Rohm and Haas touts formaldehyde-free insulation

23 April 2008 21:45  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Rohm and Haas on Wednesday touted its formaldehyde-free insulation as a way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and indoor air-pollution.

The company said in a statement that better insulation can help reduce the carbon footprint generated by homeowners.

“As Americans, we each contribute 50,000 lb [23 tonnes] of carbon dioxide to our atmosphere annually,” Rohm and Haas said. “It may come as a surprise that most of that contribution comes from our houses. Heating and cooling consume 50-70% of our home energy use.”

Better insulation can reduce home energy bills by 30-40% and lower greenhouse-gas emissions, the company said.

Rohm and Haas said Aquaset thermosetting resins also allow insulation makers to produce the material without formaldehyde.

For many years, formaldehyde-based resins have been used to bind loose fibreglass fibres in insulation, the company said.

“However, the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, the US National Toxicology Program, and the US EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] advise limiting exposure to formaldehyde, a probable human carcinogen,” Rohm and Haas said. “Handling insulation with formaldehyde has long presented worker safety issues for both manufacturers and installers.

Insulation made with formaldehyde can cause indoor air quality deterioration as well, through prolonged emissions of formaldehyde gases, particularly in buildings built with less air exchange, Rohm and Haas said.

For more on formaldehyde visit ICIS chemical intelligence

By: Brian Ford
+1 713 525 2653

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