Somewhere around the turn of the century, people began to realize that new car smell is actually an unhealthy combination of 50-60 VOCs off-gassing from plastics, vinyl, and glues. For a while, environmentalists paid a lot of attention to avoiding VOCs, but it’s hard to maintain attention these days. The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for handling false advertising claims, […]
Cadmium wasn’t discovered until the 19th century, when it quickly found use as a pigment that could produce bright yellows, oranges, and reds. Cadmium is still used in some pigments. But today it is also an important component of batteries, metal alloys, electroplating, solar panels, and plastic stabilizers. It’s kind of hard to imagine how we ever got along without […]
On Mount Olympus, Mercury is the Roman god with power over commerce and communication and all things speedy. Mercury is the fastest and smallest planet in the solar system and the closest to the sun. And here on Earth, mercury is a substance that can kill you. So it’s troubling to discover just how many items in your own home […]
Safety is a good thing. But sometimes things we do in the name of safety create more hazards. Flame retardants are intended to slow the spread of a fire and allow for additional escape time. They began to be used extensively in all kinds of products in the 1970s to meet flammability standards set to increase public safety. With growing […]
If the word formaldehyde makes you think of mad scientists, you’re not entirely wrong. Formaldehyde is the smelly chemical that preserves dead specimens floating in jars in a science lab. It’s not something you want in your home — it doesn’t belong there. But it is there. In fact, formaldehyde is in so many things it’s hard to completely avoid […]
Home is supposed to be a safe haven. But if your home contains dangerous and toxic materials, it could be a threat to your health and the planet’s. The Red List is a list of “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements the green building industry tries to avoid. Some of these, like asbestos, are well-known, even to people outside […]
At the turn of the century, everybody was up in arms about the hazards of vinyl. More properly known as polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, the substance inspired slogans – “No vinyl, that’s final” and “No PVC for me” – as well as a documentary film, “Blue Vinyl” that explored the environmental and health risks throughout the life cycle of the […]
Many people think that since lead was removed from paint and gasoline, it is no longer a threat. But nearly a third of American children have dangerously elevated blood lead levels. While consumer products are probably the biggest source of lead exposure, lead is lurking in many – perhaps most – homes. Lead Lead is a toxic heavy metal that […]
Home is supposed to be a safe haven, but if your home is built with dangerous and toxic materials, it could be a threat to your health. Does your home contain asbestos? It very likely may. Asbestos is one of the materials on the Red List, a list of “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements that green builders try […]
“The Red List” might sound like something from the Cold War. But the Red List has nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with chemistry. The Red List is actually a list of “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements the green building industry tries to avoid. And even if you are not a construction professional, knowing about […]