Re: GBlist: Couple O' Products

John Bunzick (bunzick@tiac.net)
Thu, 27 Mar 1997 20:13:27 -0500

Alex Wilson wrote:
>
> Hi Mike,
>
> Regarding the last product you wanted information on, we had a wall of
> shelving built out of WheatBoard for the EBN office. Great stuff. It's a
> particleboard (i.e., varying density with coarser particles in the center),
> but the cabinetmaker who built the shelving said it performed more like a
> medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which is more uniform and a lot heavier
> but generally machines better than particleboard. This product is produced
> with a polyurethane resin (MDI) so is formaldehyde-free.

I have serious concern about whether we are better off with polyurethane
adhesives. I have been told by an industrial hygienist that urethanes
give off a chemical called, I think, MDI which is known to be toxic in
low concentrations. Does the urethane in such a product give off MDI? It
is definitely given off in liquid or mastic-type products, and
manufacturer's of them state that it shouldn't be used indoors. Does
anyone have any more info on this?

John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA
HKT Architects, Inc.
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