EPA Certification
Under the reciprocity for Third-Party Certifiers Approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), TPC can certify any products under EPA TSCA Title VI on the premise of EPA Approval.
ICTT as a CARB approved and EPA accepted TPC to offers worldwide services as following:
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According to TSCA VI requirement to certify manufactures which had been certified under CARB ATCM rule;
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Certify composite wood products manufactures according to TSCA VI;
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Certify un-exempt laminated wood producers according to TSCA VI;
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Work with fabricators and do formaldehyde testing with ASTM D6007 or ASTM E1333 to confirm if their platform panels can meet TSCA VI requirement;
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Work with purchaser to do factory inspection, sampling, testing to verify their supplier can fully comply with TSCA VI;
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Related wood products testing, inspection, and certification services.
EPA Composite Wood Formaldehyde Regulation– TSCA Title VI and EPA
The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act, or Title VI of TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 2697, was enacted on July 7, 2010. The purpose of TSCA Title VI is to reduce formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products, which will reduce exposures to formaldehyde and result in benefits from avoided adverse health effects.
The statute establishes formaldehyde emission standards that are identical to the CARB ATCM Phase 2 standards for hardwood plywood with a composite or veneer core, MDF, and particleboard sold, supplied, offered for sale, or manufactured in the United States. The statute directs EPA to issue final implementing regulations.
As an U.S. third certification party, ICTT positively participate in EPA program and ICCT’S lab also finished composite wood products formaldehyde emission research as part of the plan.
On December 12, 2016, EPA published in the Federal Register a final rule to reduce exposure to formaldehyde emissions from certain wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States, which is CFR Part 770-Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products.
Who must comply with TSCA VI?
This final 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 (including imported) in the United States.
This final rule includes provisions relating to, among other things, laminated products, products made with no-added formaldehyde resins or ultra low-emitting formaldehyde resins, testing requirements, product labeling, chain of custody documentation and other recordkeeping requirements, enforcement, import certification, and product inventory sell-through provisions, including a product stockpiling prohibition.
Some laminated product producers will be regulated as panel producers. A laminated product is a component part used in the construction or assembly of a finished good. In addition, a laminated product must be produced by either the fabricator of the finished good in which the product is incorporated or by a fabricator who uses the laminated product in the further construction or assembly of a component part. Laminated product producers that make laminated products by attaching a wood or woody grass veneer to a compliant core or platform with a phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin or a resin formulated with NAF as part of the resin cross-linking structure are exempt from the definition of hardwood plywood, and thus they are not treated as hardwood plywood panel producers under the regulations.
Compliance Date Amendment
EPA will issue a final rule to extend the compliance dates under the Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products rule, including extending:
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The date for the emission standards, recordkeeping, and labeling provisions from December 12, 2017 to December 12, 2018;
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The date for import certification provisions from December 12, 2018 to March 22, 2019;
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The date for laminated product producer provisions from December 12, 2023 to March 22, 2024; and
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The conclusion of the transition period for CARB Third-Party Certifiers (TPCs) from December 12, 2018 to March 22, 2019.
How to Comply?
The regulations are designed to ensure compliance with TSCA Title VI formaldehyde emission standards so that only compliant products are sold, supplied or offered for sale in the United States. In order to achieve this, panel producers are required to get their panels tested and certified by third party. They are also required to label their products and follow the recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
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