I am an architect of public schools here in California an I am very
much in favor of any reduction of formaldehyde emissions. One of
the greatest contributors of these emissions in a school classroom
is the casework. Almost all classrooms contain some cabinetry and
in most cases it tends to be inexpensive product that is mass
produced in mills in the pacific northwest and trucked here.
Standard in the industry is plastic laminate surfacing on some
type of particle board. The cost effectiveness of this product has
caused it to become pervasive within our schools.
This problem is exacerbated by the fact that classroom standards
require more casework for elementary schools than standards for
upper level classrooms. This means that we are subjecting our
youngest students to higher levels of these emissions than older
students.
There are many reasons for adopting these reductions but the most
important is the benefit it will have for California students.
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