ANSI Launches Pilot Accreditation Program for EPA Title VI Formaldehyde Emissions Certification Program for Wood Composite Products

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, has initiated a Pilot Accreditation Program for Certification Bodies for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Title VI Formaldehyde Emissions Product Accreditation Certification Program. ANSI is accepting applications for the program from Monday, August 28, 2017, through Friday, October 13, 2017.

This year, the EPA approved ANSI as an accreditation body (AB) to provide accreditation services under its Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for Composite Wood Products rule, intended to reduce exposure to formaldehyde emissions from certain wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States. The final rule, published in a February 2017 Federal Register notice, includes formaldehyde emission standards applicable to hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard, and finished goods containing these products, that are sold, supplied, offered for sale, or manufactured (including imported) in the United States.

The rule also establishes a third-party certification program for hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard, and includes procedures for the accreditation of third-party certifiers (TPCs) and general requirements for accreditation bodies and TPCs.

Potential applicants seeking to join the ANSI Formaldehyde Pilot Program must comply with the requirements and processes found in the ANSI-Policy-PRO-PL-102, Manual of Operations for Accreditation of Product Certification Programs, as well as the final rule to implement the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act.

The steps in the Pilot Program include:

• An on-site assessment to determine whether the TPC meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 (E) and the EPA regulations
• A review of how the TPC: 
  1. Verifies formaldehyde emissions tests
  2. Verifies formaldehyde quality control tests
  3. Evaluates the panel producer's quality assurance quality control processes/personnel/manual
  4. Reviews the accreditation credentials of the TPC laboratory
  5. Evaluates the approach used for establishing correlation between ASTM E133-10 and ASTM D6007-02, if used, or other allowable test methods under 40 CFR section 770.20
• Evaluates the process for sample selection, handling, and shipping procedures for panel producer quality control testing

To obtain an application for the Formaldehyde Pilot Accreditation Program, please contact Reinaldo Figueiredo ([email protected]; 202.331.3611), ANSI senior program director for product and process accreditation, or Elizabeth Okutuga ([email protected]; 202.331.3627), ANSI program coordinator for product certification accreditation.

About ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

For more on ANSI accreditation, visit www.ansiaccreditation.org.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute

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