First-Ever Residential Wooden Kitchen Cabinetry Gets Certified for Low Chemical Emissions to Help Families Reduce Air Pollution Inside Their Homes

Executive Cabinetry, LLC earns the highest level of GREENGUARD Certification; ensures healthier home environment for children and families

ATLANTA, June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time ever, a healthier alternative to traditional wood cabinetry has hit the marketplace, allowing families to choose a low-emitting product that will help reduce indoor air pollution and limit their exposure to potentially harmful airborne chemicals.  

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Executive Cabinetry, LLC has become the first residential kitchen and bath cabinet manufacturer to earn GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification and GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification — the highest level of indoor air quality certification — for its wood cabinetry.  This means that the cabinets meet some of the world's most stringent requirements for low chemical emissions, thereby contributing to the creation of healthier, more sustainable homes.

"Many people don't know that kitchen cabinets can emit thousands of hazardous chemicals and other pollutants into the air we breathe in our homes," says Henning Bloech, executive director of GEI.  "In fact, when it comes to sources of indoor air pollution in the home, cabinets can be one of the biggest offenders.  They take up a lot of surface area in a home, are made with engineered wood substrates, and can off-gas high concentrations of chemicals like formaldehyde — a known carcinogen."

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), people spend 90-percent of their time indoors, where the air is two to five times more polluted than the air outside.  Chemical off-gassing is a major contributor to poor indoor air quality, and has been linked to a myriad of health problems, including headaches, nosebleeds, upper respiratory irritation, developmental disorders, asthma, and even cancer.

Children are especially vulnerable to health risks posed by indoor air pollution because they inhale more air with respect to their body size than adults do and because their bodies are still developing.

"We're committed to helping our customers create a healthier indoor environment for their families," says Dave Romeo, CEO of Executive Cabinetry. "We offer high-quality, sustainable cabinetry with beautiful waterborne finishes at no extra cost. Earning GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification supports our efforts and assures our customers they've made the healthiest choice."

Another benefit of Executive Cabinetry products is that they don't require style-conscious families to sacrifice high design for health.  In fact, dozens of stains, paints, glazes, foils, and veneers are GREENGUARD Certified, including:

• Wood Stains
• Paints (except Sagamore Collection)
• Foil
• Glazes
• EcoFriendly™ (except bamboo)
• Bellini Foil
• Bellini Vogue Veneers
• Impact Wood
• Impact Paint

To find an Executive Cabinetry dealer near you, click here.

Experts agree that the most effective way to combat indoor air pollution is to practice source control, which means choosing only products that have been independently evaluated (and preferably certified) for low chemical emissions.  This helps keep the pollutants out in the first place, rather than trying to eliminate them when they're already there.  Thousands of other GREENGUARD Certified low-emitting products can be found in the free online product guide at www.greenguard.org.  

About GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute aims to protect human health and improve quality of life by enhancing indoor air quality and reducing people's exposure to chemicals and other pollutants.  As an ISO-IEC Guide 65:1996 accredited, third-party organization, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute certifies products and materials for low chemical emissions and provides a resource for choosing healthier products and materials for indoor environments.  All certified products must meet stringent chemical emissions standards based on established criteria from key public health agencies. GREENGUARD Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by sustainable building programs and building codes worldwide.  For more information and a complete listing of certified products, visit www.greenguard.org.

SOURCE GREENGUARD Environmental Institute