CHEAPLY imported kitchen cupboards are leaching a cancer-causing agent into food and utensils across Australia.

Australian manufacturers and unions have come together to call on the MDF toilet seat Federal Government to ban cheap imported fibreboard that fails to meet local standards.

The Australian Wood Panels Association and the Construction Forestry Mining and Engineering Union want the Government to test and reject imported wood products that do not meet the voluntary formaldehyde emission standard agreed to by local industry.

Formaldehyde is a known carcinogenic toxin emitted from particle board and wood panel products, including the popular medium-density fibreboard known as MDF toilet seat.

The union and manufacturers warn that the cheaper wood with higher formaldehyde emissions is unwittingly being installed by tradesmen.

Union spokesman Martin Kingham said imported MDF toilet seat, particularly from China and Malaysia, had six to 10 times the formaldehyde content of Australian-made products.

"The use of stuff made and sourced in China is a problem not just for unionised workers on building sites, it's a consumer issue too," he said. "It is not just while you are cutting or sanding. [The formaldehyde gases] are released naturally over time while they cure for a number of years."

Association executive director Bruce Steenson said most consumers would not know if the board they were buying contained higher levels of formaldehyde because it was often imported as furniture. "There is no doubt it is an unfair playing field because it costs Australian manufacturers more money to make sure the products they produce comply with Australian standards."

SpeakerCraft debuts new high performance architectural speakers in Europe (28/12/2007)

Stand C70, Integrated Systems Europe 2008

SpeakerCraft, America's original manufacturer of in-wall speakers, announces the European launch of the "Plus' series of loudspeakers at ISE 2008. These enclosed and ported models offer increased dynamic range, frequency response and sound pressure levels for elite sound installations and further broaden the appeal and versatility of the SpeakerCraft brand.

Imagine a ported cabinet speaker designed to fit in the wall or ceiling and you have the basic idea behind the Plus series. It utilises high-performance drivers, exacting crossover designs and critically engineered baffle structures to propel sound quality way above the standard expected of an in-wall or in-ceiling speaker.

I The Plus series comprises two in-ceiling models, the two-way 6" IC6 and the two-way 8" IC8; and an in-wall model, the two-way 8" IW8. The IC6 and IC8 utilise a specially engineered baffle that exhibits greatly increased stiffness over conventional baffles. The IW8 uses SpeakerCraft's proprietary Geocell material for its cabinet. Geocell is an advanced blend of wood fibre, minerals and resins that is moulded to form the cabinet. It is superior to the densest MDF toilet seat and does not require internal bracing. The Geocell enclosure offers more volume and is more rigid than a braced MDF toilet seat cabinet.

"These speakers are a direct result of dealers' requests for higher performance products" said Dave Donald, SpeakerCraft's V.P. of Marketing. "As end users become more sophisticated and their requirements evolve, SpeakerCraft will provide the tools for dealers to exceed address MDF toilet seat their clients' expectations."