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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CertainTeed Introduces a Formaldehyde-Free Batt Insulation
Product Review
CertainTeed's Sustainable Insulation fiberglass batt uses a formaldehyde-free, bio-based binder and retains the same performance characteristics as the company's standard fiberglass insulation.
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Nexterra NSF-140-Certified Commercial Carpet Tiles
Product Review
Bolyu and Cambridge carpet tiles with Nexterra backing were the first carpets certified to NSF 140-2007e, achieving the platinum level.
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Knauf Introduces Ecose Biobased Binder
Product Review
Knauf's EcoBatt insulation uses a new biobased binder with no added formaldehyde, although it has not revealed the proprietary ingredients.
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No-Compromise Green Fabrics from O Ecotextiles
Product Review
O Ecotextiles offers luxury textiles made from rapidly renewable fibers. The company continues to work toward eliminating toxic chemicals, unfair labor practices, and water pollution at each step in the textile production process.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Perkins+Will Shares Strategies to Avoid Flame Retardants
News Brief
A chemist and an interior designer team up to compile design guidance for reducing exposure to harmful chemicals.
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In Milestone, Top Chemistry Award Goes to Green Pioneer
News Brief
The Perkin Medal recognizes John Warner for developing more sustainable processes and educating the next generation of chemists.
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Phthalates in the Womb Linked to Asthma-Prone Kids
News Brief
A longitudinal study suggests childhood asthma can be traced to the mother’s exposure to plasticizers during pregnancy.
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PCBs Taint Paints, with Titanium Dioxide Bearing Some Blame
News Brief
Long-banned toxic chemicals still contaminate building products and consumer goods thanks to a loophole in 1970s regulations.
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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