One. Are there any hazards associated with artificial boards?
Yes.
The biggest hazard of engineered wood panels is formaldehyde. The amount of formaldehyde released is an important indicator for engineered wood panels. When consumers select engineered wood panels, they should choose panels with low formaldehyde release and minimal odor. National standards classify engineered wood panel formaldehyde release into two levels: E1-level panels can be used indoors directly, and E2-level panels must be treated with a surface coating before use indoors. Therefore, consumers should pay attention to the formaldehyde release level specified by the manufacturer when making their selection.
Two. Are artificial boards environmentally friendly?
Engineered wood products are environmentally friendly on a large scale because they increase the utilization of solid wood raw materials and reduce the consumption of solid wood resources. This helps to protect forest resources and the environment.
However, the raw materials used in the manufacturing of engineered wood products, such as urea-formaldehyde resins, still predominantly consist of urea-formaldehyde resins. These resins and their products will inevitably release formaldehyde over time. This is due not only to the fact that urea-formaldehyde resins contain a large amount of free formaldehyde during the synthesis process due to incomplete reactions, but also because urea-formaldehyde resins degrade over time and release formaldehyde.
Therefore, engineered wood products are not environmentally friendly for individual living spaces. However, with the continuous advancement of technology, the manufacturing processes of engineered wood products are constantly improving, and products from reputable or large-brand engineered wood manufacturers have formaldehyde emissions within the specified range. When used correctly, these products pose minimal risk to human health.