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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Sherwin-Williams Debuts Low- and Zero-VOC Industrial Paints
Product Review
Sherwin-Williams now offers low- and zero-VOC paints for commercial and industrial applications.
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Masonite Offers Straw-Core Door With No Added Urea-Formaldehyde
Product Review
Masonite's Safe 'N Sound Emerald door features a wheat-straw core, FSC-certified veneers, and adhesives with no added urea-formaldehyde.
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Whey-Based Floor and Furniture Finishes
Product Review
PolyWhey floor and furniture finish from Vermont Natural Coatings uses whey protein, a byproduct of the cheese industry, to create a durable product with low levels of volatile organic compounds.
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Composite Panel Industry Adapts to Pending CARB Regulation
Product Review
California will adopt stringent new standards for emissions from composite wood products in 2009, pushing the panel industry to convert to more environmentally friendly binders.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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"What About Air Krete?" A Deeper Look at the Insulation Alternative
News Analysis
The foamed magnesium oxide cement is often seen as a blue-ribbon contender for least-toxic insulation. But the manufacturer falls short in providing key metrics.
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Market Winnows Treated Wood Alternatives
News Analysis
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NSF Wallcovering Standard Papers Over Vinyl Problems
News Analysis
NSF 342, a sustainability assessment for wallcoverings, tells us almost nothing about a critical issue: health risks from conventional vinyl products.
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Pushing Weatherization, Feds Look the Other Way on Radon
News Analysis
When using federal dollars to button up, low-income homeowners don't get additional funding for radon mitigation. What happens next? The government isn't telling.
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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