Composite Wood for House Construction to Conform to US EPA Rules
US HUD issues final rule to align formaldehyde emission requirements for composite wood products used in the construction of houses with EPA requirements under the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act.
- (1888PressRelease) February 27, 2020 - The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (US HUD) has issued a final rule that aligns the formaldehyde emission requirements for composite wood products used in the construction of houses with the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Product Act (the Act).
The Act was a landmark piece of legislation that added Title VI to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In 2016, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule to implement the Act. It contained, with amendments, provisions relating to:
• Formaldehyde emission standards for hardwood plywood-composite core (HWPW-CC), hardwood plywood-veneer core (HWPW-VC), particleboards (PBs) and medium-density fiberboards (MDFs)
• Third-party certification programs
• Incentives for products manufactured from ultra-low emitting formaldehyde resins (ULEF) and no added-formaldehyde-based resins (NAF)
• Product labeling
• Third-Party Certifiers (TPCs)
• Accreditation Bodies (ABs)
Stakeholders should be aware the formaldehyde emission standards used in the final rule are identical to those in Phase 2 of the Air Toxic Control Measure (ATCM) to control formaldehyde emissions under the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Following the passing of the Act, the US HUD is required to update its rules to ensure they are consistent with the requirements in TSCA Title VI. To this end, a final rule, FR 85 5562, was issued on January 31, 2020. It contains amendments to two sections in Title 24 - ‘Housing and Urban Development’.
These are:
24 CFR 3280 ‘Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards’:
• Incorporating ASTM D6007-14 (small chamber) and ASTM E1333-14 (large chamber) by reference
• Data plate to contain this additional statement: The manufacturer certifies this home is compliant with the Title VI, Toxic Substances Control Act
• Revising § 3280.308 ‘Formaldehyde emission controls for composite wood products’ with new language that is consistent with the Act, including definitions, product certification and continuing qualification, panel labels, finished good certification labels, non-complying lots, stockpiling, third-party certification, and new formaldehyde emission levels:
o HWPW-CC or HWPW-VC: ≤ 0.05 ppm
o PBs: ≤ 0.09 ppm
o MDFs: ≤ 0.11 ppm
o Thin-MDFs: ≤ 0.13 ppm
• Deleting § 3280.309 relating to the provision for a health notice to be posted in every manufactured home
• Revising § 3280.406 with new language, including definitions, testing requirements and samples for testing
• Adding completely new § 3280.407 ‘Quality control testing, manuals, facilities, and personnel’
24 CFR 3282 ‘Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations’:
• Two new sections added - § 3282.212 and § 3282.257 - on maintaining documentation for three years for manufacturers (including importers), retailers and distributors
The US HUD final will come into effect on March 2, 2020.
SGS US Formaldehyde Emissions Certification Services
Through a global network of technical experts and EPA-recognized laboratories, SGS provides the full-range of services, including certification, analytical testing and consultancy, for formaldehyde emissions in composite wood products for California, the US and worldwide markets. Learn more about SGS’s US Formaldehyde Emissions Certification Services. [www.sgs.com/en/consumer-goods-retail/toys-and-juvenile-products/toys/us-formaldehyde-emissions-certification]
SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full US HUD Aligns Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products with EPA SafeGuardS. [www.sgs.com/en/news/2020/02/safeguards-02220-us-hud--aligns-formaldehyde-emissions-from-composite-wood-products-with-epa]
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