Contact:
Rachel R. Belew,
PR & Communications Manager
678.444.4047 or 678.548.7889
rbelew@greenguard.org
Henning Bloech,
Executive Director
678.444.4040 or 678.270.7931
hbloech@greenguard.org
First-Ever
Residential Wooden Kitchen Cabinetry Gets Certified for Low Chemical
Emissions to Help Families Reduce Air Pollution Inside Their Homes
Executive
Cabinetry, LLC earns the highest level of GREENGUARD Certification;
ensures healthier home environment for children and families
(Atlanta, GA)-For
the first time ever, a healthier alternative to traditional wood cabinetry
has hit the marketplace, allowing families to choose a low-emitting
product that will help reduce indoor air pollution and limit their
exposure to potentially harmful airborne chemicals.
Executive
Cabinetry, LLC has become the first residential kitchen and bath
cabinet manufacturer to earn GREENGUARD
Indoor Air Quality Certification and GREENGUARD
Children & SchoolsSM Certification-the highest
level of indoor air quality certification-for its wood cabinetry.
This means that the cabinets meet some of the world's most stringent
requirements for low chemical emissions, thereby contributing to the
creation of healthier, more sustainable homes.
"Many people
don't know that kitchen cabinets can emit thousands of hazardous chemicals
and other pollutants into the air we breathe in our homes," says
Henning
Bloech, executive director of GEI. "In fact, when it comes
to sources of indoor air pollution in the home, cabinets can be one
of the biggest offenders. They take up a lot of surface area in a
home, are made with engineered wood substrates, and can off-gas high
concentrations of chemicals like formaldehyde-a known carcinogen."
According to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), people spend 90-percent
of their time indoors, where the air is two to five times more polluted
than the air outside. Chemical off-gassing is a major contributor
to poor indoor air quality, and has been linked to a myriad of health
problems, including headaches, nosebleeds, upper respiratory irritation,
developmental disorders, asthma, and even cancer.
Children are especially vulnerable to health risks posed by indoor
air pollution because they inhale more air with respect to their body
size than adults do and because their bodies are still developing.
"We're committed
to helping our customers create a healthier indoor environment for
their families," says Dave Romeo, CEO of Executive Cabinetry.
"We offer high-quality, sustainable cabinetry with beautiful
waterborne finishes at no extra cost. Earning GREENGUARD Children
& SchoolsSM Certification supports our efforts and
assures our customers they've made the healthiest choice."
Another benefit
of Executive Cabinetry products is that they don't require style-conscious
families to sacrifice high design for health. In fact, dozens of stains,
paints, glazes, foils, and veneers are GREENGUARD Certified, including:
To find an Executive
Cabinetry dealer near you, click
here.
Experts agree
that the most effective way to combat indoor air pollution is to practice
source control, which means choosing only products that have been
independently evaluated (and preferably certified) for low chemical
emissions. This helps keep the pollutants out in the first place,
rather than trying to eliminate them when they're already there. Thousands
of other GREENGUARD Certified low-emitting products can be found in
the free online product guide at www.greenguard.org.
About GREENGUARD
Environmental Institute (GEI)
The GREENGUARD
Environmental Institute aims to protect human health and improve quality
of life by enhancing indoor air quality and reducing people's exposure
to chemicals and other pollutants. As an ISO-IEC Guide 65:1996 accredited,
third-party organization, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute certifies
products and materials for low chemical emissions and provides a resource
for choosing healthier products and materials for indoor environments.
All certified products must meet stringent chemical emissions standards
based on established criteria from key public health agencies. GREENGUARD
Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by sustainable building
programs and building codes worldwide. For more information and a
complete listing of certified products, visit www.greenguard.org.
###