Sustainable (Green) Building

Building Material Emissions Study (BMES)

• Study Purpose
• Report Conclusions and Results
• Download the Final Report
• Update Since the Release of the BMES

Study Purpose

In June 2001, the CIWMB commissioned a Building Material Emissions Study, which utilized the Section 01350 indoor air quality testing protocols to measure emissions of products common to classrooms and State construction in comparison to alternative products. For the purpose of this study alternative products not only contained recycled content, but also included low-or-no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and rapidly renewable materials.

The CIWMB promotes recycled-content products as one sustainable feature in green building design and construction. Not only do recycled-content products create markets for materials that have been collected through the recycling process, but they are also an essential component of California Local (AB 939 Sher) and State (AB 75 Strom-Martin) government efforts to meet and exceed the 50 percent waste diversion mandate. Prior to this study, little was known regarding emissions from such products. As a result, recycled-content products were subject to greater scrutiny than their virgin-content counterparts. Although there were a number of studies that reported emissions from various building materials, these studies did not compare commonly used products with those containing high-recycled content. The lack of data on whether or not recycled content products adversely affect indoor air quality prompted the CIWMB to fund this laboratory-based study for the Department of Health Services (DHS) to test these claims.

Report Conclusions and Results

The November 2003 Building Material Emissions Study (BMES) concludes that recycled content products performed about the same as standard products. Both alternative and standard products have the potential to emit chemicals of concern. This study shows that there are low-emitting building materials, which are readily available. The CIWMB does not make any claims or generalizations about product types described in the BMES. All products should be tested using the updated Section 01350 indoor air quality testing protocols to ensure they are low-emitting. The BMES report also emphasizes the important role proper ventilation can play in contributing to good indoor air quality.

Section 01350 Test Results are Specific to Design Parameters

Many products met Section 01350 indoor air quality criteria. A total of 59 products or 77% of the products tested for use in a classroom met the Section 01350 concentration limits. A total of 49 products or 64% of those tested met the Section 01350 indoor air quality criteria for use in a typical state office. More than half of those products were alternative products.

These results make it clear that just because a product meets Section 01350 concentration limits for a specific design such as a classroom, does not mean that it will meet the criteria for use in another application such as a state office. Section 01350 test results are specific to a particular design due to varying ventilation rates, surface area the product would cover, and room parameters. As a result, the report stresses the need for manufacturers to have their products tested at independent labs to prove they are low-emitting enough for a specific design.

Download the Final Report for the Building Material Emissions Study*

A Final Draft Report of the Building Material Emissions Study was approved with specific changes during the June 17-18, 2003 Board Meeting. Specific changes were finalized in November of 2003. These changes included the elimination of Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) criterion from the "Additional IAQ Performance Indicators." An explanation of how the TVOC emission factors were used as a tool to prompt further investigation was added. Since, "TVOCs cannot be used to indicate potential health effects," the comments on Section 01350 were revised to request guidance on the use of TVOC emission factors.

Low-emitting products that not only contain recycled content, but contribute to good indoor air quality are included in the results of the Building Material Emissions Study Final Report below.

• Executive Summary (Adobe PDF, 100 KB)
• Final Report (Available in MS Word or Adobe PDF)
• Presentation of Report Findings (MS PowerPoint, 4.7 MB)

*Note: To access the PDF files, which include graphics, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader (free).

Update since the Release of the BMES

There are several concurrent efforts underway that demonstrate leadership and innovative partnerships to ensure building materials contribute to healthy indoor environments.

• Encourage Manufacturers to Conduct Testing and Provide Results
• Work with Manufacturers to Reformulate Products
• Updated Section 01350 Protocols
• Tire-derived Resilient Flooring Study

Encourage Manufacturers to Conduct Testing and Provide Results

CIWMB does not make any claims or generalizations about products that were tested according to Section 01350 for the BMES. Since some of the data in the report is several years old, CIWMB staff acknowledge that manufacturers should have their products tested at individual labs on a regular basis following the updated Section 01350 indoor air quality testing protocols. This recommendation is based on limitations to the study. In some cases, the product samples were over a year old. There was also a lack of chain of custody for manufacturers to submit dated samples. An updated version of Section 01350 provides a protocol for sample receiving and handling. As manufacturers continue to have their products tested according to these updated indoor air quality testing protocols, they can ensure that their products continue to be recognized as low-emitting materials.

Low-Emitting Materials for Use in Schools

Many manufacturers have already taken the lead to have their products tested according to Section 01350 at independent laboratories. Additional manufacturers are encouraged to have their products tested and forward the information to CHPS for inclusion in the Low-Emitting Materials Table – a list of products that meet the CHPS Low-Emitting Materials Credit. LAUSD initiated this effort to ensure that their schools are constructed with healthy building materials, and they have made it a priority to specify products listed in the CHPS Low-Emitting Materials table.

As part of the BMES report recommendations for next steps, manufacturers were encouraged to contact the California Division of the State Architect (DSA) so that their products could be considered for inclusion in the EPP Database. While the report suggests that manufacturers forward their test results to DSA, CIWMB staff acknowledges that the data in the report is several years old and that all products should be tested at independent labs following the DHS Standard Practice. For an update on the current status of the EPP Database project, please visit the project website.

Carpet Industry Developed “Green Label Plus”

The BMES report encouraged the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) to update its Green Label program. CRI proactively took this challenge and worked with the Department of Health Services and CIWMB as representatives of the State of California Sustainable Building Task Force to develop the Green Label Plus program for carpet. The CRI Green Label Plus program is consistent with the Section 01350 indoor air quality testing protocol. All products included in the approved products list for the CRI Green Label Plus carpet testing program are considered compliant with Section 01350 concentration limits.

CRI "Green Label Plus" - Adhesive Testing Program

CRI also initiated an effort to ensure that adhesives recommended for use with carpets are low-emitting. For more information on the "Green Label Plus" - Adhesive Testing Program, visit the CRI website.

Work with Manufacturers to Reformulate Products

For those manufacturers with products that exceed Section 01350 indoor air quality concentration limits, they are encouraged to evaluate the emissions and reformulate their products so that they are low-emitting. Below is an example of how one company responded to the BMES results on emissions measured from linoleum.

Changes to Linoleum Production

Linoleum is manufactured from jute, linseed oil, wood flour, limestone, and pigments. While it is generally considered to be a rapidly renewable green building material, both linoleum samples exceeded the Section 01350 concentration limits for classrooms and state offices. Although these products did not meet Section 01350 concentration limits for the BMES, similar products met the Section 01350 criteria when they were tested for use in the childcare facility at the East End project. This is likely due to the larger room parameters and ventilation rates.

In an Environmental Building News Letter dated April 2004 titled, “Forbo Responds on Indoor Emissions from Linoleum,” the company explains that “Since the subsequent release of the CIWMB study, and in an effort to further improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) performance of our products, Forbo has been aggressively working with reformulations to address the issues raised by the current model used in the 01350 testing.” Subsequently, Forbo’s Marmoleum product has been tested in compliance with Section 01350 concentration limits for use in a classroom. Please visit the CHPS Low-Emitting Materials Table.

Modular Office Furniture

The CIWMB has not only worked with manufacturers as a result of the BMES. When Section 01350 was used on the East End project, the modular office furniture emitted levels of formaldehyde that exceeded the indoor air quality concentration limits. All Steel switched vendors to maintain compliance with Section 01350.

Updated Section 01350 Protocols

One of the BMES report comments was that Section 01350 could be improved. The Department of Health Services revised Section 01350 and developed the DHS Standard Practice. These testing protocols supersede the indoor air quality portions of Section 01350. For more information or to download the DHS Standard Practice, check out the web page on Section 01350. The DHS Standard Practice has also been submitted to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-22 Committee and is under consideration to become a standard practice.

Tire-derived Resilient Flooring Study

As a follow-up to the BMES, the CIWMB is funding a tire-derived resilient flooring study to evaluate the chemical emissions of these products. The intent of this study is to develop Indoor Reference Exposure Levels (iREL) for chemicals emitted from tire-derived resilient flooring products. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is working with the Board to develop these safe levels chemical emissions can not exceed to protect public health. DHS will act as the Principal Investigator and perform the additional testing for this study. One of the main goals of this study is to ensure that these products contribute to healthy indoor living and working environments. With over 30 million waste tires generated annually in California, the increased use of healthy tire-derived flooring can facilitate greater recycling programs for tires throughout the state.

While most tire-derived products were low-emitting in compliance with the indoor air quality concentration limits (Section 01350) used in the BMES, the report concluded that more testing and refinement of these products is needed before they can be promoted for wide-use in small spaces such as classrooms and state offices. The BMES found tire-derived products to emit a large number or small peaks of chemicals that could not be identified. These products also emitted chemicals with no established reference exposure health levels. The results of the BMES raised questions about the decay rates or how long certain chemicals would off-gas from these products over time. Lastly, the lack of a chain of custody protocol and the varying age of samples tested needed to be addressed. Although the report concluded that further testing of these products was needed, the study also indicates that tire-derived products can be used in properly ventilated larger spaces such as gymnasiums and multi-purpose rooms.

Last updated: January 15, 2008