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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In Search of High-Quality Hazard Data: HPDs Have Promise, but Most Aren’t Helpful Yet
Feature Short
HPD version 1.0’s promise of greater material transparency didn’t always deliver, but version 2.0 should provide accurate reporting.
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Dances with Hazards: How Real Experts Pull Human Health into Design
Feature Short
John and Catherine prove that designers can work successfully with HPDs, especially if they have a toxicology consultant to support their multi-faceted selection process.
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Why “Zero VOC” Was Never Enough
Feature Short
We used to look for coatings, adhesives, and sealants that contained no VOCs. Great for smog prevention, but IAQ and installer health are also important.
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How to Get from VOC Certifications to Better Products
Feature Short
The FDA regulates flies in our soup, but no one regulates VOCs in our indoor air. Somehow that’s a designer’s job to figure out.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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The 12 Product Rules
Infographic
These 12 product rules provide a simple approach to selecting better, healthier, and more environmentally responsible building products and materials.
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What's Your Hazard Avoidance Profile?
Infographic
How early or late are you when it comes to jumping on the bandwagon to avoid toxic chemicals in buildings? Find yourself on the hazard avoidance curve.
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Volatile Organic Compounds: Definitions Matter
Explainer
Because of how air-quality regulators define VOCs, judging a product's contribution to indoor air quality using only VOC content can be misleading.
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All About Formaldehyde
Explainer
A naturally occurring organic compound used in binders for composite wood products, among other things, formaldehyde can create serious health problems in those exposed to high concentrations.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Cables and Wiring
Product Guide
When possible, products should meet the European Union’s RoHS standards and be free of halogens and PFAS.
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Resilient Flooring
Product Guide
PVC-free and recycled-tire-free flooring, including linoleum and composites with low or no indoor emissions
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Tile
Product Guide
Porcelain tiles that meet third-party environmental standards, and BPA-free adhesives
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Concrete
Product Guide
Producing cement, the primary ingredient in concrete, generates significant amounts of CO2, mercury, and other pollutants, so maximizing its performance and finding substitutes when possible can improve the environmental footprint of a building.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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PrimeBoard Ag-Fiber Panel Plant Sold to Masonite
News Analysis
Masonite, the world's largest producer of doors, has purchased straw-particleboard manufacturer Primeboard and plans to shift most output to internal use for door-core stock.
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Flexible Noryl Resin Could Offer New Wire-Coating Option
News Analysis
GE's Flexible Noryl Resin could rival halogenated materials for plenum-rated electrical and data cable insulating and sheathing.
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California Targets Formaldehyde in Panel Products
News Analysis
Proposed regulation from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) would drastically reduce the allowable levels of urea-formaldehyde (UF) emissions from composite wood products that are sold, supplied, used, or manufactured in California.
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Looking for the "Teflon Chemical" in Building Materials
News Analysis
PFOA, sometimes called the "Teflon chemical," is under investigation as a health hazard. The chemical is used to produce many building materials.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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USGBC Supports Screening of PVC
Op-Ed
Tom Lent of the Healthy Building Network explores the recent PVC report from the U.S. Green Building Council.
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Polystyrene's Track Record
Op-Ed
Steve Russell, of the American Chemistry Council, suggests that the hazards associated with polystyrene are being overblown.
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Watch for Other Toxics
Op-Ed
Two architects argue that some of the alternatives to polystyrene, such as polyurethane, come with their own hazards.
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HBCD Isn't the Only Problem
Op-Ed
Tom Lent argues that we should be looking beyond HBCD when thinking about toxic chemicals.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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The BuildingGreen Guide to Thermal Insulation
Special Report
The BuildingGreen Guide to Thermal Insulation, Fourth Edition, provides detailed guidance on insulation products and practices, including environmental and health comparisons, and recommendations on what insulation to use and what to avoid.
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The BuildingGreen Guide to Building Product Certifications and Ecolabels
Special Report
This BuildingGreen publication provides a no-nonsense guide to the world of green building product certifications to help designers, purchasers, manufacturers, and others in the industry to focus on what is significant and relevant so that market forces can work and the industry can focus on bigger issues.
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The BuildingGreen Guide to Building Product Certifications and Ecolabels- Discounted
Special Report
This BuildingGreen publication provides a no-nonsense guide to the world of green building product certifications to help designers, purchasers, manufacturers, and others in the industry to focus on what is significant and relevant so that market forces can work and the industry can focus on bigger issues.
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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.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
