Eminent bibliography declares that if in our houses or workplaces, we achieve healthy air we have taken a step forward preventing respiratory problems, allergies and other diseases related to exposure to air pollutants.
Among these,
volatile organic compounds (VOCs), when present in high concentrations, are believed to be among the major causes of indoor chemical pollution. The VOCs are chemical compounds of various kinds and origins with the common characteristic of easily evaporating at room temperature. VOCs include substances such as, for example, formaldehyde, methane, butane, benzene, toluene, chloroform, pentachlorophenol, … some of which are considered carcinogenic.
How can we limit their effects? Airing out rooms to facilitate air exchange certainly is a good practice that improves air quality although the presence of buildings sealed by extremely energy-efficient windows and the inability to open windows frequently, limit the hopeful effect. Therefore, the most effective step is surely to reduce their emission: furniture, glues, adhesives, solvents, and paints are among the main responsible of such emissions.
Catas has spent the past few years focusing on aspects related to this issue, including contributing to the drafting of the UNI 11896 standard that describes the criteria for ranking the materials with which furniture is made based on its VOC emissions.
Based on the ranking indicated by the standard, the
Catas Quality Award VOC Low Emission certification scheme was created. The scheme indicates the possibility of obtaining the mark if products emit less than 500 mg/m3of Total VOCs (TVOCs). It is also possible to obtain the CQA VOC Low Emission
PLUS mark if products comply with emission levels approximately ten times lower.
A company based in Triveneto, a well-known brand in the kitchen furniture sector, certified its products with the CQA VOC Low Emission PLUS mark, immediately seizing the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to supplying low-emission products that do not contribute, except to a limited extent, to further pollution inside our homes. It can therefore boast certificate no. 1, demonstrating that this goal is challenging but not unreachable.
For ta furniture manufacturing company, what benefits from the CQA VOC Low Emission and CQA VOC Low Emission PLUS marks?
- Knowing the emission from the finished product by measuring the VOCs emitted from materials and semi-finished products.
- Optimising the costs of testing and extending the use of the mark, and the information obtained, to all production, using the logic of sampling by product families.
- Achieving compliance with CAM Furniture requirements.
- Evaluating its products according to a “chemical safety” logic.
In addition...
wood (and its derivatives) naturally emits certain substances that, if indiscriminately restricted, could exclude or otherwise reduce the future use of this material. The requirements of CQA certification allow for the subtraction of the product's total VOCs from the natural VOCs generated by wood. This approach makes it possible not to penalize the use of wood, a material that has always been used and is now being rediscovered for its inherent environmental sustainability.
We conclude by saying that there is still no legislation (except for the French decree No. 2011-321 specifically concerning construction products) that defines chemical safety thresholds regarding VOCs; however, considering the emission of VOC from furniture is synonymous of attention for the customers by helping to create a less polluted and chemically safe environment.
Getting certified is easy.
CATAS inspectors visit the company's plant annually to verify production and sample products for emission testing. The duration of the test for VOC determination is 28 days. The validity of the certification is four years, if the compliance is maintained during annual surveillance activities.
For info:Lorena riul
+39 0432 747255
[email protected]
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