| Thermofused melamine, a composite wood panel | | | | products intended for home consumption. Prior to the |
| with resin saturated thermally set paper overlays, is a | | | | CARB standards being implemented, particleboard |
| standard in the reptile caging industry. Heat retentive | | | | was relatively stable once laminated. |
| and easy to clean, many herp lovers prefer the | | | | Most of the off-gassing occurs during the cutting and |
| material over glass aquariums or PVC. Over the last | | | | fabrication process when the wood fibers are being |
| decade, concerns have been raised about the | | | | disturbed. However, the problem of sagging over an |
| formaldehyde-based glues used to press sawdust | | | | elongated span remains as mills convert their glue |
| and other wood chips into a uniform, coherent sheet. | | | | lines to more environmentally friendly (weaker) resins, |
| Its the particleboard substrate, not the | | | | the internal bond strength erodes causing the |
| melamine-impregnated overlays, that posses the | | | | modulas of elasticity to fall (e.g. less horizontal |
| alleged risk. | | | | stiffness) Because of this problem we add interior |
| Despite the recent media fervor, particleboard is | | | | trusses to our larger cages to reinforce the roof. |
| actually becoming safer as the California Air Resource | | | | Actually, we've begun moving away from |
| Board as passed a series of laws drastically reducing | | | | particleboard altogether in favor of a plywood core |
| the amount of free-formaldehyde molecules allowed. | | | | panel with melamine overlays. This way you still get |
| Even imported products must meet this stringent | | | | the clean look of melamine overlays with the |
| standard imposing a ceiling of.18 parts per million on all | | | | strength and lighter weight of plywood. |