EPA Seeks Input On Formaldehyde Rule

EPA is inviting small businesses to participate in an advocacy review panel that will assist in developing regulations to limit emissions of formaldehyde from composite wood products, including plywood (shown), fiberboard, and particleboard. The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act, enacted in July 2010, requires EPA to draft a rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act that establishes national emissions standards for formaldehyde in compressed-wood products that mirror the limits California set on the chemical in 2008. The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires EPA to establish a federal panel for rules that could have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small organizations. The panel will include representatives from the Small Business Administration, the Office of Management & Budget, and EPA. The panel will ask a group of small business representatives to provide advice on the potential impacts of the proposed rule. Formaldehyde is a known eye, nose, and throat irritant, and in 1991, EPA classified the chemical as a probable human carcinogen.