What is Formaldehyde? / What is a VOC? -
What is Formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is an organic chemical commonly used in many applications - from industrial disinfectants to certain kinds of fabric. Formaldehyde is also commonly found in the adhesives used to make engineered and laminate flooring. These adhesives will off-gas trace amounts of free formaldehyde into the air in decreasing concentrations over time. Is this worrisome to have formaldehyde off-gassing into the air in your home? It depends on the concentration.
Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring substance, produced in small amounts by most living organisms. For this reason no wood product can truly be called formaldehyde free. Exposure to formaldehyde in higher concentrations may cause certain irritations such as sore throat, cough, scratchy eyes and nosebleeds. More worrisome is the fact that exposure formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer. For this reason formaldehyde emissions from flooring products are strictly regulated. Flooring products must meet the E1 standard for formaldehyde emissions, at a minimum, to be legal for sale in Canada. Different resin systems produce levels of formaldehyde emissions. ‘Urea-formaldehyde’ (UF) resin systems are commonly used in the high density fiberboard (HDF) cores used for laminate flooring. Urea-formaldehyde resin is relatively inexpensive, but emits more free formaldehyde than other resin systems. In order to achieve the E1 standard for formaldehyde emissions manufacturers who utilize UF resins must add chemicals that bind the formaldehyde in the HDF; and ensure that their manufacturing process are carefully controlled. Alternative resin systems that may emit less formaldehyde are available, but are more expensive. Our laminate manufacturers achieve the E1 standard for formaldehyde emissions by using resin systems that contain ‘No Added Urea Formaldehyde’ (NAUF). So, it costs a little more to make laminate floors that qualify as E1. Obviously, this is a worthwhile expenditure. Engineered hardwood floors are commonly manufactured using a phenol-formaldehyde resin system. This particular technology emits far less free formaldehyde than the urea system. As such, engineered flooring producers usually have no trouble passing the E1 certification without any extraordinary measures.
What is a VOC?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that become gasses very easily at room temperature. Formaldehyde is one type of VOC, but there are many others. Limiting emissions of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), as well as excessive emissions of any one type of VOC, is generally considered to be important to maintaining good indoor air quality. VOCs are an important issue in the finishing industry. Major manufacturers in that sector have spent quite a bit of time researching how to minimize the effects of chemicals off-gassing, while finishes are applied. The finishes applied to our solid and engineered hardwoods rely on a special technology that uses UV light to cure the coating, after it is applied. UV light transforms the liquid coating to a solid polyurethane surface almost instantly. This particular process ensures that, in your home or building, no VOCs are emitted by our topcoat. UV finishing processes are also very good at minimizing VOCs emitted during the factory application process.
In 2000, the European Panel Industry set forward a series of standards regulating the amount of free formaldehyde an HDF, MDF or plywood panel can off-gas. In order to qualify for the standard, manufactures must submit samples of the panels they produce to independent laboratories. These laboratories put the panel samples in a chamber and measure the amount formaldehyde emitted into the air in parts per million (ppm). Depending on the amount of formaldehyde measured panels may be classified as E0, E1, or E2. E0 is the classification with the lowest level of formaldehyde, E2 the highest. Mills that submit samples that exceed the standard for E2 are not classified. In order to label a product in accordance with the European regulations the manufacturer must submit panels for regular independent testing to an accredited laboratory. After testing the lab will issue the manufacturer with a certification. The California Air Resource Board (CARB) has also developed a set of standards for Formaldehyde emissions. The program is similar to the European program. Manufacturers must submit panel samples to independent laboratories, those labs measure formaldehyde emissions and issue certifications. Flooring products must achieve CARB certification to be legal for sale in California; but adoption of this standard is very widespread throughout the United States. Like the European program, a product cannot be called CARB compliant if it has not been independently tested and certified as such. The current CARB phase 2 standard for allowable emissions from MDF is .11 ppm. The E1 standard for the same product is .10 ppm. The test methodology differs for the two standards; but both standards regulate formaldehyde to levels that are low and safe. FloorScore is a voluntary standard for indoor air quality developed by the Resilient Floor Coverings Institute and an environmental auditing organization called SCS. In order to qualify as FloorScore certified, manufacturers must control emissions of VOCs and TVOCs at every step of the manufacturing chain. SCS verifies the manufacturer’s claims and issues certifications qualifying companies.
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