Truth Staff
Recreational vehicle manufacturers soon will have to adhere to stricter formaldehyde emission standards if they want to retain membership in the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.
The RVIA board of directors unanimously approved adopting the emission levels set forth by the California Air Resources Board. These levels are tighter than the standards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which actually were developed by the manufactured housing industry.
In the fall of 2007, RVIA had agreed to adhere to the HUD specifications but will be switching to the CARB standards.
"We adopted the new CARB wood product emission standard ahead of California's official establishment of the regulation to underscore our commitment to our customers and their ability to use our product with confidence," RVIA President Richard Coon stated in a release. "We also wanted to give our members ample time for planning to meet the implementation date."
Although the CARB standards will govern only those products in California, the RVIA felt adopting the stringent emission level would be "easier and more efficient" since makers of the wood products will be meeting those West Coast limits.
"We'll follow the signs and meet the standards that are out there," said Bill Baker, spokesman for RVIA.
Both HUD and CARB focus on emission levels from wood products and not the overall ambient air quality. HUD caps formaldehyde emissions at 0.2 parts per million for plywood materials and 0.3 ppm for particleboard materials. CARB will limit hardwood plywood with veneer core to no more than 0.08 ppm by January 2009 and drop that standard to 0.05 ppm in January 2010.