ARGENTINA – Argentina’s National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) published on November 28 in the Official Gazette the new regulation that will allow for emissions control of formaldehyde in plywood that is commercialized in the country.

This new regulation establishes a series of technical quality and safety requirements for plywood and requires manufacturers and importers of this product to carry out the regulatory tests at the INTI facilities. It is worth remembering that in 2004 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared formaldehyde as a carcinogen.

The new regulations were announced during the event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the INTI-Wood and Furniture sector center. “This event fills me with pride because we are accompanied by companies and chambers of the sector, to which we have been providing technological solutions for 40 years,” said the president of INTI, Javier Ibañez, during the anniversary ceremony.

On the entry into force of this official regulation that will control the emission of formaldehyde, Eduardo Cairós, of local plywood manufacturer Coama South America stated, “The resolution that has just been approved gives us the framework regarding how the commerce of these products will be carried out from here on in Argentina and that is very important in order to give predictability to all producers.”

At the end of the meeting, the director of INTI-Wood and Furniture Center, Alfredo Ladrón González, called on the sector companies and manufacturers to join as partners of the center and to integrate the executive committee. “Together, we can build a stronger industry at the national level,” he said.