Thursday, December 20, 2007
FORMALDEHYDE LABELS
Bob Ashley
RV Business
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) has established inspection standards requiring member manufacturers and suppliers to clearly mark that the raw material they use complies with the association's new formaldehyde policy.
The formaldehyde standards, adopted during an RVIA board meeting in September, apply to plywood at .2 parts per million and particle board at .3 ppm. Those limits are the same as those set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for manufactured homes.
RVIA made compliance with the HUD standard a requirement of membership after complaints about potential ill effects of formaldehyde in emergency housing units sold to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the 2005 Gulf hurricanes.
Prior to RVIA adopting the policy in September, there were no formaldehyde standards for recreational vehicles.
The inspection policy says that plywood and particle board panel markings must “make it clear” that they comply with the formaldehyde standard, according to a Dec. 13 RVIA standards bulletin. Bundled material must have the same markings.
In addition, for supplies containing wood – including both raw materials and finished products – letters or written statements from the supplier or distributor must be in possession of the manufacturer and make the same declaration.
“Acceptable documentation includes letters or written statements from given suppliers that blanket cover all product shipments from that supplier, or individual letters or written statements that accompany each separate product shipment,” the inspection policy says.
Because the board did not adopt the consumer notice that HUD requires for manufactured homes, notices about complying with the formaldehyde standards do not have to be placed in the RV or owner's manual.
RV Business
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) has established inspection standards requiring member manufacturers and suppliers to clearly mark that the raw material they use complies with the association's new formaldehyde policy.
The formaldehyde standards, adopted during an RVIA board meeting in September, apply to plywood at .2 parts per million and particle board at .3 ppm. Those limits are the same as those set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for manufactured homes.
RVIA made compliance with the HUD standard a requirement of membership after complaints about potential ill effects of formaldehyde in emergency housing units sold to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the 2005 Gulf hurricanes.
Prior to RVIA adopting the policy in September, there were no formaldehyde standards for recreational vehicles.
The inspection policy says that plywood and particle board panel markings must “make it clear” that they comply with the formaldehyde standard, according to a Dec. 13 RVIA standards bulletin. Bundled material must have the same markings.
In addition, for supplies containing wood – including both raw materials and finished products – letters or written statements from the supplier or distributor must be in possession of the manufacturer and make the same declaration.
“Acceptable documentation includes letters or written statements from given suppliers that blanket cover all product shipments from that supplier, or individual letters or written statements that accompany each separate product shipment,” the inspection policy says.
Because the board did not adopt the consumer notice that HUD requires for manufactured homes, notices about complying with the formaldehyde standards do not have to be placed in the RV or owner's manual.
