[Strawbale] OSB in detail

[Derek Roff]

With respect to Herbert, and to everyone on this list, I recognize how 
hard it can be to do the right thing, or even determine what the right 
thing is.  It is also very hard to be successful in any business, and a 
failed green business doesn't have a chance to contribute.

That said, I was struck by the opening paragraph below:

> I would like to have a completely natural structural board instead of
> OSB, but we didn't find a board with the same advantages and a
> similar price.

This described sequence of motivation, analysis, and product selection 
is at the root of so many of our problems in the world.  As a world, we 
are seldom ready to pay extra for products that meet our values and/or 
contribute to making a better world.  So, instead, we give almost all 
our product purchasing money to companies that don't meet our values, 
and contribute to making the world worse.

It is hard to avoid, sometimes.  I use a car now and then, and send 
money to the oil companies that I dislike.  I fly on airplanes 
sometimes.  I make other choices that are unpleasant compromises of my 
values.  I don't think it is possible to be active in the world of 
green building, and also be free of compromises with companies and 
products.  Yet, I think it is valuable to be aware of how making the 
low-price choice so often contributes to removing better choices from 
the market.

Derelict

Derek Roff
Language Learning Center
Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
Internet: derek at unm...



--On Tuesday, December 7, 2010 8:06 PM +0100 asbn <asbn at baubiologie...> 
wrote:

> Dear OSB-Pros & Cons
>
> I would like to have a completely natural structural board instead of
> OSB, but we didn't find a board with the same advantages and a
> similar price.
>
> But we tried to look very carefully on OSB, avoided it in the
> beginning, but as the OSB Top 4 boards came on the market with
> emissions just 1/10 of OSB 3, we decided to use it, until we have a
> better material.
>
> There are a lot of tests made for Egger Eurostrand OSB (Top 4) by
> serious institutes, which show, that... (if you want all the details,
> the complete document is available on the net):
>
> * For the production of OSB EURO TOP only raw materials are used which
> correspond to the recommendation of the Commission of BFR plastics
> for food packaging: XLV, "Networked polyureas as binders for wood
> chips, etc."
> * The PUR glue in OSB Top 4 is completely formaldehyde-free.
>
> * yet, there is (natural) formaldehyde in the wood.
>
> * Emission standards EURO OSB 4 TOP and OSB 8000 are below 0.05 ppm
> formaldehyde (= equilibrium concentration in the test area) and are
> harmless for health.
> Formaldehyd measuring point: WKI Fraunhofer Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut,
> Prüf-, Überwachungs- und Zertifizierungsstelle, Braunschweig
> -  OSB/2: 6,4 mg/100 g atro (10 mm) + 6,5 mg/100 g atro (15 mm)
> -  OSB/3 : 3,9 mg/100 g atro (10 mm) + 3,1 mg/100 g atro (18 mm)
> -  OSB TOP: 0,4 mg/100 g atro (12 mm) + 0,3 mg/100 g atro (22 mm)
> -  OSB 8000: 0,5 mg/100 g atro (25 mm) + 0,2 mg/100 g atro (30) mm
>
> * MDI and other isocyanates:
> measuring point: Wessling - Beratende Ingenieure GmbH, Altenberge
> Results: in accordance to RAL UZ 76 and NIOSH (P & CAM 142).
> The emissions of MDI and other isocyanates were below the detection
> limits of analysis. The requirements of RAL-UZ 76 for MDI emissions
> are fulfilled.
>
> * Smoke toxicity [ in case of fire or burning the boards ]
> Measuring point: University of Osnabrück, Prof. Dr. Lechner IMFE
> Materials Results: The results after DIN 53 436 show that the boards
> are practically free of chlorine compounds and sulfur compounds.
> Hydrogen cyanide, HCN, was below the detection limit. The gaseous
> emissions when burned correspond largely to the emissions caused by
> burning natural wood.
>
> And so on...
>
> The German magazine Ökotest (which is a relyable ressource, I think),
> stated in 2001 for OSB-boards (at this time OSB Top 4 didn't exist,
> so the results for OSB Top 4 are again much better):
>
> "In general, OSB keep, what is promised by them. Five out of seven
> tested products are "very good" or "good", in only two products of
> the manufacturer Kronospan we found several shortcomings.
>
> The result of the sawing tests were encouraging: In no case
> isocyanates were found. The consumer can be certain that the PU glue
> does him no harm. For the environment, it is still not without
> problems.
>
> Good news also at the formaldehyde measurement. Only one product
> outgassed after three days more than 0.05 ppm of the the classical
> pollutant. After 28 days all products were well below this limit and
> thus fulfill the requirements of the environmental label Blue Angel -
> for low emissions. This proves that OSB panels have a significantly
> lower pollution potential.
>
> Mit lieben Grüßen
> Herbert Gruber
> --
> asbn - austrian strawbale network
> Österreichisches Netzwerk für Strohballenbau
> 3720 Ravelsbach, Baierdorf 6
> Email: asbn at baubiologie...
> http://www.baubiologie.at
>
>
>
>> --On Tuesday, December 7, 2010 10:11 AM +0100 Kurt235 at yahoo... wrote:
>>
>>> Formaldehyd is a naturel product contained in wood.
>>> There are no formaldeyd free OSB´s (wood).
>>> After "they" found out how bad formaldehyd is, "they" changed the
>>> clue to PU-clue. But this clue contains isocyanate... THat PU-clue
>>> is worse...but most people just don´t know! As a building biologist
>>> i wouldn´t use OSB´s in my home!
>>
>> I haven't been able to find any references to formaldehyde in
>> (natural) wood.  In all the regulatory documents that I looked at,
>> formaldehyde was only discussed as an additive to wood products.
>> Can you tell us more about the concentrations in natural wood, Kurt?
>> From my searches, it looks like the researchers considered the
>> naturally occurring levels of formaldehyde in wood, if any, to be
>> too low to mention.  In contrast, there is much discussion of the
>> amount of formaldehyde added to wood products, and the health risks
>> that might be associated, even at very low concentrations.  There
>> are also a number of composite wood products labeled as
>> "formaldehyde-free", which may contain other dangerous chemicals.
>>
>> Derelict
>>
>> Derek Roff
>> Language Learning Center
>> Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
>> University of New Mexico
>> Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
>> 505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
>> Internet: derek at unm...