Emission petition

Upholstery Journal | June 2008

Some 5,000 people recently petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an attempt to pass nationwide restrictions on formaldehyde emissions. Formaldehyde is used in the preparation and finishing of some textiles, both synthetic and natural. The chemical helps with flame retardance, color fastness, crease resistance and the textile’s shrinking properties. The amount of safe residual chemical differs from country to country.

The California Air Resources Board approved guidelines last year on the amount of formaldehyde released by engineered wood products. Currently, the guidelines only govern furniture sold in Calif. or passing through a Calif. port. By June 21, the EPA will vote on whether the Calif. guidelines will be made into national guidelines. According to the guidelines, goods must meet Phase I requirements by the end of the year. Tougher Phase II limits will go into effect between 2010 and 2012. One of the components that has furniture manufactures worried is glue. To comply with Phase II limits, manufactures must switch to a different type of adhesive to hold wood particles together. According to an article in Furniture Today, new glue could raise the price of a finished piece by one or two percent.

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