Mark writes from McAllen, Texas: "MAY YOU PLEASE SUPPLY ME WITH FACTUAL DOCUMENTATION ON THE OWENS CORNING ASTM SPEC SHEETS ON FORMELDAHYDE USED IN YOUR PRODUCT? AN ACTUAL MEASURE ON PERCENTAGE USED PER BAG. ONE MORE THING PLEASE SUPPLY ME WITH YOUR NEW GREENGUARD CERT AND MEASURES USED TO COMPLY WITH GREENGUARD STANDARDS AND ENEGY STAR CERTS AS WELL."

Answer: I will try to be helpful but some of what you are asking for is not measured or used to gauge the safety of insulation products. ASTM, for example, has a number of test methods and standard practices for how to do certain emission tests. There is not an ASTM requirement per se in any of our insulation specifications for emissions.

Our Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) are available on the company's Web site. http://www.owenscorning.com/msds.asp

Almost all of our insulation products carry GREENGUARD Children and Schools Certification, and California's Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) accepts GREENGUARD certification for criteria in their building code Sec 01350, which many have said is one of the most rigorous because the modeled emission concentration requirement is so low. These certifications get to the heart of the issue by indicating through actual testing that emissions to the indoor space are below their low threshold limits. For more information about GREENGUARD certification and their testing standards, go to their Web site at www.greenguard.org. While there you can click on the "Find products" link and Search by Manufacturer to see all of the Owens Corning products that are GREENGUARD Certified.

As for Energy Star, you can also find information on their Web site at www.energystar.gov.

Based on more than 60 years of research, Owens Corning believes that its glass fiber insulation products are safe to manufacture and use. When installing new product, the company recommends following industry safe work practices to avoid irritation.