Comment submitted by C. Lish

I strongly encourage the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move quickly to adopt rules requiring that all composite wood products used in the United States comply with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards to protect children and the public from formaldehyde. The EPA needs to fulfill its public health responsibilities by preventing health problems with these rules. These rules will save us so much more in healthcare costs for years than the cost of implementing these rules. Studies by Environment California have shown that children’s furniture can release unsafe levels of formaldehyde. According to the Center for Disease Control, people who have been exposed to formaldehyde may present a variety of symptoms. Formaldehyde can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, throat, sinuses, and lungs, resulting in itching, watery eyes, and cough. Some people may develop skin rashes. Others may experience difficulty in breathing. At-risk populations with underlying asthma or pulmonary disease may be more severely affected. People can smell formaldehyde when it is at very low levels, but they can also manifest symptoms even when they cannot smell the chemical. Exposure to formaldehyde can also cause cancer. Wood products that are low in formaldehyde are readily available and affordable. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted tough new standards to protect people from formaldehyde. The rest of the nation deserves the same protections. Again, the EPA needs to move quickly to adopt rules requiring that all composite wood products used in the United States comply with the CARB standards to protect children and the public from formaldehyde. Thank you for your consideration of my comments. Please do NOT add my name to your mailing list. I will learn about future developments on this issue from other sources. Sincerely, Christopher Lish