We worry about the toxicity of our personal care products, pesticides in our food, and leaching of chemicals. However, shouldn’t we be equally worried about the chemicals contained in the building products we install in our homes?
I am no stranger to writing about green building products. Just to give you some background about me for those new to the site, hubby and I built an energy star house starting 2003 with a mission to source only low toxic or non-toxic materials. Back in the early 2000s this was no easy feat.
Sourcing green building products has gotten so much easier. To make your journey easier than mine, I did some legwork for you. Listed below are some chemicals dos and don’ts for these common household upgrades.
Use No or Low Toxic Paint: There is nothing like paint to give new life to a room. There are many low and non-toxic paint options on the market in every color you can imagine. However, consider one without biocides, fungicides, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs,) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs.)
Why? Paint can contain harmful chemicals such as solvents, biocides (to extend shelf life,) fungicides (to prevent mold,) and VOCs. The chemicals can cause a variety of health problems such as nausea, eye and respiratory tract irritation, heart, kidney, and lung damage and even cancer.
In addition, a recent study by the Environmental Health Strategies Center and Safer Chemicals revealed that several paint companies failed to reveal nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) in their paint. According to the study, NPEs are highly toxic to aquatic life and are long lived chemicals that can build up in our food chain. Moreover, NPEs may cause reproductive and development damage in humans. HealthyStuff.org provides a database of paint products in which NPEs were detected in certain paints.
Note, if your house is older than 1978, lead might be in the paint. See here on the proper technique to wet sand the walls to reduce dust.
Ventilation is very important when re-painting. If you can, open your windows. All paints off-gas depending on the amount of VOCs contained in the product. For tips for healthy indoor painting, see here.
Non-toxic Caulks, Sealants, and Adhesives: Adhesives, caulk and sealants are routinely used throughout a house remodel. For example, adhesives are used for tile installation, and caulk is used around the shower and tub as well as window and doors, and sealants are used on wood floor or stone.
Avoid products that contain “butyl rubber, chlorinated hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, methylene chloride, neoprene and solvent-based acrylic.” Opt for water based latex, low odor, formaldehyde free and fungicide-free products instead.
Kitchen Re-do: The kitchen is the heart of the home. Many people opt to re-do their kitchen since according to Remodeling Cost Value Report of 2011-2012, minor and major kitchen remodels garner a 65% (major) to 71% (minor) return on investment.
Choose cabinets that are made of no added formaldehyde-free plywood, particleboard, or medium density fiberboard. The EPA has classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen.
If you are unable to source no formaldehyde added cabinetry, look for cabinetry that contains the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing Association logo (KCMA). KCMA certified cabinetry must meet the formaldehyde emission level set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB.)
All stains, glues, epoxy and sealants should be low toxic as well.
Forget PVC laden Wallpaper and Flooring: A 2010 study found that PVC laden wallpaper was 2-30 times more likely to contain hazardous chemicals compared to its non-vinyl counterparts, which includes phthalates and heavy metals, lead, cadmium, chromium and antimony. Such hazardous chemicals have been linked to asthma, birth defects, learning disabilities, reproductive problems, liver toxicity and cancer. Cork, Bamboo, hardwood, and linoleum all tested free of the above heavy metals.
However, be careful when choosing even the above safer flooring option. Inquire whether or not the product contains formaldehyde adhesives. Floating cork floors and bamboo can contain formaldehyde. Opt for no added formaldehyde free or phenol formaldehyde based adhesive products.
Carpet: New carpet, padding, and adhesive might off-gas benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and other chemicals. Opt for low VOC Green Label or Green Label Plus certified carpets, cushions, and adhesives. Carpet, carpet backing, adhesives, and cushions that contain this seal are independently third party tested for 13 different chemicals.
With any product that you bring into your house, be sure to do your homework. Read product Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for harmful chemicals; ask questions of the manufacturer, and research alternative low or no toxic products. Most importantly, ask your congressional leaders to support the Safe Chemical Act so no one has to worry about toxic chemicals in their products. (For more information about the Act, read her.)
Note, exerpts of this post was re-posted on Safer Chemicals, a not for profit organization that I totally support.
Join the Conversation:
- Have you recently remodeled any part of your home? If so, did you choose a green product? If not, why?
- Are you diligent about the toxicity of the products you bring into your house?
- Did you recently re-paint? Source low or non-toxic paints? Why or why not?
- If you could remodel or upgrade any part of your home, what would it be?
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- Twin Maples Show House’s Carriage House, Green at its Best
These are some great tips that definitely should be considered during any home improvement project or remodel. It is getting harder and harder for end consumers to fully comprehend what is toxic or not in products such as paints and sealers. Potentially toxic nanoparticles are being added to paints to realize benefits such as antibacterial properties or better water resistant, and we just do not know the long term effects. The options seem to be to completely avoid these products all together or to assume an inherent risk.
Josh´s last [type] ..Self Cleaning Clothes And Nanotech In Clothing Products
Wow, these are really some great ideas that you have provided in this post. Thanks a lot for sharing these amazing ideas with us.
Using non-toxic and eco-friendly material for home remodeling is a great idea. It will benefit both human and nature. Thank you for sharing these great tips. They are really helpful.
Mike
What is in your attic?
We had a hard lesson learned in doing our green remodel back in 2009. We used low to no voc everything, avoided MDF, and tried to use as many natural materials as possible. We opted for a soy foam insulation that was green guard certified, thinking we were doing another good green thing (at the time it was touted as a green building darling due to it’s energy efficiency). Well, come to find out that this insulation is highly toxic and offgasses all sorts of nasty stuff, including flame retardants. Now we have this stuff stuck to our roof , ceiling and walls, and it is a huge challenge to remediate (removal releases a lot of toxic dust). Green remodelers beware!
I’m in the middle of repainting four rooms and went with Natura paint by Benjamin Moore. LOVE IT. No VOCs, coats well, and dries fast. It’s maybe $10 more a gallon than quality level VOC paint, a small price to pay considering the years it will be in place and the resale value it will add. I won’t have to sign a “known lead paint” waiver on the disclosure papers.
Mary Hunt´s last [type] ..Future 360, and the REALLY GREEN House Tomatoes
Mary, when I painted years ago, I used EcoSpec low VOC paint. This is before there was no VOC paint. The yellows smelled terrible. It is good to know that Benjamin Moore is producing this great paint. Anna
Very nice post. I think, in our time now that global warming is really messing our weather, we should start concerning about our environment. Thanks for this nice post you have here.
I am into this idea and I think countertops utah is fully aware about this as far as the proper adjustments and the amount of materials to be used on this project.