"Green Professionals Seek to Raise IAQ Awareness"
Kitchen and Bath Design News (05/04/10)

More than two decades after a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development indicated that indoor air quality (IAQ) was on the decline, the sustainable building movement has gained ground. Dr. Marilyn Black, PhD, founder of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute -- which develops building standards with a focus on controlling mold, moisture, and indoor pollutants as a health benefit -- calls this a mixed blessing. Black says, "The problem of IAQ has become even more pronounced with the green building community's focus on energy use reduction: we're tightening up our homes, or 'weatherizing' them, to save energy, but we're inadvertently allowing high levels of indoor pollutants to accumulate inside. Key sources of VOCs [volatile organic compounds] are cleaners, built-in cabinetry, foam insulation, furniture, and remodeling materials like paints, adhesives, coatings, and other treatments." VOCs are responsible for the "new house" smell and are toxic. Second- and third-party certifiers can help consumers choose more eco-friendly products. According to Black, "Source control is the most effective way to control indoor air pollution. As a practitioner, you should always select and use third-party certified, low-emitting, and nontoxic products; as a manufacturer, you should make sure that you are supplying toxin-free products to the marketplace."

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