August 20, 2004—The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) International has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if its Design for the Environment program could be a vehicle for an investigation of alternatives to formaldehyde in the manufacturing process.
The World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer (“IARC”) reclassified formaldehyde from a “probable carcinogen” to a “known carcinogen” in June of 2004.
BIFMA is currently addressing problems with fire retardants through the Design for the Environment program and EPA has agreed to assist the industry in determining if it or another program would be best suited to the task.
A document reviewing the regulatory implications of the IARC reclassification was distributed by the Formaldehyde Council recently and is available at the BIFMA Web site.
