Unless you work as a park ranger or a raft guide, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency you probably spend close to 90 percent of your time at home, work, or school—breathing indoor air. This fact has largely driven the development and inclusion of indoor air quality specifications in most major green building programs in use or under development today.

While indoor air quality is an essential component to building green, it is nonetheless only one piece of the puzzle. As an example, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) is working to develop new Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) standards that are based upon sophisticated lifecycle assessment methodology and that incorporate stringent indoor air quality criteria. By considering the current approaches and limitations to indoor air quality assessment we can better understand how indoor air quality fits into the broader perspective of environmental product design and performance.

Indoor Air Quality

Reducing or eliminating the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from products is a proven, effective way to address indoor air quality. To accomplish this, numerous specifications incorporate indoor air quality criteria. This landscape may seem daunting, but the various specifications essentially boil down to the requirements of two key programs: the LEED Green Building Rating Systems and California’s Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). To make matters more straightforward, the LEED for Schools program largely references the same indoor air quality criteria as CHPS: the requirements of Section 01350 as described by the CA Department of Health Services (CDHS) Standard Practice. This increasing convergence of indoor air quality specifications makes it simpler for manufacturers to produce—and for architects, designers and purchasers to use—low-emitting products.

Several organizations, including SCS, now certify low-emitting products as compliant with the LEED and CHPS specifications. Important for manufacturers, building professionals, and savvy consumers is whether or not a particular certification is sufficiently rigorous, is based on sound science and transparent methodology, and confirms that products consistently meet the specified requirements.

Key Certification Programs

Several industry trade associations have helped launch programs that certify or label specific low-emitting products. The Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus labeling program for carpeting and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute’s FloorScore certification program for hard surface flooring are both accepted by LEED, CHPS, and the new Green Guide for Health Care, a self-certification program modeled on LEED. The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA) Furniture Emissions Standards were developed following a national consensus process involving a broad range of stakeholders. These BIFMA standards serve as the foundation for SCS Indoor Advantage certification and are accepted by LEED as a compliance pathway for low-emitting office furniture and seating (through the LEED for Commercial Interiors Credit EQ 4.5, Option C).

For multiple product types, SCS Indoor Advantage Gold and GREENGUARD for Children and Schools use the Section 01350 criteria to evaluate compliance with CHPS. Section 01350 is based on chronic Reference Exposure Levels for specific individual VOCs of concern established by the California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Due to the health-based nature of these criteria, they are widely referenced in the new Green Guide for Health Care and in LEED for Schools.

Current Limitations

The existing indoor air quality specifications and standards only apply to commercial offices and K-12 school classrooms. There is a strong need for the development of indoor air quality models that meet the unique needs of residential buildings and healthcare facilities.

Another, more immediate challenge is to determine how to appropriately address other types of chemical hazards that may be associated with products, such as the release of semi-volatile organic compounds, including some phthalate plasticizers and certain flame retardants. Unlike VOCs, which tend to emit most strongly early in a product’s life, semi-volatile compounds may not begin to emit from products until well after installation, with emissions increasing rather than decreasing over time before stabilizing. Such chemicals also tend to stick to surfaces. As a result, conventional chamber testing for measuring VOC emissions does not work. Research is needed to establish the best way to characterize the potential impact of semi-volatiles on indoor air quality.

The Bigger Picture

Indoor air quality certification will and should remain a key aspect of building green. However, indoor air quality is only one aspect of a product’s environmental performance. Over the life cycle of a product there are additional, critically important environmental issues that need to be quantified and rated, including the use of renewable resources and energy, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and the recycling or reuse of waste. An illustration of this more complete approach would be an office chair built from certified wood, covered in upholstery from recycled materials, manufactured using renewable energy, certified for indoor air quality, and designed for reuse.

Green building specifications are just starting to incorporate this broader scope of environmental characteristics by recognizing Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certifications. Although EPP certification is not a new idea, the use of quantifiable life cycle assessment by SCS will generate accurate and comparable claims—a first for the complex analysis required for EPP certification. CHPS, a leader in indoor air quality specifications, already recognizes EPP certifications issued by SCS in its criteria. The Home Depot’s Eco Options program will also require that products conform the to EPP standards under development at SCS.

As more and more manufacturers and building professionals embrace the benefits of indoor air quality certification, those at the forefront of the green building industry are already exploring how indoor air quality programs can complement a more comprehensive environmental approach.