Offgassing from plywood shelving

Regarding plywood shelving, you should be aware there are some new
standards and technologies emerging.  The European standard "E1",
which I have references to but not a copy of, apparently specifies
quite a low limit for formaldehyde. I also understand there are now
some manufacturers which add a chemical scavenger to the adhesive in
some types of plywood which significantly reduces formaldehyde
offgassing.  Finally, there is a significant difference between the
offgassing of various types and grades of plywood.  If you still
have the opportunity to specify components of the shelves and
plywood is your only choice, it might be worth contacting your
national forest products association for information on which types
of veneer and adhesive combinations will best suit your purpose.

Thomas Dixon
Chief Conservator
National Gallery of Victoria
Melbourne Australia

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:3
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 24, 1999
                        Message Id: cdl-13-3-003
                                  ***