The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized an air rule regarding formaldehyde emissions limits and sent it to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, according to InsideEPA. The specifics of the finalized rule are still unknown.
The rule is supposed to set standards for testing, product labeling, chain of custody documentation and enforcement.
The EPA planned to finalize the rule in December 2015 but pushed the date back. The bill has been in the making since 2010, when Congress passed a bill that required the EPA to regulate formaldehyde emissions like the 2008 California Air Resources Board Standard—the strictest standard in the country.
The flooring industry has been watching the rule evolve since the process began. The National Wood Flooring Association commented on the EPA regulations in 2013, and outlined four specific areas of concern.
The regulation is backed by advocates of decreasing chemical exposure in the home, according to InsideEPA.
