Material Health
Pursuing material health in the building industry involves avoiding or eliminating toxic chemicals from building products. Toxic chemicals are those that can bring harm to factory workers, installers, or building occupants. There are tens of thousands of unregulated chemicals used in our building products, and they can increase the risk of everything from asthma to obesity to cancer.
Materials containing these toxic chemicals include carpet, insulation, wet-applied products like adhesives and sealants, and many others. It’s possible to improve material health through better design decisions and product selections.
Material Health
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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For New Alkyd Paints, Oil and Water Do Mix
Product Review
Waterborne alkyd paints offer the durability, cleanability, and scratch resistance of conventional alkyd paints without toxic solvents and cleaners, high VOC levels, or disposal problems.
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PVC-Free Resilient Flooring for Heavy Traffic
Product Review
LifeLine CS is a low-VOC commercial resilient sheet flooring that uses a tough outer layer to minimize maintenance and improve durability.
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Beyond Green Flooring: What's in Flooring Adhesives?
Product Review
How to find a safe floor adhesive that also performs well? Some initial rules of thumb in a world of imperfect adhesives.
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Knoll, Steelcase in Lead with Level 3 Certified Products
Product Review
Two years after the "level" furniture certification program was developed by BIFMA, six products and products lines meet the most rigorous of the certifications-level 3.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Move Over, Foam: Sub-Slab Mineral Wool Is Here
News Analysis
Roxul is now promoting its rigid mineral wool for sub-slab applications, offering an alternative to extruded polystyrene (XPS).
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UN: Manufacturers Turn Blind Eye to Hazardous Chemicals At Their Peril
News Brief
Knowing the chemical ingredients in a product’s supply chain just makes good business sense, according to a United Nations report.
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GreenCircle Will Label Products Eligible for LEED v4
News Brief
Does that HPD meet LEED v4 credit requirements? Soon, you can just look for the logo to find out.
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California Questions Whether Low VOCs Make Artificial Turf Safe
News Brief
Smell no evil, see no evil: low counts of toxic fumes have been used to argue turf fields with crumb rubber are safe, but a new bill calls for more study.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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