Introduction to Chemicals of Concern

We’ve been highlighting the importance of materials on human and environmental health in alignment with our firm’s recent signing of the AIA A&D Materials Pledge. The pledge commits us to make better material choices to protect human, climate, social, and ecosystem health. A critical thru line to all of these efforts is better understanding the chemical composition of the materials we specify so we can minimize or exclude “chemicals of concern”. In the coming weeks, we will take a deep dive into these chemicals, why they are problematic, and how we can leverage our work to support industry transformation to a cleaner, healthier, and circular material future.

What are chemicals of concern?

The term is used by regulatory groups within the United Nations and EPA, and by advocacy groups across multiple sectors. It refers to chemicals that may or may not be currently regulated and which scientific evidence demonstrates harmful health and environmental effects. Attributes that may support chemicals being added to the list include:

• Bioaccumulative: chemicals that build up in the fatty tissue of organisms increasing in concentration with prolonged exposure or as you move up the food chain.
• Persistent: chemicals that take a very long time to break down in the environment.
• Toxic: chemicals that are hazardous to human life and ecosystem health. This can include things like carcinogens (e.g. formaldehyde), endocrine disruptors (e.g. PFAS), reproductive disruptors (e.g. phthalates), neurotoxins (e.g. lead), and many more.

Chemicals of concern are often identified not by a specific chemical makeup but by Substance Class, a grouping of similar chemicals based on use, molecular structure, effect, or other properties (e.g. heavy metals, halogenated flame retardants). In an upcoming post we will dig deeper into specific substance classes and their uses in building materials.

What is the relationship between chemicals of concern and people?

Chemicals are used in building products to make them more durable, more flexible, less corrosive, specific colors and textures, flame retardant, antimicrobial, and more. Many of these attributes are critical to the performance of buildings, but some are dubious marketing claims that have been shown to do much more harm than good.

These chemicals impact the health of workers who manufacture them, people who live in communities around manufacturing facilities, installers on site, and end users of the building. This makes this a priority for human health AND a social and equity concern, especially when considering manufacturing facilities are most often located in or near disadvantaged communities. Exposure occurs through several pathways.

Where are chemicals of concern found in building materials?

We will take a series of deep dives into this question in coming weeks, but the image below give some sense of the extent and potential hazards that exist in our homes today. While this is undeniably scary it is also an opportunity for us to have a dramatic impact on improving the lives of the people who come in contact with our buildings.