Formaldehyde emission standards for wood-based panels and testing capacities in Serbia

Abstract

Wood composite panels produced with formaldehyde-based resins present one of the major sources of formaldehyde emissions in the interior. This problem has become publicly recognized during 1970ies, and since then the significant efforts were addressed to control the formaldehyde emission from wood-based panels. The European and USA regulations on this subject have led to further improvements in the resin development, and to the technology of wood based panels in a broader aspect. Today, the regulations in Serbia concerning the formaldehyde emission standards are based on the accepted European standards, and the same applies to the testing methods. The capacities for testing the wood based panels on the free formaldehyde were developed in Serbia during the 1980ies, firstly at the Faculty of Forestry of the Belgrade University. The analysis of existing capacities for formaldehyde testing in Serbia is given in this paper, as well as the possibilities for further improvements in this field.