Smith & Fong Products Pass California Emissions

San Francisco, CA, Aug. 25, 2008--Smith & Fong Co., manufacturer of Plyboo bamboo architectural plywood and flooring, said its Plyboo bamboo plywood products have passed California emissions testing underSection 01350, the most stringent volatile organic compound (VOC)-emissions standards in North America.

Smith & Fong's entire product line already meets the California Air Resource Board (CARB)'s Phase I and Phase II regulations for formaldehyde emissions that were passed in 2007. And many of the company's products are 100-percent urea formaldehyde-free, contributing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points under EQ 4.4.: No Added Urea Formaldehyde.

Smith & Fong decided to test its products under Section 01350 as it strives to set a new benchmark for clean building products. Section 01350 tests for formaldehyde and more than 60 other VOCs known to be present in the manufacture of composite wood products.

"We're very excited to have passed Section 01350," Smith & Fong founder and president Dan Smith said. "The requirements for Section 01350 are written into California's Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) indoor air quality program as well as LEED NC (new construction) and LEED CI (commercial interiors)."

In late-2007 Smith & Fong announced plans to convert its manufacturing facilities to urea formaldehyde-free processes, and in early 2008 the company secured FSC certification for its bamboo resource--the very first FSC certification to be issued for a non-wood product.