California won’t delay formaldehyde rules
First phase of standards takes effect Jan. 1
Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, June 16, 2008
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Officials with the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, said this week that the dates for compliance with new formaldehyde emissions standards won’t be changed.
Some furniture makers and industry groups have expressed concern that there are too few labs to test and certify all composite panel makers by the CARB’s deadlines, and argued that enforcement deadlines should be delayed.
But pulling back those dates now would be unfair to companies that have made efforts to comply and would delay the intended health benefit, said Dimitri Stanich, information officer for CARB, the agency responsible for reducing air pollutants in California.
“Much of the industry has worked hard to meet the dates in the regulation,” Stanich said.
The first round of compliance dates for manufacturers of composite panel begins Jan. 1, 2009, when they must begin keeping records of their test data for products. When fully adopted, the rules will limit the amount of formaldehyde that products using composite panels such as plywood and medium-density fiberboard may emit.
CARB estimates there are thousands of composite panel makers around the world, with at least 10,000 hardwood plywood plants and hundreds of particleboard plants in China alone, Stanich said.
One of the prerequisites for shipping is that each plant must have its product certified as compliant by a third-party laboratory.
As of June 9, four third- party certifiers have been approved: the Composite Panel Assn., Professional Service Inds., PFS Corp. and the Fraunhofer-Institute for Wood Research. Three others — AsureQuality Limited, MUTU Certification and Scientific Certification Systems — also are nearing approval, according to CARB.
Several industry groups are working to get information out on the California formaldehyde rules.
The Western Home Furnishings Assn. plans to meet with CARB staff June 30 to address some concerns, Stanich said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency faces a June 21 deadline on a Sierra Club petition requesting that the California standard be adopted nationally. Stanich said the EPA’s ruling will not impede implementation of the state standard.
Retailers in California will have until June 30, 2010, to clear out goods containing composite panel that doesn’t comply with the standards. They could face fines of $1,000 to $10,000 per day, per violation for carrying non-compliant product.
Retailers and importers will have to obtain statements from their suppliers indicating that products comply with the new standard, Stanich said. Manufacturers who make furniture for sale in California will have to label their furniture with a stamp, tag, sticker, or bar code stating their goods are compliant.
“Customers should also be proactive and request a statement of compliance and labeling if it is not supplied,” he said.
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