Medite II
In a classic case of adding insult to injury, hundreds of FEMA trailers were recalled from Hurricane Katrina flood victims when it was discovered the trailers contained dangerous levels of formaldehyde fumes. The main culprit? None other than those crumbly, nasty slabs of sawdust everyone loves to hate: fiberboard and its country cousin, particle board. Travel trailers are full of the stuff and so is most of the furniture you’re sitting on right now. Ever wonder what binds all the sawdust and woodchips together? Turns out it’s a nasty resin that is choc-full of toxic chemicals and prone to the lovely-sounding “off-gassing,” where fumes leak into the atmosphere after installation. Not familiar with our old friend, formaldehyde? Here’s a Wiki Warning: “In view of its widespread use, toxicity, and volatility, exposure to formaldehyde is a significant consideration for human health and has caused cancer in lab animals.” It’s also used on dead people in the embalming process, and that’s never a good sign.
Now that you're good and scared, let us introduce the hero of our story, the mighty Medite II! Manufactured by SierraPine Composite Solutions of Medford, Oregon, Medite II is an Industrial Grade Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) and is manufactured, alongside its particle board cousin, with a formaldehyde-free synthetic resin. This resin is superior in design to normal fiber and is much better for the environment as it exceeds global emission standards. Translation: you can drill holes and trim Medite II without it crumbling (or you grumbling) and it is not oozing with chemicals that can make you sick. Medite II is perfect for cabinets, paneling, furniture, molding and millwork. True, Medite II costs around 50 percent more than normal fiberboard, but this may be a situation where the benefits more than outweigh the costs. FEMA would certainly agree.