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Materials, their Chemistry, and Human Health

Explore this introduction to the first two courses of our online learning program Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building. This video offers a 90-minute comprehensive overview of products and materials and their impact on human health. Please share with your colleagues and students. To start, click "Present" and use the arrows on your keyboard or on the screen to begin your journey!

0. Material Health Overview

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

The documents included here introduce the issue of synthetic chemicals in the interior environment and should help you communicate to students how they impact human health. Use this as a reference to develop assignments and class exercises.

Glossary

In general, housing for which the occupant(s) is/are paying no more than 30 percent of his or her income for gross housing costs, including utilities. Please note that some jurisdictions may define affordable housing based on other, locally determined criteria, and that this definition is intended solely as an approximate guideline or general rule of thumb.

Read more at Red List

Anything that causes an allergic reaction, such as pollen, dust mites, or animal dander (skin protein that flakes off).

Read more at CCCEH

Antimicrobials are a class of chemicals used in many personal care and consumer products to kill or inhibit the growth of microbes. Antimicrobials of concern include halogenated aromatic compounds such as triclosan and triclocarban, nanosilver, and quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) such as benzalkonium chloride. These chemicals have biocidal properties when evaluated under lab conditions. However, there is little evidence supporting the benefits of antimicrobials in consumer products. Furthermore, common antimicrobials are toxic to aquatic life and are associated with adverse health impacts.

Read more at Red List

A substance that causes new cases of asthma.

Read more at USGBC

A component of an adhesive composition that is primarily responsible for the adhesive forces that hold two bodies together. Binders in composite wood products are traditionally made from urea formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

Read more at Dictionary of Architecture and Construction

Bioaccumulation is the increasing concentration of a toxic substance in a living organism as
it takes in contaminated air, water, or food because the substance is very slowly metabolized or
excreted.

Read more at USGBC

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to manufacture polycarbonate (clear, hard) plastics and epoxy resins. The plastics are used in many consumer products, such as drink bottles, DVDs, eyeglass lenses, electronics, car parts, and other products that must not break easily. Epoxy resins are used for lining food cans and water pipes, and for many sales receipts. Most recent testing has shown the largest health-related concern to be potential impacts on the brains, behavior, and prostate glands of fetuses, infants, and small children so most health organizations advise against the use of BPA for baby bottles and related products. BPA has also been found in breast milk.

Read more at Red List

Bisphenols are industrial chemicals that have been used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins since the 1960s. Polycarbonate plastics are often used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles. Epoxy resins are used to coat the inside of metal products, such as food cans, bottle tops and water supply lines. Some research has shown that bisphenols can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with them. Exposure to bisphenols is a concern because of possible health effects to the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.

Read more at Red List

Carbon Farming is a new way of farming to sequestrate carbon in the soil. Possible ways can be adjustments on farm level - like applying fertilizers rich in carbon, reduced or no-tillage, or planting cover crops - to changes in the entire farming system - like enriched crop rotation or agroforestry.

A substance that can cause or contribute to cancer.

Read more at USGBC

Vacuum tube, made primarily of glass, which constitutes the video display component of televisions and computer monitors. These tubes are generally hazardous for lead.

Read more at EPA

CDPH Standard Method is the "Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical Emissions from Indoor Sources Using Environmental Chambers” published by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Read more at HPD-C

A substance represented by a single Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number (CAS#).

Read more at HPD-C

Chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE) and Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene (CSPE) are Persistent Organic Pollutant Source Materials: due to their carbon-chlorine bases, these products contribute to the creation of dioxins and furans at different points in their life cycle (often manufacturing and/or disposal). According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are some of the most potent toxins known to humans, with no known safe limit for exposure and a strong propensity for bioaccumulation. In addition, dioxins are highly persistent in the environment. Similarly, furans accumulate in animal fat, concentrating as they travel up the food chain. Non-chlorinated polyethylene products are readily available in many product categories.

Read more at Red List

Chlorobenzene is used primarily as a solvent, a degreaser for auto parts, and a chemical intermediary for making other chemicals, so exposures is primarily a risk to workers making or using it. Most exposures are through inhalation of fumes. Shortterm exposure can cause headaches, sleepiness, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, and in extreme cases, unconsciousness. Chronic (long-term) exposure can cause increased signs of neurotoxicity (numbness, etc.) and irritation of the upper respiratory tract. In animals, chronic exposure has also caused kidney and liver damage. Chlorobenzene is broken down by sun and bacteria in the environment and does not accumulate in the food chain.

Read more at Red List

According to USEPA, the depletion of the Earth’s protective ozone layer by chlorofluorocarbons (or CFCs) is responsible for an increased incidence of skin cancer, cataracts, impairment of human immune systems, and damage to wildlife. CFCs have been banned from production in the United States since 1995.

Read more at Red List

Chloroprene is a Persistent Organic Pollutant Source Material. Due to its carbonchlorine base, it contributes to the creation of dioxins at different points in its life cycle (often manufacturing and/or disposal). According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are some of the most potent toxins known to humans, with no known safe limit for exposure and a strong propensity for bioaccumulation. In addition, dioxins are highly persistent in the environment.

Read more at Red List

Although chromium is a naturally occurring element and chromium III (trivalent chrome) is an essential nutrient, chromium VI (hexavalent chrome) can cause serious health issues, especially for factory workers who can inhale or ingest it during manufacturing. There has been concern about it in drinking water and, lacking EPA maximum allowable levels, the State of California set a public health goal for it. Chromium VI is used primarily for chrome plating of metals for decorative or protective finishes, making stainless steel, leather tanning, anti-corrosive agents for paints, and in textile dyes and pigments. Long-term or high-level exposure through inhalation can cause nasal irritation and ulcers, breathing problems, and nasal and lung cancer in unprotected workers. Ingestion can cause anemia and/or stomach tumors. Skin contact can cause skin ulcers and allergic reactions.

Read more at Red List

An Intentionally Used Substance that is intended to be incorporated into the final material/mixture — that is, for which the performance characteristics (including cost reduction) are desired parts of the final material/mixture.

Read more at HPD-C

A general umbrella term for everything in a product or part (homogenous materials and/or chemical substances).

Read more at HPD-C

A route of exposure by which substances enter the body through the skin.

Read more at USGBC

According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are some of the most potent toxins known to humans, with no known safe limit for exposure and a strong propensity for bioaccumulation. In addition, dioxins are highly persistent in the environment.

Read more at USGBC

The practice of recycling a material in such a way that much of its inherent value is degraded (e.g. recycling plastic into park benches) revealing poor design of a lifecycle and the related material flows.

Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions arising from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials.

Embodied carbon is a significant percentage of global emissions and requires urgent action to address it.

Read more at USGBC

A standardized format for communicating the environmental effects associated with a product’s or system’s raw materials extraction, energy use, chemical makeup, waste generation, and emissions to air, soil, and water.

Read more at USGBC

Contact with a substance through inhalation, ingestion, or dermal absorption.

Read more at USGBC

The way in which people are exposed to radiation or other contaminants. The three basic pathways are inhalation (contaminants are taken into the lungs), ingestion (contaminants are swallowed) and direct (external) exposure (contaminants cause damage from outside the body).

Read more at EPA

Pre-consumer recycled content (synthetic gypsum) is created from environmental control systems installed in the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants. These systems capture particles from coal burning as they travel through the smokestack or flue. This becomes Flue-Gas Desulfurization (FGD) gypsum. FGD in drywall results in the global distribution of mercury, a potent developmental and neurotoxic metal that persists in the environment, accumulates in the food chain, and is highly toxic. The very pollution that is being captured in the flue of the power plant is being released from the smokestacks of wallboard factories that use FGD residuals.

Read more at EPA

FSC is a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management worldwide. They certify wood products through their Chain-of-Custody Certification and their Forest Management Certification.

Read more at HPD-C

Halogenated Fire Retardants (HFRs) are a broad class of flame retardants containing chlorine or bromine that have aroused concern due to their exponential accumulation in human beings in recent years. HFRs are persistent bioaccumulative toxins, meaning that they accumulate in organisms and the broader environment, often reaching alarmingly high concentrations as they travel up the food chain. In addition, certain halogenated products have shown evidence of harm to humans and other animal species. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, for example, the toxicity endpoints of concern for Penta-PBDE include adverse effects on neurological development, reproduction, thyroid hormone disruption and possible liver toxicity.

Read more at Red List

The inherent capacity of a substance to cause an adverse effect to health or the environment. “Hazard” is not synonymous with “risk” and/or “exposure”.

Read more at HPD-C

An effect of exposure to a toxic chemical, such as carcinogenicity or reproductive toxicity. RSEI considers both cancer and non-cancer chronic human health endpoints in calculating toxicity weights.

Read more at HPD-C

We use the term “HempLime” to describe the building material made of hemp hurd, lime powder and water. Many people call this “Hempcrete” but we feel that this term can be confusing because it sounds like a replacement for “concrete”. HempLime is not structural, and cannot replace concrete. It is primarily an insulation material which can be finished with stucco and plaster.

Surfaces that are frequently touched by building users and occupants such as door knobs, hand rails and tables.

Read more at HPD-C

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are potent ozone-depleting compounds. While less destructive than the now-banned chlorofluorocarbons, HCFCs are targeted for gradual phase-out by the US EPA with a total ban going into effect in the year 2030. According to USEPA, the depletion of the Earth’s protective ozone layer is responsible for an increased incidence of skin cancer, cataracts, impairment of human immune systems, and damage to wildlife.

Read more at Red List

An unintended substance present in a material/mixture as manufactured that was not an intentionally used substance in the production of the material/mixture. It may originate from the starting materials or be the result of secondary or incomplete reactions during the manufacturing process. For example, a chemical substance as supplied in commerce that is 99.0% pure is a mixture of the pure chemical substance and 1.0% of impurities.

Read more at HPD-C

A route of exposure by which substances enter the body through the mouth.

Read more at USGBC

A route of exposure by which substances enter the body through the act
of breathing.

Read more at USGBC

Any chemical substance that is used in the production of the homogeneous material/mixture, whether or not it is intended to remain in the manufacturer’s finished product. This includes all substances used in production, whether used by the product manufacturer or by an upstream supplier.

Read more at HPD-C

A class of highly reactive chemicals used in the manufacture of flexible and rigid foams, fibers, coatings, and elastomers.

Read more at USGBC

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the environmental levels of lead have increased more than 1000-fold over the last three centuries, due almost exclusively to human activities. Lead exposure is damaging to virtually every organ and system in the human body, but is particularly damaging to the brain and central nervous system—profoundly so for young children and developing fetuses. Lead exposure is correlated with decreased IQ and delayed learning in children; scientific research has identified no safe level of lead exposure, and effects are irreversible.

Read more at Red List

An informal thought process for considering all of a product’s impacts from cradle to grave

Read more at USGBC

A tax incentive intended to increase the availability of low-income housing. The program provides an income tax credit to owners of newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated low-income rental housing projects.

Read more at USGBC

According to the World Health Organization, mercury produces a suite of ill effects, including harm to the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and even death. WHO lists children and developing fetuses as especially vulnerable to damage from mercury. Mercury bioaccumulates in the environment, eventually reaching concentrations thousands of times more intense than ambient levels.

Read more at Red List

Molds are microscopic organisms that play an important role in the breakdown of plant and animal matter. Outdoors, molds can be found in shady, damp areas, or places where leaves or other vegetation is decomposing. Indoor molds can grow on virtually any surface, as long as moisture, oxygen, and organic material are present. When molds are disturbed, they release tiny cells called spores into the surrounding air.

Read more at USGBC

A substance intentionally engineered to achieve size-dependent properties and functions with one or more external dimensions or an internal structure measuring less than 100 nanometers.

Read more at HPD-C

A substance that can damage the central nervous system.

Read more at USGBC

The NAF standard for No Added Formaldehyde is currently the highest federal standard regulating formaldehyde emissions. NAF certifies that composite wood is free of resins made from urea formaldehyde or phenol formaldehyde, which have the potential to off-gas after installation and are known carcinogens. NAF certification originated with CARB, and has since been adopted by the EPA for the TSCA Title VI regulation.

Read more at EPA

The use of human health, environmental, and other product information by project teams to select preferable materials and products, and by manufacturers to improve materials and products

Read more at USGBC

An infectious biological agent such as bacteria, virus and fungus that is capable of causing disease in its host.

Read more at EPA

A chemical substance that persists in the environment, bioaccumulates through the food chain, and poses a risk of harming human health and the environment (adapted from the United Nations Environment Programme).

Read more at USGBC

A highly toxic, long-lasting substance that can build up in the food chain to levels that are harmful to human and ecosystem health (EPA PBT Chemical Program).

Read more at USGBC

A general term that describes the chemical substances used to destroy or control insect or plant pests. Many pesticides are manufactured and do not occur naturally in the environment. Others are natural toxins that are extracted from plants and animals.

Read more at EPA

Chemicals used to soften plastics in many consumer products, including children’s toys, plastic containers, and personal care products. Phthalates can seep out of these products, and studies have shown that phthalates can disrupt the endocrine system, which is the body’s system of regulating hormones.

Read more at CCCEH

One of a class of bromine-containing organic chemicals used as ﬂame retardants.

Read more at USGBC

PCB manufacturing in the US stopped in 1977 but the compound is long-lasting in the environment (mostly in soils) around old manufacturing and disposal sites, in old electrical transformers and electrical devices, and in fish and their predators. PCBs make good coolants, lubricants, and insulators for electrical equipment of all kinds. They are known to cause cancer in animals and are probable human carcinogens, but exposure tends to be limited to people who worked in the electrical industry many years ago, lived close to manufacturing sites, and/or ate contaminated fish. Health effects also include acne-like skin conditions and neurobehavioral and immunological changes in children.

Read more at Red List

Small particles of pollution that get into the air when fuel is burned. PAH are carcinogenic. They are generally inhaled and can also enter the body when eating charred or blackened food.

Read more at CCCEH

PVC’s vinyl chloride monomer building block is a known human carcinogen, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, PVC is a Persistent Organic Pollutant Source Material. Due to its chlorine content, PVC often contains other Red List ingredients, such as cadmium, lead, and phthalates. The manufacture and disposal of PVC can result in the production of dioxins and disposal phases. Dioxins, specifically TCDD, accumulate in human and animal tissue and are associated with immune system impairment, damage to developing nervous systems, and damage to the endocrine and reproductive systems. TCDD is listed as a “known human carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Read more at Red List

Waste materials generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for their intended purpose.

Read more at HPD-C

An approach to risk management that advocates measures to prevent harm when serious or irreversible damage is possible but scientiﬁc consensus is lacking.

Read more at USGBC

Post-industrial material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. Excluded from this category is re-utilization of materials such as scrap that are generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process.

Read more at HPD-C

Authoritative chemical hazard list to be referenced when screening substances for hazard warnings, as compiled by the Health Product Declaration Collaborative. Selections are primarily based on criteria developed for the GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals.

Read more at HPD-C

A finished good composed of homogeneous materials that are in turn made up of chemical substances. A product may be made of one or more homogeneous materials. A product may also be organized into parts, which are in turn made up of one or more homogenous materials. A product may also function as part of another product.

Read more at HPD-C

To collect and reprocess a material so it can be used again to make a new product. An example is collecting aluminum cans, melting them, and using the aluminum to make new cans or other products.

Read more at EPA

Practice of recovering or diverting content from the solid waste stream, either during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer/post-industrial) or after consumer use (post-consumer). A material can technically be recycled at least once after its initial use phase. At a minimum, the material’s physical and mechanical properties allow it to be re-melted or size reduced and used as filler with similar materials.

A substance that damages fertility, sexual function, and normal prenatal or early childhood development.

Read more at USGBC

An Intentionally Used Substance that may be present in the final material/mixture but is not intended as a constituent. For example, this may refer to substances included in a manufacturing process to aid processing, as well as inputs to a reaction process such as reagents, catalysts, monomers.

Read more at HPD-C

A list of substances that a given organization has determined to avoid based on regulation or evidence of potential human health or environmental harm.

Read more at USGBC

The likelihood that a living organism will be harmed if exposed to a hazard.

Read more at USGBC

A carbon-containing (organic) substance that volatilizes relatively slowly at typical ambient conditions.

Read more at USGBC

The process of becoming allergic to a substance to which a person has been exposed. This process can occur before birth, during childhood, or in adulthood.

Read more at CCCEH

SCCPs are most commonly used as lubricants and coolants in metal cutting and forming operations and are also used as secondary plasticizers and flame retardants in plastics, such as PVC. Human exposure can be occupational, via inhalation of metalworking mists, or through contaminated food and dermal contact. Environmental exposure is usually from manufacturing activities, such as production, disposal, incineration, spills into waterways, and sewage effluent. SCCPs are persistent and very bioaccumulative in sediment. They have been found in marine mammals, other biota, and human breast milk in both industrial and remote areas. Toxic effects on mammals can include liver, hormone, and kidney damage that over a long term could lead to cancer in those organs.

Read more at Red List

Styrene is a colorless, flammable liquid, which has a sweet odor and is highly volatile. Styrene is widely used to make plastics and rubber, which are used to manufacture a variety of products, such as insulation, pipes, automobile parts, printing cartridges, food containers, and carpet backing.

Read more at HPD-C

This program is authorized by title IV of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (the McKinney Act) (42 U.S.C. 11381–11389). The program is designed to promote the development of supportive housing and supportive services, including innovative approaches to assist homeless persons in the transition from homelessness, and to promote the provision of supportive housing to homeless persons to enable them to live as independently as possible.

Read more at EPA

In 1994, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), the primary U.S. trade association representing the wood products industry, launched SFI and required that all association members self-certify their compliance with its policies. SFI has gradually distanced itself from AF&PA and become a third-party certification program managed by an independent nonprofit, with accredited auditors carrying out certification. SFI’s current 2010–2014 standard is more rigorous than previous versions and considers most of the issues addressed by its principal competitor, FSC. SFI generally is less prescriptive, however, which has been a source of criticism from the environmental community

Read more at USGBC

The degree to which a substance can cause harm.

Read more at USGBC

A poisonous substance produced by a living organism, such as a snake, bee, or fungus. Toxins are a subclass of toxicants.

Read more at USGBC

Open, comprehensive and understandable presentation of information.

Read more at EPA

Products with a ULEF certification have ultra-low emitting formaldehyde resins which have been shown to have formaldehyde emissions below the limits established by CARB Phase 2. The ULEF certification originated with CARB, and has since been adopted by the EPA for the TSCA Title VI regulation.

Read more at Red List

refers to the band of UV light between 100 nm and 280nm. This range of light has germicidal properties.

Read more at Red List

Education Resources

Teaching Tools

Materials, their Chemistry, and Human Health

0. Material Health Overview

1. Certifications and Disclosures

2. Material Health Chemistry

3. Chemicals of Concern

4. Design Strategies

5. Building Materials

6. Construction and Post-Occupancy

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