Linda.

According to my husband who makes cabinets, the stuff made out of big chips
of wood is known in the trade as 'OSB' for 'oriented strand board'.  The
stuff that looks like sawdust pressed together is known under a variety of
names like pressed board, particleboard, masonite etc.  He also said that
the formic acid would come from the offgassing of the formaldehyde that use
to be one of the ingredients in the glue used to stick  OSB and  particle
board together.  He says they quit using formaldehyde in the glue maybe 10
years ago.  If you need extra space and are worried about off-gassing you
can do what I do and store your shells in plastic ziploc bags and then store
the bags in plastic shoe boxes.  It is not as nice as being able to pull
open a drawer and see all those colors, shapes and sizes of shells laid out
in front of you but life is a compromise.

Beth

----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Bush" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2002 1:09 PM
Subject: [CONCH-L] "Safe" Shell Cabinets


> Hello, Conch-Lers!
>
> Someone mentioned a while back that either pressboard or particle board
will eventually give off formic acid.   Which was it?
>
> Also, is particle board the kind with large chips and pressboard the kind
with little particles?   I found a chest where the raw board is exposed only
on the inside front of the drawers.   Couldn't I coat this surface with
acrylic or polyeurethane (except that the latter turns yellow with age)?
>
> Always running out of storage space,
> Linda
>