Healthful Building

There are over 70,000 synthetic industrial chemical compounds in use in the U.S. today; of that, not quite 3,000 of them have been tested for their effects on human health. Considering that Americans spend an average of 90% of our time indoors and inhale from 2,000 – 3,000 gallons of air every day, it is our responsibility as designers to ensure that the materials going into our projects do not lead to health problems, especially when the link has been made between how our buildings are made and the fact that up to 5 million American children now suffer from asthma! In fact, every time we specify and/or purchase a material or product, we are engaging in its life cycle – - and our decision to do so is tantamount to placing an order for more of whatever that item manifests, whether it’s health and nutrition or more persistent bio-accumulative toxins.

Toward this end, there are two materials that are particularly disconcerting and which we have committed to avoiding in our work. The first is PVC (polyvinyl chloride, a.k.a. “vinyl”), which is used in a wide range of products such as roofing, siding, trim, windows, wiring, plumbing, flooring, wall covering, insulation, blinds/shades, furniture, and nearly endless consumer products (packaging, toys, cars, computers, shower curtains, etc. Widely known as the “poison plastic”, vinyl is hands-down the most toxic of all building materials on a life cycle basis. Among the numerous chemical threats posed by PVC, the most notable is the fact that dioxin is created during all phases of production as well as disposal by incineration or accidental fire. Dioxin is one of THE most dangerous substances ever created by humans. It is carcinogenic, persistent and bio-accumulative and is second only to radioactive waste in its danger to life. In fact, human exposure is so widespread that the science community has written off any viable control groups to study – - the average body-burden of dioxin in humans stands at 2X the safe threshold according to the EPA. The softeners used to make PVC pliable (it is otherwise rigid) are known endocrine disruptors (which mimic hormones and wreak havoc on physiological processes) of the highest order and are readily bio-available in that these compounds are not chemically bonded to the polymer chains, which allows them to abrade (fall off). In addition, PVC is also extremely energy intensive to manufacture, with chlorine production accounting for 1% of total global electricity use!!!

Almost equally problematic, the other compound to avoid is formaldehyde. Like PVC, it is almost ubiquitous in the built environment – - it is used as a preservative and/or a binding agent in various building materials such as plywood, fiberboard, particle board, glues, adhesives, paints, insulation and is in consumer products such as nail polish, paper product coatings, shampoo, perm press fabrics, etc. It is one of the best-known VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) and is a colorless, flammable, noxious gas (as you may recall from your high school biology lab). It is considered a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and a probable carcinogen by the EPA.