Creating a More Healthful, Less Toxic Built Environment

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Creating a More Healthful, Less Toxic Built
Environment

• Arthur B. Weissman, Ph.D.
• President and CEO, Green Seal, Inc.
• APHA Conference
• Washington, D.C.
• November 9, 2004

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Overview of Presentation

• Common products as source of toxins
• alternative, non-toxic products
• Data linking toxins to health and welfare
• Environmental standards promote alternatives
• product life-cycle as basis
• Benefit of standards
• linkages to occupants and community

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Common Products As Source of Toxins

• HVAC systems, carpets, window furnishings,
  wallboard, furniture, partitions, paints,
  cleaners, fax and copier machines, etc.
• Particleboard urea formaldehyde
• Paint petroleum distillates, VOCs
• Cleaners reproductive toxins, VOCs

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Alternative, Non-Toxic Products

• Most building products have non-toxic
  alternatives
• no carcinogens, reproductive toxins, etc.
• not toxic to aquatic life
• not air pollutants or greenhouse gases
• Examples
• particleboard without formaldehyde resins
• paints with low or no VOCs
• Performance is equal

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Data Linking Toxins To Health and Welfare

• Chronic exposure at small levels can harm
• LBNL study links indoor environment to health and
  productivity
• former influences symptoms, disease, productivity
• savings up to 58 billion in sickness avoided
• 20-200 billion in improved productivity
• improving indoor environments exceeds costs by
  factors of 9 and 14
• Similar studies with schools sickness/scores
  and green OM

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Goals, Results, and Means

• Goals Remove toxins from built environment
• use precautionary, prevention approach
• Results Healthier More Productive
• greatest value of building in salaries
• Means How define non-toxic, green?
• environmental standards

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Environmental Standards

• Must be developed in open, transparent process
• all interested stakeholders
• proposal, comment, revision consensus?
• Based on sound technical information
• life-cycle environmental impacts
• environmental attributes in current market

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How Green Seal SetsEnvironmental Standards

• Appoint Stakeholder Committee (incl. Users,
  Manufacturers, Trade Groups, Government,
  Environmentalists, Others)
• Study category
• Environmental Evaluation
• Draft standard
• Public review
• Response-to-Comments
• Stakeholder ballots
• Publish standard

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Stakeholder Committee for GS-37

• Government
• City of Santa Monica
• MN Ofc Of Env Assist.
• MA Exec Ofc of Env Affairs
• US EPA
• US GSA
• Environmental
• INFORM
• Global Toxics Campaign, WWF
• Washington Toxics Coalition
• Environmental Health Coalition
• Others
• UMass Toxics Use Reduction Institute
• Individual experts

• Manufacturers
• Seventh Generation
• Spartan Chemical
• Clean Environment Co.
• Church Dwight
• 3M
• Users
• US Postal Service
• Aberdeen Proving Ground
• Intl Exec Housekeepers Assn
• American Federation of State, County, Munic.
  Employees
• ServiceMaster Industries

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Life-Cycle Approach

• Life Cycle
• material, energy, resource flows, in and out
• extraction, manufacture, use, end-of-life
• inventory, impacts, assessment
• Ensures
• no significant impacts/attributes neglected
• environmental impacts not simply shifted

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What Environmental Standards Represent

• Combine life-cycle information and market
• key environmental attributes in life-cycle
• profile of products in market
• Standards reflect leadership level
• re environmental performance
• top 15-20 of products in market
• Guide purchasers, encourage producers

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Benefit of Standards for Built Environment

• Cover products, procedures for
• construction
• operation and maintenance
• Least environmental, health impact
• Enhance productivity, health of workers, community

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Some Key Green Seal Environmental Standards

• Lodging Properties (GS-33)
• Institutional and Industrial Cleaners (GS-37)
• Architectural Paints (GS-11)
• Electric Chillers (GS-31)
• Criteria for Green Facilities OM (GS-39)
• Tissue and Paper Towels (GS-1 9)
• Photovoltaic Modules (GS-32)
• Floor-Care Products (issue ca. Nov.)

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Linkages to Occupants, Community

• Green buildings can
• boost productivity 6 to 26
• reduce absenteeism (sickness) by 15
• be a model for homes and communities
• Green buildings are achievable and affordable
• any incremental cost readily paid back
• life-cycle cost less in longer run

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Conclusion

• Common products in buildings
• can have serious toxic ingredients
• can cause health and productivity impacts
• Healthier substitutes can be found
• Environmental standards are the guide
• Green buildings promote health, productivity, and
  general welfare