Ashland Inc. recently launched a free, online learning course titled “Manufactured Interior Wood Products and Formaldehyde Emissions” for architects, specifiers, interior designers and others. The course is intended to provide information on formaldehyde emissions from adhesives used to produce interior wood products.
The topic of formaldehyde emissions has escalated in importance as a result of formaldehyde’s formal designation as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. government, as well as numerous other governments and governmental agencies in the world. Wood products, such as construction-grade plywood, decorative hardwood plywood, engineered wood flooring, oriented strand board, medium-density fiberboard and particleboard, are typically manufactured with adhesives that contain formaldehyde. These products are used to produce interior furnishings such as kitchen cabinets, assembled furniture, doors and shelving. Over time, some of the formaldehyde in the adhesive is released into the air, moving from its solid form in the adhesive to a gaseous form that may present an exposure risk to humans.
“Because of the link between formaldehyde and cancer, many architects, specifiers and interior designers have expressed a need for information on formaldehyde emissions from interior wood products,” said Dwight Chapman, strategic marketing manager for Ashland’s Soyad adhesive technology. “We developed this course to help separate fact from fiction regarding this issue and familiarize participants in the course with the range of adhesive options available, including wood-bonding adhesives that neither contain nor emit formaldehyde.”
The online course is hosted by AEC Daily Corp., and participants can access the free, one-hour course by clicking here and typing “Ashland” in the search box. The course can also be accessed directly here.
