Health risks of toxic chemicals and materials in building interiors
a short history of building materials
In the past, human shelter and the earliest buildings were simply made from naturally occurring materials such as clay, wood, or stone, organically sourced and all safe enough to go back into the ground at their end of life.
It was only the industrial revolution starting in the second half of the 18th century and the concomitant explosion in synthetic compounds - that in turn began to find their way into building materials - that the buildings designed to protect us from the elements around us first become a health risk in themselves (who knew!).
Slowly and almost imperceptibly, the toxicity levels in buildings and interiors continued to rise as the decades passed and the ‘chemical revolution’ proposed ever greater numbers of solutions for the construction industry… until we finally began to take defensive action in the 1970s - starting with lead!
Today, building and interior materials have the potential to negatively impact human health and wellbeing if they are not properly chosen, installed, and maintained.
These risks can vary according to the life phase of a chosen building material but we recommend taking into consideration all phases of the material’s life for good measure.
To do so, we apply the concept of a Life Cycle Assessment to better track, moderate, and eliminate harmful toxicity from a construction and fit-out project wherever possible.
It is also worth noting that if the whole cycle of a material is taken into consideration, the groups at risk of exposure to such toxic materials expand beyond just the building occupants.
The negative health effects of toxic materials have the potential to extend to those living near the factories where the materials are made, the workers using the materials during construction of a building or interior fit-out, and even those charged with disposing or recycling the material at the end of its life.
For this reason we believe it is fundamental to understand what impact building and interior materials can have on human health.
Here we will look at common sources of toxic substances in building materials; common toxic substances we want to avoid in building materials; the health risks of human exposure to such toxicity; authoritative ‘red lists’ of these harmful chemicals in building materials and what can be taken from the materials-related content of various leading healthy building standards. Let’s get it into!
Common sources of Toxins in building materials
Toxic substances can be found in an alarming number of building materials and products from flooring to insolation, carpeting, cabinetry, paints and coatings, furniture and fabrics, all manner of adhesives and finishes.
Careful analysis of all such source materials should therefore be instilled in a project’s design phase as early on as possible to implement a green procurement policy as part of the project’s DNA.
Asbestos, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), SVOCs (Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds), Lead, HFRs (Halogenated Flame Retardants), Chromate Copper Arsenate (CCA), and Phthalates are some of the most commonly occurring and detrimental building chemicals for our health.
Below we cross-reference the source with the type of toxic substance:
Insulation Materials <> Asbestos, VOCs
Paints <> Lead, VOCs
Coatings <> VOCs, Phthalates
Adhesives <> VOCs
Furniture & Fabrics (e.g. upholstery foam) <> HFRs, VOCs
Composite Wood Products <> Chromate Copper Arsenate, VOCs
Flooring Materials <> VOCs
Combustion Sources <> Lead, Particulates
Cleaning Products <> Phthalates
Common toxins to avoid in building materials and products
Humans can be introduced to these chemicals through a variety of manners such as ingestion, inhalation, hand-to-mouth ingestion, skin absorption, breastfeeding, and even placental transfer before a baby is born.
These potential avenues of human-chemical transfer from building materials are compounded when interior ventilation is poor, highlighting the increased importance of indoor air quality in the post-Covid home, workplace, gym, learning environment, etc.
‘Off-gassing’ is a common characteristic of such materials, describing the release of toxic particles into the indoor air over time, which if improperly ventilated can accumulate to unhealthy levels in building interiors.
That new car / carpet / furniture smell? That’s the first wave of off-gassing. If you can smell it, and it’s not a natural material, you’re witness to off-gassing. Best open a window!
It is essential to not only choose healthy materials and products, but to also monitor and maintain healthy indoor air quality to avoid health hazards. See our section on indoor air here.
Health Hazards of toxic building products and materials in interiors
Negative health implications arise from many building materials and products, including from legacy materials, so-called “high performing” materials, and even from operations-based sources such as chemical-based cleaning products used by facilities management in an honest attempt to make interior spaces cleaner and healthier. The irony surely cannot be lost on any of us!
Although several legacy chemicals that were widely used in the past without proper understanding are now widely banned, many are still present in buildings and therefore remain a threat.
These chemicals include asbestos, lead, Chromate Copper Arsenate, and countless others yet legislation moves at such a slow pace compared to the release of new chemical compounds that we as healthy building consultants have to adopt our own strategies to help rather than relying on industry-wide legislation from above.
Asbestos is responsible for over 200,000 deaths each year, the leading cause of mesothelioma, and is a known toxin and carcinogen.
Lead is an endocrine disruptor (or ‘hormone disruptor’) and can therefore affect reproductive systems, puberty, and child development during pregnancy. Lead can be ingested, absorbed, or inhaled and upon accumulation in the body causes highly detrimental health effects.
Chromate Copper Arsenate contains arsenic, which is associated with lung, bladder, skin, and liver cancer. In addition, it can be leached from wood structures into soil and expose children to contaminants, further increasing its danger.
Halogenated Flame Retardants are commonly inhaled, ingested or absorbed through skin contact and have been found to disrupt endocrine function, cause neurological damage and even cancer. They have the potential to cause long-term health effects as they accumulate in our bodies.
VOCs and SVOCs are compounds that are emitted from materials and accumulate in interiors. VOCs can cause sick building syndrome, nausea, and central nervous system damage. Gaseous at room temperature, their negative health impacts increase considerably with poor ventilation and generally low indoor air quality. These compounds are commonly inhaled, and some VOCs are even considered carcinogens.
Phthalates are known endocrine disrupters, negatively affect reproduction and development, and are carcinogenic. Their health impacts also bioaccumulate, meaning they slowly build up over time and cause detrimental health effects.
Red List Resources of toxic chemicals in building materials
There are several resources that can provide guidance on so-called ‘red list’ materials, or materials that have scientifically proven negative health impacts and should ideally be avoided in all building projects with a view to human wellbeing in interiors.
The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has a definitive and highly demanding material red list for example while health-oriented design practice Perkins & Will has its own precautionary list that provides information on unhealthy chemicals and materials they believe should be avoided.
Cradle 2 Cradle (C2C) sustainability certifications for a product or material can provide a resource for healthy materials.
In addition, ingredient disclosures such as Declare, and Health Product Declarations (HPDs) can help guide and inform builders and designers on making health-focused choices by encouraging transparency from manufacturers.
In sum, there is no longer any need for this to be an endless laborious task, project teams can and should leverage the work done already by standing on the shoulders of giants and implementing procurement policies that prioritize products and materials with high recycled content, HPDs, Declare labels and so on. This then places at least some of the responsibility on the general contractor to contribute to such sustainability efforts.
healthy Building Standards on materials and avoiding toxic substances
The WELL, LEED, and BREEAM certification systems as well as the Living Building Challenge provide resources and guides for healthy material implementations.
WELL, focuses on the human health implications of all building-related decisions, provides in depth research, guidelines, and strategies to avoid unhealthy products and materials within the built environment. As such it is a definitive research tool and guide for us as healthy building material consultants.
The US Green Building Council’s LEED and the UK’s BREEAM both encourage material transparency too of course, as well as encouraging healthy indoor air quality through low VOC emissions and proper ventilation.
As with so much in the world of healthy buildings and healthy interiors, the two concepts are in fact inextricably linked - enhanced indoor air quality and a healthy materials procurement policy go hand in hand.
As mentioned previously, the Living Building Challenge, part of the ILFI standard, focuses on choosing responsible materials and provides an impressively researched Red List of materials to avoid.
Contact us to discuss your healthy building materials enquiry.