ANSI Launches Accreditation Program for EPA Formaldehyde Testing Rule
ANSI is one of four accreditation bodies recognized by EPA to provide accreditation services under the final rule, which is intended to reduce exposure to formaldehyde emissions from certain wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States.
The American National Standards Institute announced May 7 it has launched a pilot program to assess the competence of certification bodies in relation to the EPA final rule on formaldehyde testing of composite wood products. ANSI is accepting applications for this new program through June 1, 2018.
EPA published the rule on February 7, 2018, revising the formaldehyde emissions standards for composite wood products regulations. The revision updates the incorporation by reference of multiple voluntary consensus standards that have been updated, superseded, or withdrawn, and provides a technical correction to allow panel producers to correlate their approved quality-control test method to ASTM E1333–14, Standard Test Method for Determining Formaldehyde Concentrations in Air and Emission Rates from Wood Products Using a Large Chamber, or, upon showing equivalence, to ASTM D6007–14, Standard Test Method for Determining Formaldehyde Concentrations in Air from Wood Products Using a Small-Scale Chamber.
ANSI is one of four accreditation bodies recognized by EPA to provide accreditation services under the final rule, which is intended to reduce exposure to formaldehyde emissions from certain wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States. The rule includes formaldehyde emission standards applicable to hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard, and finished goods containing these products, that are sold, supplied, offered for sale, or manufactured in the United States.
Certification bodies seeking accreditation by ANSI will be required to comply with the applicable requirements and processes contained in EPA's rules; with ISO/IEC 17065, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services; and with ANSI Policy PRO-PL-102, Manual of Operations for Accreditation of Product Certification Programs.