Plyboo® passes California's Section 01350 emissions tests

San Francisco, Calif. - Smith & Fong Co., manufacturer of Plyboo® bamboo architectural plywood and flooring, today announced that the company's Plyboo bamboo plywood products have passed emissions testing under the criteria of California Section 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). But environmental health, whether indoor or outdoor, has always been a key component of our business strategy; so the validation is our reward."

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.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Francisco, Smith & Fong Co. was the first U.S. company to manufacture bamboo flooring in China for sale in North America, offering its initial product under the brand name Plyboo® in 1993. In 1996 the firm began producing bamboo plywood, followed by coconut palm flooring and plywood products in 2000. Smith & Fong is committed to sustainability through innovation. For information call 866-835-9859 or visit http://plyboo.com.

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