A Bench-Top Microchamber Method for Measuring Formaldehyde Emission from Wood-Based Panel Products

In response to concerns about the possible adverse health effects caused by formaldehyde emission from wood-based products, the wood panel products industry has developed and produced lower emission materials over the past 15 years. There is a need for a reliable and inexpensive method in the industry to measure formal dehyde emission from these products that can be used on a routine basis and can provide data comparable to the environmental chamber test prescribed in the Euro pean pre-standard ENV 717-1. A 2.4-litre microchamber test has been developed in the UK, at the Building Research Establishment, as a bench-top method for measuring formaldehyde emission from wood-based materials. Microchamber tests of newly manufactured boards that were preconditioned for 28 days showed good correlation with the steady-state values obtained from the 1-m3 chamber tests determined in accordance with the ENV 717-1 standard. The airflow rate, the ratio of air change to material loading in the chamber and the amount of exposed edges were shown to affect the mea surement of emission rates.