industry position paper (Murray ‘91).