Avoiding Toxic Chemicals

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:

  • the burgeoning green chemistry movement

  • tools like Health Product Declarations that tell us what’s in products

  • formaldehyde

  • polyvinyl chloride

  • bisphenol-A

  • flame retardants

  • perfluorinated compounds (PFCs)

We also offer guidance on design decisions that can reduce or eliminate the need for many of these problematic compounds.

Avoiding Toxic Chemicals

Deep Dives

Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Perspective

Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.

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Learning Resources

A wide range of education options, 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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