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.

    Loading...

  • Treated Wood in Transition: Less Toxic Options in Preserved and Protected Wood

    Feature

    Following the recent phaseout of CCA, the dominant wood preservative of the last 30 years, the treated wood industry is in major transition. Some current wood treatment technologies present familiar environmental problems, while less-toxic alternatives are just entering the market.

  • Get a Whiff of This: The Lowdown on Product Emissions Testing

    Feature

    Analytical chemistry tools, used together with product testing chambers, are making it possible to "see" product emissions in new ways. Editor Nadav Malin discusses the science behind product emissions testing, the different product certification standards, and what's ahead for this growing field.

  • Cradle to Cradle Certification: A Peek Inside MBDC's Black Box

    Feature

    Cradle to Cradle is a multiple-attribute product certification program based on the philosophy of architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart, and the work of their company, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC). While MBDC's consulting services are driving breakthroughs in green manufacturing, the certification program lacks some of the comprehensiveness and transparency that are increasingly expected in the green certification market.

  • Piping in Perspective: Selecting Pipe for Plumbing in Buildings

    Feature

    Potable water supply piping and drain-waste-vent piping represent a significant fraction of a building's materials. Choosing the greenest pipe for both applications, particularly deciding between metal pipe and plastic alternatives, requires evaluating a variety of environmental and human health impacts as well as durability and performance issues.

Quick Takes

Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.

    Loading...

  • Chromium-6: Health and Life-Cycle Hazards

    Explainer

    Chrome-plated and stainless-steel products may not expose us directly to the hazards of hexavalent chromium, but their life cycle releases it into the environment.

  • PBT Chemicals: Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic

    Explainer

    You've heard of persistent toxic chemicals, and bioaccumulation, but what do these things really mean, and what do they do?

  • Radon Risks and Prevention

    Explainer

    Radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., can get into our homes and bodies without us knowing it-and its presence doesn't depend on geology or locale.

  • Why's That on the Red List?

    Explainer

    Ever wonder why copper and Neoprene are flagged in some green building red lists and rating systems? Although they aren't the worst offenders, they're flagged for a good reason.

Product Guidance

Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.

    Loading...

  • Metal Coatings

    Product Guide

    These coatings have VOC levels below 50 g/l and contain no chromium, cadmium, or hazardous airborne pollutants.

  • Interior Paints

    Product Guide

    These coatings meet the highest industry standards for both indoor emissions and durability.

  • Interior Stains and Clear Coatings

    Product Guide

    These stains and finishes are below SCAQMD standards for VOCs and contain no heavy metals, phthalates, or aromatic solvents.

  • Hardwood & Bamboo Flooring

    Product Guide

    Hardwood and rapidly renewable flooring that's sustainably sourced and tested for ultra-low indoor emissions

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.

Learning Resources

Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.

Just For Fun

Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...

  • Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters.
  • Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
  • You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.