OVERVIEW
There are tens of thousands of unregulated chemicals used in our building products, so how do you know which ones are hazardous?
These articles look at some of the most-toxic chemicals, why they are hazardous, which product groups contain them, and alternatives to using them.
You’ll learn about:
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the burgeoning green chemistry movement
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tools like Health Product Declarations that tell us what’s in products
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formaldehyde
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polyvinyl chloride
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bisphenol-A
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flame retardants
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perfluorinated compounds (PFCs)
We also offer guidance on design decisions that can reduce or eliminate the need for many of these problematic compounds.
IN-DEPTH
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PVC-Free Sun-Control Textile with No Halogenated Flame Retardants
Product Review
Mermet offers a fiberglass textile for interior rollershades that has good performance and material transparency.
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California Law Bans Future Flame Retardants
News Brief
AB 2998, by prohibiting whole classes of flame retardant chemicals, aims to reduce regrettable substitutions.
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Asbestos Rule Is Tip of Chemical Regulation Iceberg
News Analysis
The updated Toxic Substances Control Act could be crippled by updated EPA review methods.
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AIA Writes ‘Prescription’ for Healthier Materials
News Brief
A new publication published by AIA provides guidance on how to put healthier material selection into practice.
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Plastic Production Releases Mercury, Asbestos, PFAS
News Brief
Producing chlorine for PVC and other plastics has toxic impacts.
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Polystyrene Insulations Are Now HBCD-Free
Product Review
Dow, Owens Corning, and Kingspan have joined the EPS industry in eliminating the hazardous halogenated flame retardant HBCD from their XPS insulations.
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Material Transparency for LEED v4: EPDs and HPDs for Metal Studs
Blog Post
Reducing your building’s carbon footprint or health impacts? Going after new LEED credits? Transparency documents for steel studs can help.
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San Francisco Sets High Bar for Carpet
News Brief
San Francisco now requires carpet installed in public projects to be Cradle to Cradle certified and meet other criteria for health and sustainability.
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New Insulated Metal Panels without Halogenated Flame Retardants
Product Review
Kingspan and Centria IMPs are using halogen-free flame retardants, resulting in less toxic, better performing insulated cladding.
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California Eyes Regulation of Stain-Resistant Carpet
News Brief
California may make carpets with PFAS stain-resistance treatments a priority product.