It is a sad and tragic irony that most buildings constructed in the US in the past fifty years - those places we have specifically designed as human environments for work, play, family and friends -- are toxic to human health.
Many natural building materials are toxic to some degree, but many of the materials humans have invented and used in massive quantities in the past 100 years are particularly potent. In fact, the effects of unhealthy conditions in buildings have become so widespread that the term Sick Building Syndrome has been invented and is become a very common way to refer to a whole host of health issues that are related to chemical contaminants in buildings, inadequate ventilation, and biological contaminants like mold.
The EPA itself has cited indoor air quality as one of the top five environmental health risks in the US, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has estimated that between $23 and $56 billion could be saved nationally through improvements in indoor environmental quality from health and productivity gains.
First, we want to acknowledge the Healthy Building Network as one of the greatest sources of information on some of the priority issues related to Indoor Environmental Quality. They are also a tremendous advocate for healthy buildings and US Green Building Council standards that stand up for human health in the face of massive political and economic pressure from some of the building industry giants like the Vinyl Institute and the American Forest & Paper Association.
Public Enemy #1: PVC/Vinyl
One of the most threatening and offensive products used in modern buildings - and it is used widely - is PVC, also known as vinyl. The Healthy Building Network calls PVC "one of the most environmentally hazardous consumer materials produced." Over 30 million tons of vinyl are produced every year and 75% goes to building applications.
Vinyl is popular because it's cheap and easy to use mold to a variety of uses, including piping, siding, window frames, gutters and downspouts, flooring, carpet backing, wallcoverings, and wiring insulation. But its cheapness in part comes from the fact that so many of the costs associated with PVC are not costs that the producers have to pay - and pass on to consumers as part of the price of the product - but are "externalities", costs that are borne by society in general and future generations through its health impacts and environmental and social impacts. A variety of affordable, easy-to-use alternatives will increasingly move PVC out of the market as consumers learn more about the tremendous dangers of the PVC industry. But for now it is critical that people understand the true costs of PVC and avoid buying and using it as much as possible.
From the moment PVC comes into the world through the dramatically long process it takes for it to leave the world, it causes tremendous damage to people and other creatures. First, one of the unavoidable byproducts from the creation of vinyl is dioxin. Dioxin is not only the most toxic substance on the planet, but due to illegal dumping, mishandling, and burning, dioxins are now found all around the planet. It can be found in the fat of whales and polar bears, the breast milk of Inuit mothers, and in each of our bodies. According to the EPA, dioxin exposure of the average American poses a risk of cancer of as much as 1 in 1000. For Americans who eat a lot of animal fat or fish, the risk is 1 in 100. These risks are 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the government's "benchmark" levels for "acceptable" risk. Dioxins are also known to cause birth defects, learning disabilities, neurological damage, infertility, endocrine disruption, and reproductive and immune system damage.
In the US, PVC is manufactured predominantly near low-income communities in Texas and Louisiana. These companies have horrible records of violating environmental and labor laws and are the major culprits in killing off vast swaths of the Gulf of Mexico and destroying the livelihood of local communities, even while they use their tremendous financial and political power to corrupt the political process locally and nationally.
PVC contains a whole host of other dangerous substances including lead, cadmium and organotins - and phthalates which are used to make vinyl flexible (and which have been banned in toys in the European Union). These leach, flake or outgas from PVC over time raising risks that include asthma, lead poisoning and cancer.
Not scary enough? Consider that PVC releases deadly gases in fires, including one that turns to hydrochloric acid if inhaled.
Or consider that PVC is not biodegradable and less than 1% can be recycled! That's 30 million tons of non-biodegradable, non-recyclable material we're creating each year!
The US Green Building Council does not currently offer a point for not using PVC, but for obvious reasons we did everything we could to avoid it anyway, and the housing co-op is 99.9% PVC-free.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
If you have wrapped your head (at least a little bit) around the dangers of PVC, there is one other important technical term to add to your vocabulary. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals found in everyday household products such as paints, sealants, household cleaning fluids, fuels, pesticides, and plastics.
The EPA reports that exposure to VOCs at various levels can be linked to eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, allergies, fatigue, dizziness, nausea; damage to kidney, liver, and central nervous system. Some VOCs can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.
Well-known VOCs such as benzene (found in gasoline) and toluene (used in paints, fuels, and glues) are common solvents that are highly carcinogenic and irritating to bodily organs after regular exposure. Many furnishings and building materials emit VOCs as well, outgassing up to a year after construction.
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AFM Safecoat paint in the upstairs hall
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When you are using any paints, sealants, cleaning fluids, make sure you buy only low- and no-VOC products. In particular we are happy to recommend paints, primers, and sealants from AFM Safecoat. Their products are super low-VOC and no-VOC, and unlike some of the mainstream companies that have one line of "eco-friendly" products while their standard products are still quite unhealthy, AFM Safecoat only makes healthy products.
All our cleaning products for the building were donated by Seventh Generation, a company that specializes in household cleaning products that are non-toxic, biodegrable and no-VOC.
The US Green Building Council awards four points for keeping VOC exposure limited in the home, one for adhesives and sealants, one for paints and coatings, one for carpets and one for composite woods.
Build it Tight, Ventilate it Right
A common misperception of green building is that by making the exterior of the building "tight" (insulating really well and keeping out drafts), ventilation is undermined, which can cause health problems (mold, mites, etc.). Of course, it's not uncommon for someone to build a very tight building in pursuit of saving energy and not pay attention to adequate ventilation, and those people will almost certainly have problems with mold and other things.
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Holmes cool mist humidifier with digital humidistat
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Another important component for indoor comfort and health is humidity. Most homes experience dryness during the winter months, which can cause severe discomfort. To avoid this we installed a Holmes cool mist humidifier with a digital humidistat, which also displays the current room humidity level, in every room of the building. This allows the humidity level to be customized in every room, optimizing each individual's comfort.
There are two prerequisites related to Indoor Environmental Quality for a building to be certified by the USGBC. One is that smoking is not allowed indoors or near any entrances or windows, and the other is that the building meet minimal indoor air quality standards through the use of a ventilation system that swaps outdoor and indoor air to keep indoor air fresh.
Another point is awarded for going beyond this basic requirement and achieving superior building ventilation, another for permanent CO2 monitoring and another for indoor chemical and pollutant source control. Two points relate to maintaining high indoor air quality during construction and immediately prior to occupancy.
So as you can see, adequate ventilation is very important and is central to green building, leading to the phrase "Build it Tight, Ventilate Right".
The final indoor environmental quality points relate to providing daylight and views for the majority of occupants, providing readily available controls for lighting and windows and thermal comfort.
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Human Health
