Significance and Use:
Limitations on formaldehyde concentrations in air have been established for some building products permanently installed in manufactured and conventional homes. This test method provides a standard means of testing typical product sizes, such as 1.2 by 2.4 m (4 by 8 ft) sheets, at product loadings consistent with product end use.
Summary of Test Method:
This test method incorporates a chamber of 22 m3 (800 ft3) minimum size to evaluate formaldehyde concentrations in air and emission rates from building products over a specified duration of time. This test method employs a single set of environmental conditions but different product loading ratios to assess formaldehyde concentrations in air and emission rates from certain wood products. Conditions controlled in the procedure are as follows:
Conditioning of specimens prior to testing,
Exposed surface area of the specimens in the test chamber,
Test chamber temperature and relative humidity,
Number of air changes per hour, and
Air circulation within the chamber.
At the end of a 16 to 20-h period in the test chamber, the air is sampled and the concentration of formaldehyde in air and emission rate are determined.
Note 38212;Care must be exercised in the extension of the results to formaldehyde concentrations in air and emission rates from products under different conditions of air change rate or loading ratio, or both.
1.1 This test method measures the formaldehyde concentration in air and emission rate from wood products containing formaldehyde under conditions designed to simulate product use (see 11.5 and Note 9). The concentration in air and emission rate is determined in a large chamber under specific test conditions of temperature and relative humidity. The general procedures are also intended for testing product combinations at product-loading ratios and at air-exchange rates typical of the indoor environment (1). The products tested, the loading ratios and the air exchange rates employed are described in the test report.
1.2 This test method determines the average formaldehyde concentration in air and emission rate from a number of large size samples. The average concentration and emission rate reported, thus, will not provide information on higher or lower emitting panels in the test lot.
1.3 This method is primarily used for testing newly manufactured panel products that are shipped for testing either seal-wrapped in polyethylene or with waster sheets, or with both. When this test method is used for evaluating other than newly manufactured panel products (after original application, installation or use), the method of packaging and shipping the product for testing shall be described in the test report.
1.4 The quantity of formaldehyde in the air sample taken from the chamber is determined by an adaptation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chromotropic acid test procedure. If another analytical procedure is used to determine the quantity of formaldehyde in the air sample, that procedure shall give results of equivalent or greater accuracy and precision than the adapted chromotropic acid procedure. Detailed procedures based on acetylacetone, pararosaniline (see Test Method ), 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) (see Test Method D5197) and 3-methyl-2-benzothiazoline (MBTH) (see Test Method