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This page last
revised November 14, 2008

Formaldehyde
is produced on a large scale worldwide. One major use
includes the
production of wood binding adhesives and resins. The ARB
evaluated
formaldehyde exposure in California
and found that one of the major sources of exposure is from inhalation
of
formaldehyde emitted from composite wood products containing
urea-formaldehyde
resins. The International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC)
reclassified formaldehyde from “probably carcinogenic to humans” to
“carcinogenic
to humans” in 2004, based on the increased risk of nasopharyngeal
cancer.
Formaldehyde was also designated as a toxic air contaminant (TAC) in California
in 1992 with
no safe level of exposure. State law requires ARB to take
action to reduce
human exposure to all TACs.
Staff of the Air Resources Board (ARB) conducted a formal
rulemaking process
to address formaldehyde exposure from composite wood products.
On April 26, 2007, ARB approved an airborne
toxic
control measure (ATCM) to reduce formaldehyde emissions from composite
wood
products including hardwood plywood, particleboard, medium density
fiberboard,
thin medium density fiberboard (thickness ≤ 8mm), and also furniture
and other
finished products made with composite wood products.
The
ATCM
to control formaldehyde emissions from composite wood
products was approved
on April 18, 2008 by the Office of Administrative Law.
The regulation has been filed with the
Secretary of State to be codified into Title 17 of the California Code
of
Regulations, and is immediately effective.
The first emission standards will be implemented on
January 1, 2009. The
final
regulation text is now available.
UPDATES
-Board Presentation - April
26, 2007
For more
information, please contact
Mr. Brent Takemoto
at (916) 327-5615, or Mr
Lynn Baker at (916) 324-6997.
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