Health Canada published its final formaldehyde regulations for composite panels in the July 7 issue of Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 155, Number 14. The rules, which have been under development for several years, cover particleboard, medium density fiberboard, thin medium density fiberboard, hardwood plywood and laminated products. The regulations are dated June 17, 2021 and are effective 18 months after publication, with the exception of laminated products which have a five year deadline.
The rules are modeled after those developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Title VI regulation. The emission standards under the Health Canada regulations mirror those of TSCA Title VI. Third-party certification (TPC) and testing requirements, which were not part of the agency’s original proposal, were added and vary slightly from the U.S. regulations due to the authority under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. CPA and others encouraged Health Canada to include the TPC requirements to level the playing field in North America.
CPA is in the process of reviewing the new rules and will schedule an informational webinar in the coming weeks to share specific program details and TPC requirement differences from that in the U.S. See Canada Gazette.
