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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  • What's New in Multi-Attribute Environmental Certifications

    Feature

    The industry is increasingly recognizing the need for a more comprehensive review of green products. We don't have perfect programs yet, but we scrutinize the most prominent programs out there and highlight how they're useful.

  • The Chemicals on Our Carpets and Textiles

    Feature

    The array of water-, dirt-, and mold-repellent chemicals added to carpeting and fabrics is dizzying. Which are causes for concern, and how can we minimize exposure?

  • Better Choices in Low-Slope Roofing

    Feature

    There are big differences in environmental impacts of commercial roofing materials, but the biggest variable may be service life.

  • What Makes a Product Green Today?

    Feature

    Lots of manufacturers call their products "green," but are they? Here's our guide to the high-performance attributes that matter.

Quick Takes

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


Product Guidance

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


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  • Full Line of Residential LED Lighting Arrives

    Product Review

    In June 2006, Permlight Products, Inc., and Progress Lighting announced the introduction of a complete line of LED residential lighting products. To be sold as the HI-EF line, the licensing of Permlight's Enbryten Down line promises high-efficacy luminaires that meet strict California energy standards.

  • Arreis Nonformaldehyde MDF from SierraPine

    Product Review

    Responding to growing concerns about formaldehyde, including a likely phaseout of urea-formaldehyde panel products in California, SierraPine, Ltd., has added a new MDF to its no-added-formaldehyde MDF product family.

  • 180 Walls Sets New Standard for Green Wallcovering

    Product Review

    A woven polyester wallcovering from Milliken, 180 Walls is cost-competitive with vinyl wallcoverings and offers a number of environmental benefits that are backed up by third-party certifications.

  • New Treated Wood Uses Nonmetallic Biocides

    Product Review

    A new treated wood product in Arch Treatment Technologies' Wolmanized line uses a trio of organic biocides to protect the wood for outdoor, aboveground use.

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

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


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Just For Fun

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