He's probably talking about urea formaldehyde. Some cabinetmakers are using no-VOC, no-formaldehyde ply for their cabinets. They all should, if you ask me. You can buy gorgeous A/B cabinet grade 3/4" plywood that's formaldehyde-free at Home Depot now for $44/sheet, so thre's no longer any excuse about product availability :)

If you're concerned about VOCs, see that the materials are "Carb Phase 2 compliant" (not just "green" which of course doesn't mean anything at all!)

Some bamboo products ARE low- or no-VOC. It all depends on the resins and glues used. Same as plywood, particle board, poly finishes, etc. There ARE no- and low-VOC alternatives that work just as well. Happily, they're becoming more widely available...

Thanks staceyneil -- what are the words to ask for regarding the no- and low-VOC apart from "urea formaldehyde-free ply" and "Carb Phase 2 compliant materials"?

I get so annoyed when I see things marketed as "green" - I'm irked by the coopting of serious concerns into a mere marketing tool - that I bite my tongue completely, reasoning that I should be happy about whatever means gets us to a better end. But while biting my tongue that hard, it becomes difficult to ask the proper questions in order to scrutinize for truth behind the claims. I'd appreciate assistance in formulating the right questions as I confess to not really believing the salesman in this matter. Were it the actual cabinet maker, I could ask about the materials -- would you believe the salesman/designer's insistence?

I am severely allergic to formaldehyde. I got ultra-low to zero VOC bamboo faces and maple-ply boxes, with ultra-low VOC varnish. Yes, this is referring to the adhesives and treatments, not the natural wood (does wood outgas? I know it leaches acids, but I'm not allergic to it).

I left it to my cabinetmaker to source, not wanting a new, expensive kitchen that would make me sick. I didn't pay as much attention to the cabinets I had put in my dressing area since they were painted. This was a couple of years ago, and more and more materials keep becoming available, but this insistence did raise the price of materials significantly.

No. I would not believe a salesman's patter, even from a place like epOxyGreen, which is pretty reliable, without being given some supporting materials. Good salesmen generally know what they're talking about, but they're mostly repeating what they've been told or read, and don't always have the background to understand the nuance that they've overlooked or gotten a little wrong.

I can tell you that I've never had a reaction to my new kitchen, unless you count the day the workers forgot all the zero-VOC everything and opened a bottle of thinner to clean up with. That got me right through the walls and I left for the day while they apologized profusely and aired out the house. The question is what is the environmental impact of whatever they're using that doesn't have VOCs? I was willing to settle for whatever was not known to be horrible for the environment and didn't make me sick.

aliris19,

The salesmen generally don't know too much. I usually call the company directly. I've had presidents of companies call me back after getting the exact numbers from their materials manufacturers. Even Kraftmaid and similar high-volume companies have this info (tip: KM cabs are no one's definition of low VOC! Oh my goodness!) I BELIEVE that all building materials have to have a MSDS safety data sheet which will list the ppm of urea formaldehyde, and also other health risks. Then you have to look up how many ppm you will tolerate (ie what's"bad") Of course our country's general standards are a lot lower than most European standards (I think Germany has the strictest EU emissions standards, I think they call them EC standards). Much better if the company has gotten a certification like Carb Phase II. Then you know its very "clean". As more and more architects and institutions strive for Leeds certification, more and more materials strive to meet the necessary health and environmental standards. That's great for consumers like us who care about it and need the info!