Mineral Wool Batts Now Formaldehyde-Free

BuildingGreen has been asking for formaldehyde-free mineral wool insulation for years (see The Search for Better Insulation). In 1996, fiberglass batt manufacturers began replacing formaldehyde—a carcinogen and respiratory irritant (see our primer on formaldehyde)—with acrylic resins. In 2008, formaldehyde-free biobased resins arrived. And today, the entire fiberglass batt insulation industry is formaldehyde-free. Yet, somehow, the mineral wool insulation industry missed this trend and continued to use urea-extended phenol formaldehyde binders…until recently.

Thermafiber announced an industry-first, light-density, formaldehyde-free SAFB (sound attenuation fire blankets) batt insulation at the 2017 AIA conference in Orlando, Florida in April. And shortly thereafter, Roxul informed BuildingGreen that it too is offering a formaldehyde-free batt insulation, AFB EVO.