Choice Review

The present national concern about the environmental and health effects of the release of formaldehyde from various wood products makes this book both timely and significant. The technical papers, by well-known researchers in the field, cover a wide spectrum of the current problems and concerns associated with formaldehyde release in wood products bonded with formaldehyde-based adhesive resins. The papers discuss the nature of formaldehyde in various types of wood products and other consumer products, analytical methods for detection, the chemistry of formaldehyde with cellulose and other wood components, regulations and guidelines of emission, and the problems related to the reduction of formaldehyde emissions. The style of each author varies, but all papers are extremely well written, lucid, and understandable, even to a novice in the field. Adequate illustrations, graphs, and tables complement the very thorough discussion in each paper, and all papers have extensive bibliographies. This book will be useful to undergraduate students, researchers, manufacturers, and public interest groups.-L.S. Smith, Central State University, Ohio