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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Smaller Copper Particles, Smaller Environmental Impact for Treated Wood
Product Review
With its MicroPro treated wood, Osmose is one of several companies making innovations in copper preservative techniques. MicroPro's use of tiny copper particles offers environmental benefits when compared with conventional copper treatment.
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PlybooPure is Formaldehyde Free
Product Review
The PlybooPure line of bamboo flooring and panel products from Smith & Fong uses a polyisocyanurate binder, making it urea-formaldehyde-free.
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Search for Green Wiring Gets a LifeGuard
Product Review
Although not yet widely used in building applications, LifeGuard nonhalogenated cable offers a green alternative to PVC cable.
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SierraPine Bets on Phenolic Particleboard
Product Review
Encore particleboard, containing 100% recycled wood fiber, is made with a phenol-formaldehyde binder.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Obscure Channel Allows Industry to Weaken Environmental Regulations
News Brief
A new report argues that the White House’s little-known Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is a lobbyist’s dream.
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Report Warns of Asthma-Causing Chemicals in Building Products
News Analysis
The Healthy Building Network (HBN) is urging building product design and selection to account for asthmagens, but some question whether its precautionary approach is premature.
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Can TimberSIL Manufacturer 'Make It Right'?
News Analysis
Timber Treatment Technologies and its innovative non-toxic treated decking product are in the news again-this time over durability and performance in post-Katrina homes.
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Product Watchdogs Pledge Standardized Ingredient Reporting Platform
News Brief
A promised database funded by Google.org and USGBC aims to end marketplace confusion and lower the cost of ingredient disclosure.
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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