The November 2015 draft revision of South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1113 on Architectural Coatings lists ASTM Standard Method D6886, Standard Test Method for Determination of the Weight Percent Individual Volatile Organic Compounds in Waterborne Air-Dry Coatings by Gas Chromatography, as an acceptable method for the VOC content of coatings and colorants. This draft is anticipated to be published in final form in the first half of 2016. ASTM D6886 is one of the paint testing methods offered by Berkeley Analytical. This standard is included in the scope of Berkeley Analytical’s ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. The agency’s official recognition of D6886 is a welcome addition as it allows reliable and reproducible determination of VOC content of water-based paints down to a few grams per liter (about 2 G/liter).

Berkeley Analytical was mentioned on NBC Bay Area News. As reported, many workers in the U.S. EPA Region 9 Headquarters building at 75 Hawthorne Street in San Francisco have been complaining about indoor air quality concerns. EPA leases its space in the building, which was constructed in 1987 and was LEED-Gold certified in 2009. The EPA management has been investigating the complaints and is conducting an indoor air quality study as part of its investigation, which also includes an assessment of the building’s ventilation system. EPA has contracted Berkeley Analytical to provide volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis for the IAQ study. Berkeley Analytical reports on the indoor air concentrations of formaldehyde and caprolactam in the building were mentioned on the news item.

In July 2015, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved Berkeley Analytical as an accredited laboratory to provide formaldehyde testing services for manufacturers of composite wood products under Section 93120.4 of the Airborne Toxic Control Measure (ATCM), Title 17, California Code of Regulations. Berkeley Analytical is now an official subcontractor to SCS Global Services, ATCM TPC-9. Berkeley Analytical operates conditioning and small-scale chamber test facilities as required by formaldehyde certification test method, ASTM D6007.

Berkeley Analytical announces the publication of the ClearChem™ registry of manufacturers’ self-declared declarations for VOC emissions from interior building products. ClearChem declarations are claims for low VOC emissions created by product companies using a uniform template. They are transparent, complete, and 100% backed by testing to widely recognized standards. ClearChem declarations are downloadable and are specifically designed for architects, engineers and other building professionals who need documentation for indoor environmental quality credits in green, high-performance building projects, such as those pursuing certification under USGBC LEED v4.

Under a NIST contract, Bernheim + Dean, Inc. and Berkeley Analytical (with specification assistance by White +GreenSpec) developed a detailed indoor air quality (IAQ) architectural specification for use in residential new construction and renovation. The specification is directed to architects and other building professionals involved in green building design and sustainable construction. The project report, NIST GCR 14-980 is available on the NIST website and also can be downloaded from the Berkeley Analytical Publications page.

Berkeley Analytical tests water-based paints for VOC content by ASTM D6886 using the SCAQMD Method 313 definition of VOC. In order to sell paints and coatings in California, manufacturers must meet strict CARB SCM 2007 and SCAQMD Rule 1113 regulations on VOC content. These regulations soon may become more stringent. The SCAQMD, with jurisdiction over air quality in the Los Angeles basin has proposed either reducing the current regulatory VOC content of flat and non-flat paints from 50 g/L to 25 g/L or imposing a fee structure that encourages the new limit. Additionally, the SCAQMD is leading the industry to lower limits by publishing a registry of “Super Compliant” paints that are less than 10 g/L.

Berkeley Analytical now tests laminate flooring and engineered wood flooring for their emissions of formaldehyde using micro-scale chambers. This service is designed for industrial hygienists conducting field investigations. The small sample size consisting of a circle 2.5 inch in diameter allows samples to be easily collected in out of the way locations such as closets and under furniture items.

Berkeley Analytical is partnering with QAI Laboratories and Rosenblum Environmental for VOC emission testing and toxicology evaluations of Spray-in-Place Polyurethane Foam (SPF) insulation required in Canada. Many manufacturers of two-part SPF insulation products are using Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) product evaluation services to demonstrate the conformity of their products to the National Building Code of Canada and to Canadian provincial building codes. For SPF insulation, a CCMC evaluation requires measurement of the emissions of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and exposure assessments for emitted VOCs to estimate re-occupancy times following product application. Berkeley Analytical and its partners are now recognized by the CCMC for this testing and assessment.

Berkeley Analytical has received a large volume of e-mails and calls following the March 1 airing of the 60-Minutes investigation of Lumber Liquidators laminated wood flooring products. In order to assist our customers and other stakeholders, we have published a new white paper that describes the testing options for manufactured wood flooring.

The paper includes information showing the CARB ATCM regulatory standards stated as easier to comprehend formaldehyde emission factors, i.e., mass of formaldehyde emitted per square meter of flooring per hour. These standards are compared to the formaldehyde emission factor limits for the voluntary product testing standards CDPH Standard Method V1.1 (CA Section 01350) and ANSI/BIFMA X7.1 and e3.