GREENGUARD Environmental Institute Now Offers 'Formaldehyde Free' Verification of Building Products

'Formaldehyde free' verification provides marketplace solution to manufacturers and consumers alike

ATLANTA, Aug. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute announces the launch of a formaldehyde free verification service to help manufacturers more clearly communicate their products' formaldehyde emissions and content criteria to the marketplace.

Classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Toxicology Program, formaldehyde is one of thousands of hazardous and potentially hazardous chemicals that can off-gas from interior products. However, growing public awareness about formaldehyde's health impacts has created a market need for fool-proof identification of products that neither contain nor emit it.

"Unfortunately, the claim 'formaldehyde free' is frequently misapplied and misunderstood," says GREENGUARD's Executive Director, Henning Bloech. "We believe that our formaldehyde free verification will provide more clarity to the marketplace and help consumers and other purchasers make more informed buying decisions."

To achieve GREENGUARD's formaldehyde free designation, a product must demonstrate that it does not emit formaldehyde at levels greater than those occurring naturally in the outdoor environment. Additionally, manufacturers or suppliers of that product must provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each component of the product, along with attestation that the product does not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde polymers, or formaldehyde precursors.

Formaldehyde free verification is available only to product manufacturers that are currently participating in the GREENGUARD Certification Program(SM).  This ensures that formaldehyde free products have low emissions of all other VOCs. It also ensures that manufacturers are committed to defined quality control principles and ongoing verification of their products.

"While formaldehyde free verification is important, we must remember that there are scores of other chemicals of concern that we need to consider when purchasing products," says Bloech. "Other compounds can be just as harmful—and that's why GREENGUARD Certification enforces such strict emission limits on over 360 chemicals."

Products that earn formaldehyde free verification from GREENGUARD carry the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute's formaldehyde free mark on their GREENGUARD Certificates, indicating that the product is virtually free of formaldehyde and certified to some of the most rigorous and robust chemical emissions requirements in the world. Additionally, formaldehyde free verified products can be found easily on the GREENGUARD Product Guide by simply clicking on the formaldehyde free search criterion under the "Product Attributes" tab.

More information about the GREENGUARD formaldehyde free verification service can be found on the GREENGUARD website at www.greenguard.org.

About GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute aims to protect human health and enhance quality of life by improving indoor air quality and reducing chemical exposure.  As an ISO-IEC Guide 65:1996 accredited, third-party organization, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute certifies products and materials for low chemical emissions and serves as 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