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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The Great Eight: High-Impact Material Choices for Green Building
Feature Article
We’re at a tipping point in insulation, flooring, textiles, and other product categories. Here’s what to spec and what to avoid.
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Protect Your Spec: 14 Strategies
Feature Article
You’ve selected the ideal materials for your project: now get them into the building.
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VOCs: Why They’re Still Here and What You Can Do About It
Feature Article
“Sick building syndrome” was one of the first problems the green building community tried to solve. We’ve come a long way, but we’re not done yet.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Feature Article
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been linked to negative health and environmental impacts. Getting them out of our building products is going to require work.
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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Masonite Offers Straw-Core Door With No Added Urea-Formaldehyde
Product Review
Masonite's Safe 'N Sound Emerald door features a wheat-straw core, FSC-certified veneers, and adhesives with no added urea-formaldehyde.
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Sherwin-Williams Debuts Low- and Zero-VOC Industrial Paints
Product Review
Sherwin-Williams now offers low- and zero-VOC paints for commercial and industrial applications.
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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.
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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.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Regulators Zero in on HBCD Flame Retardant
News Analysis
Actions by both the U.S. and Canadian government on the brominated flame retardant HBCD suggest that further regulation of the chemical could lie ahead.
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To Be Banned in Europe: Which Chemicals? Which Building Products?
News Analysis
The European Union (EU) has announced that it will restrict the use of six chemicals used in common building materials.
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Carpets with No Added Stain or Dirt Repellents?
News Analysis
Perfluorochemicals stick around in our groundwater much longer than they stick on the carpet they're supposed to protect. Interface and Bentley Prince Street now offer carpets that use sulfonated fibers and don't require PFCs.
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New Polystyrene Flame Retardant Uses Old Chemistry
News Analysis
Dow releases a new brominated flame retardant, which sparks watchdog groups concern.
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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