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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to amend Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products (40 CFR Part 770), the highlights are as below:
1.The proposed amendment is to update some voluntary consensus standards of the Agency’s formaldehyde standards for composite wood products:
| Standard |
Current version |
Proposed updated version |
| Standard Specification for Evaluation of Structural Composite Lumber Products |
ASTM D5456–14 |
ASTM D5456–21e1 |
| Standard Specification for Establishing and Monitoring Structural Capacities of Prefabricated Wood I-Joists |
ASTM D5055-16 |
ASTM D5055-19e1 |
| Wood-based panels. - Determination of formaldehyde release - Part 3: Gas analysis method |
BS EN ISO 12460-3:2015 E |
BS EN ISO 12460-3:2020 |
| Determination of the emission of formaldehyde from building boards - Desiccator method |
JIS A 1460:2015(E) |
JIS A 1460:2021 |
| American National Standard for Hardwood and Decorative Plywood |
ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2016 |
ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2020 |
| Structural Plywood |
PS 1-09 |
PS 1-19 |
| Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels |
PS 2-10 |
PS 2-18 |
2.Allows for remote inspections in the event of unsafe conditions that would prevent a third-party certifier (TPC) from traveling in-person to the area. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, EPA provided temporary flexibility to allow TPCs to conduct remote inspections to satisfy the requirements of the rule. EPA is proposing to make this flexibility permanent and allow TPCs to conduct the required initial on-site inspection or quarterly inspections and sample collections remotely when in person, on-site inspections are temporarily impossible because of unsafe conditions.
3.Includes certain technical corrections and updates to create additional flexibilities for the third-party certification process, as well as clarifying language as it relates to the production of wood products. These corrections will better align EPA’s rule with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), allowing the two programs to work in tandem with one another in order to create an effective and efficient formaldehyde emissions regulatory system.
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