Did you know that you can confirm the health level of hardwood floors covering your home, office, or gym floors? Most of us know that laminate flooring is produced from natural wood timber. However, you may have not heard before that you can be sure of the health safety level by looking at the E1 certificate before purchasing parquet flooring. This week, we are here with our article explaining the E1 certificate, an essential certificate for laminate flooring, and why it is significant for the user.
Laminated parquets, which are produced as an engineering product, go through a series of processes. Laminated parquets, unlike solids, and it has many layers. This layered structure is immobilized with resin. Resins are chemicals used due to their strong bonding properties and are also used in the production of composite woods. The resins used due to their strong stabilizing properties release formaldehyde in the gaseous phase after the application. Apart from resin, dishwashing liquid, fertilizer, glue, and formaldehyde which is also found in paint can pose a danger to your respiratory tract health. For this reason, you can check whether the parquet you purchased has the E1 certificate through the standards created by authorized persons, and you can be sure that it will not pose a threat to your health.
What is formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a chemical substance found in many industrial products. It is included in the resin used in composite wood products. After the application of the resin, formaldehyde spreads in gaseous form, and this gas may be dangerous for your trachea, bronchi, and lung health. For this reason, the gas released from formaldehyde is controlled with certain standards and kept at a minimum level that will not threaten human health.
Regulations standardizing the ratio of free-form formaldehyde released by the resin, which is usually used in the production of wooden products, were introduced by the European Panel Industry in 2000. By looking at the E1 certificate, you can be sure that the manufacturing conditions of your wooden parquets are produced by considering the health of users and the environment, and you can use your parquets comfortably.
How to Get E1 Certificate?
Formaldehyde, which has many dangers in terms of health, can be controlled through specific certificates. Among the certificates with different versions on a country basis, the European-based one is the E1 certificate. For the parquet to have the E1 certificate, manufacturers must have their sample products tested in independent laboratories. The independent laboratories keep the sample parquets in a room and measure the amount of formaldehyde emitted by the parquets in one part per million (ppm). Depending on the amount of formaldehyde released into the room, the parquets are certified with the E1 or E2 class. The acceptable emission level is specified as 0.1 ppm to have the E1 certificate.
As a conscious consumer, we recommend that you pay attention to the fact that the flooring you buy is E1 certified. Instead of choosing laminate flooring just by looking at its natural appearance, you can check the E1 certificate, which you can learn about its production, and ensure your health. You can raise your environmental awareness to a higher level by purchasing parquet products that are produced in a more environmentally friendly way.
