Levels of formaldehyde are found in all homes and are arguably higher in newer manufactured wood products such as flooring and furniture (cabinets, plywood chipboard, laminate flooring). Formaldehyde is also found in some fabrics including those used for curtains and furniture. Furthermore it’s used in glues, paints, caulks, pesticides, cosmetics, and detergents.
For some time the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has been mooting the restriction of formaldehyde and on March 20 this year it opened a consultation, seeking feedback from industry. If a restriction comes into force its effects will be far-reaching for the furniture sector.
The ECHA submitted an Annex XV restriction proposal for the further restriction of formaldehyde in articles. This was in response to the learning outcomes from research carried out on behalf of the agency. This research concluded that human health risks exist from the release of formaldehyde from consumer articles that are not adequately controlled in all scenarios.
Formaldehyde is used extensively in furniture articles, mainly in the form of urea formaldehyde (UF) resins, which are used in the production of chipboard and plywood. Formaldehyde can also be found in phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins with application in the production of laminates, and in melamine formaldehyde (MF) resins.
The ECHA proposal is that all panel based board materials will need to be E1 rated in terms of formaldehyde content. This is broadly welcomed by the furniture industry as whilst the majority of European production of board materials are E1 rated, it will mean that imported products from outside the EU will need to be E1 rated, thus levelling the playing field.
The issue that the furniture industry has is that there is an additional requirement for all consumer products containing board materials to have their formaldehyde emissions measured. The basis for this is that the ECHA is concerned that additional formaldehyde may be added in the production process (from adhesives, coatings, fabrics and so on).
The problem for the furniture industry is that board materials are used in a huge number of products, from beds, to storage furniture, kitchens and sofas and the capacity in terms of large testing chambers across Europe, that can accept a full item of furniture, is very limited. In addition the recommended test methods take 28 days to complete. This would mean that if the ECHA proposals were accepted there would be severe problems with the furniture industry complying in the short to medium term.
It could also mean that, in some instances, a better than E1 performance in the base board is needed.
The majority of furniture uses board materials that are paper or foil covered, encapsulating the board and reducing emissions. Both the UK and European furniture industries have responded to the ECHA enquiry and have recommended that where a product is manufactured from E1 rated board materials, and no formaldehyde is added to the product it should be exempt from emissions testing.
The public consultation for the further restriction of formaldehyde closes on September 20 and details are available from https://comments.echa.europa.eu/comments_cms/AnnexXVRestrictionDossier.aspx?RObjectId=0b0236e18327d26e
I would urge all from across the timber industry to view the consultation and have their say on this important topic.
