BUNK BEDS
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is seeking action to eliminate the potential hazards posed by corner post extensions and has asked ASTM to revise the current voluntary bunk bed standard to address this concern.
AHFA Position
AHFA is committed to working with the various regulatory and voluntary standard-setting organizations to address any potential product hazard.
Action
Working with the ASTM Bunk Bed Subcommittee, revisions to the voluntary bunk bed standard have been finalized to address the potential strangulation risk related to bunk bed corner post. New language has been added to the warning label alerting consumers to the potential risks. Various work groups will continue evaluating the need for a performance test to demonstrate compliance.

C.A.R.B. INITIATIVE
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) proposes to ban the use of formaldehyde to eliminate worker and end user exposure to the chemical. Any manufacturer using engineered wood in the construction of finished product would be impacted.
AHFA Position
AHFA believes this is not an end-user, indoor air quality issue.
Action
AHFA continues to advocate that finished home furnishing products have no negative impact on indoor air quality and present no significant risk to consumers as a result of their formaldehyde content. AHFA remains committed to working with the California Woodworking Industries Coalition to develop a comprehensive format to demonstrate compliance to the anticipated emission limit. AHFA maintains that the burden for compliance must rest with the board manufacturers.

UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE FLAMMABILITY
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will publish a proposed flammability regulation for upholstered furniture this year.
AHFA Position
AHFA supports a flexible, reasonable national standard that would preempt conflicting state standards and provide complying manufacturers with protection against lawsuits.
Action
AHFA staff has invested extensive time and resources over the last decade to ensure that any regulation provides meaningful safety benefits while preserving the design, comfort and affordability of upholstered furniture. The association has testified before CPSC and the U.S. Congress, spearheaded research into the toxicity of flame retardants, and educated federal officials about the fire science and economic realities behind this complex issue. A sensible federal regulation will benefit upholstery producers by avoiding a patchwork of state rules and providing them with a stronger legal footing in personal injury lawsuits. Click here to find out the true costs, benefits, and risks associated with upholstered furniture flammability.

WOOD DUST
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has revised its cancer classifications and recommended exposure limits for occupational wood dust. The findings categorize beech and oak as carcinogens; mahogany, teak and walnut as suspected carcinogens; and other hardwoods and softwoods as noncarcinogenic. ACGIH recommends that woodworking facilities meet a stringent Threshold Limit Value (TLV) of 1 milligram per cubic meter (mg/m3) standard. Currently, most plants in the industry adhere to a more reasonable 5 mg/m3 standard, met through a combination of “cyclone” technology and work practices. ACGIH is a professional society for industrial hygiene specialists, and its findings are not legally binding. However, they must be listed on Hazard Communication materials such as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS’s). They can also influence standard setting and enforcement by federal and state occupational authorities.
AHFA Position
AHFA opposes stricter wood dust standards, which are not supported by sound science.
Action
In June 2005, Tulane University Medical School completed a six-year, $1.9 million study of the respiratory health effects of wood dust. AHFA, along with other woodworking industry associations, sponsored the research. The results were forwarded to ACGIH in December 2005, and are expected to provide a more scientifically sound basis for federal and state wood dust regulations. Click here to read the wood industry letter to ACGIH.
(January 2006)