LBC tags “worst-in-class” Red List chemicals for exclusion from LBC buildings. Many are bad actors long familiar to industrial hygienists: asbestos, cadmium, chlorinated polyethylene and chlorosulfonated polyethylene, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chloroprene (neoprene), formaldehyde (added), halogenated flame retardants, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), lead (added), mercury, petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides, phthalates, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and wood treatments containing creosote, arsenic or pentachlorophenol.

The red-listing of chemicals pushes the market forward. This is best done carefully to avoid regrettable substitutes. For information about safe ingredients, visit the Cleangredients database (www.cleangredients.org) and EPA’s Design for Environment Safer Chemical Ingredients List (www.epa.gov/dfe/saferingredients.htm).

Catherine Bobenhausen, CIH, CSP, LEED AP BD+C, cbobenhausen@vidaris.com.

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