The Carbon Footprint of Fine Custom Cabinetry ' Particle Board vs. Plywood part 2.
Your carbon footprint is perhaps the latest trend in the environmental friendly movement. As defined by the ubiquitous online Wikipedia, a carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event or product. Note that it is only the term that is a trend and not the movement which has real staying power now and for good reason.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 3 million people die each year as a result of air pollution or about 5% of the 55 million deaths annually worldwide. In the US, government studies have found that levels of some pollutants can be up to five times higher indoors than outside. Compounding the problem, other research cited by the EPA, indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.
It makes sense then that indoor air quality is consistently cited ‘in many cases by as high as two thirds of U.S. homeowners” as a concern when they are evaluating environmentally friendly building products.
Cabinetry, Formaldehyde and C.A.R.B Control
There is growing concern about the harmful effects of formaldehyde vapors, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), and Heavy Metals. Formaldehyde is a chemical that is often used in the manufacture of building products for our homes. With an increasingly bad reputation, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified formaldehyde from "probably carcinogenic to humans" to "carcinogenic to humans" in 2004, based on the increased risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. Formaldehyde was also designated as a toxic air contaminant (TAC) in California in 1992 with no safe level of exposure.
When formaldehyde is present in the air at or above 0.1 ppm, acute health effects can occur including watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes, or even more several ailments if neglected. (Disclaimer): As I was writing this piece, I saw this list of ailments above and wanted to cite the original writer. However, it appears that many cabinet companies have decided to publish it as their own content; so my compliments and thanks go to whoever actually provided the original intellectual thought on these health aspects.
Cabinet makers from ready to assemble stock cabinetry to fine custom cabinetry have an increased responsibility with this data as plywood and particle board use glues that contain urea formaldehyde and gases can be released over time, and as mentioned, are considered toxic and an environmental risk factor. As with any potential pollutant, the relative importance depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions are. In some cases, factors such as how old the source is and whether it is properly maintained are significant. For example, an improperly adjusted gas stove can emit significantly more carbon monoxide than one that is properly adjusted. This too is the case with particle board and plywood and what preventative steps a manufacturer takes.
Although this series of blogs will ultimately favor particle board for its overall environment friendliness, Crossroads provides options for particle board and plywood, so setting aside the debate for a moment, here is what you need to know.
As California Goes, So Goes the Nation
The state of California has led the U.S. as an early adopter of many environmental and health/safety initiatives. History has shown the U.S. market to quickly follow California.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is a part of the California Environmental Protection Agency which has been commissioned to ‘promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through the effective and efficient reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering the effects on the economy of the state’. In the last few years, they have lead dynamic transitions in business and government with sweeping new legislation challenging and in fact mandating businesses and the environmental community to reduce formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products including hardwood plywood, particleboard, medium density fiberboard, thin medium density fiberboard (thickness = 8mm), and also furniture and other finished products made with composite wood products.
Beginning in January of 2009, this legislation was enacted regulating the quantity of formaldehyde, which they define as a toxic air contaminant, emitted from composite wood sold, or used to make finished products in the state of California.
Both plywood and particle board have the capability to comply with very strict guidelines, from material origins and equipment to strict production standards and Crossroads has certificates for both product sets following rigorous testing by 3rd party independent labs. It should be noted for consumers that for plywood, costs to produce high quality certified products come at a premium. If you receive a quotation that is less in cost than a high grade particle board typically employed by leading fine cabinet makers, then the origin of the materials should be questioned.
Corporate Responsibility
Continually at the forefront of the industry, Crossroads is proud to contribute to this initiative making American households safer places to live. Here is a chart depicting emission limits for HWPW, PB, and MDF.
CROSSROADS CARB COMPLIANCE STATEMENT
Crossroads proudly meets or exceeds the stringent California Air Resources Board (CARB) emissions limits for levels of urea formaldehyde that went into effect on January 1, 2009 and Phase II which went into effect in 2010 which present emission levels at about half the amount required by Phase I. These compliance levels are the strictest in the nation and are designed to drastically reduce the amount of off-gassing of formaldehyde over time within the home. In addition to manufacturing with third party certified materials, Crossroads takes additional steps to mitigate the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can off-gas over time by edge banding all panels used in construction, whether visible or concealed. Although the new CARB regulation pertains only to products used in California, Crossroads has adopted this standard for all products we manufacture and distribute worldwide.
For helpful information from CARB on composite wood products, find resources at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/compwood/compwood.htm
Stay tuned for the All Wood Story. Until then, I look forward to your comments, questions, and/or opposing views.