New restriction for formaldehyde emissions for composite wood products

Restructuring of composite wood products manufacturing requires vast expenses.
Wood fibreboard production companies for the furniture industry in Central Europe are examining the potential consequences of the implementation of new rules for products with formaldehyde emissions in the USA and in France that are expected to come into force in December 2017 (CARB-2). Let’s recall that in 2011 California introduced two new regulations regarding lowering the formaldehyde emissions in products that are to come into effect on December 12, 2017. The regulations shall be binding for manufacturers, processors, importers, distributors, retailers, sellers of composite wood products. It is expected that hardwood plywood emission of formaldehyde will be 0.05 parts per million (ppm), for wood particle boards – 0.09 ppm, for MDF – 0.11 ppm, for thin MDF (8mm) – 0.13 ppm. In the USA the unit measure for the emission of formaldehyde by chamber process is the volume mixture ratio or ppm, in other words, one part in a million to a set volume of air.
The case is far from being simple. Some of the manufacturers of kitchens cabinets, for example, Nobilia-Werke J. Stickling GmbH & Co. KG, have declared that they will suspend shipments of their products to the USA at least from December. At the same time, a small volume producer Eggersmann Küchen GmbH & Co. KG declared on the contrary, that they are willing to switch to new regulations in kitchen furniture and are vigorously overhauling their production capacities.
The World Health Organization considers formaldehyde as a hazardous cancerogenic substance that given if level is elevated in the indoor air of a dwelling can cause laryngeal cancer especially among children and teenagers.