formaldehyde emission-correlation between different standard methods in three different panel products

Wood based panel products are produced mostly using formaldehyde-based adhesives.   formaldehyde being carcinogenic thus needs risk assessment from these panel products.  the formaldehyde emissions are investigated by different methods and accordingly are adopted by different countries. it is important to understand the relationship between these different test methods. indian standard particle board [is 3087] and medium density fiber board (mdf) [ is 12406] stipulate the measurement of formaldehyde emissions from wood-based panels shall be carried out in accordance with the is/ iso/12460 1 m3 climate chamber method or is 13745 perforator method. thus, a study on correlation of formaldehyde emission between chamber method 1m3 as per iso/is 12460, desiccator method jis 1460 a, as/nz, and perforator method as per en-120 and is 13745 were carried out for plywood, particle board and medium density fiber board. the results showed a good positive correlation between the chamber (y) and desiccator (x) method irrespective of type of the panels tested. for plywood the linear relationship y = 0.155x + 0.0053 between the chamber and desiccator method of testing with r2 of 0.845.  the equation of the correlation for particle board and mdf is y = 0.0787x + 0.0582 and y = 4.4899x - 0.0221, respectively, with r2 0.75. this study demonstrated the practical applicability between a relatively inexpensive formaldehyde content perforator method (en 120) and formaldehyde emission desiccator method jis 1460 a with the more expensive chamber method. insignificant differences were observed between measured and transformed values between chamber and desiccator method.