#Materials -Toxicity

environmental sustainable design
materials -toxicity

Silent
Spring
Chemical Companies' impact on biosphere
brought to account.
Establishes the U.S. E.P.
(environment protection authority)
1962
the book that started it all.
(it being the modern environmental movement)
...sobering reading.

materials -toxicity
On average 96% of each 24
hours is spent indoors by
the Australian population.
1 .
Australia State of The Environment : Human Settlements
Report pp.4
Pathogens found in HVAC filters

materials -toxicity
Material selection should be holistically driven.
Look at the entire manufacturing (and to a lesser
extent transport) process. A building material may
arrive on site, chemically inert but there may be
high toxicity in raw materials.
Consider each stage of Material Manufacture closely.
• extraction + processing
• manufacture +transport
• construction + wastage/ leaking on site
• use + occupation
• disturbance (fire - wind - wear - degradation)
I would consider this book essential reading

materials - toxicity
control strategies
There is an overarching strategy that can be employed for
dealing with toxic materials.
• removal:eliminate the hazard. Either remove an
existing toxic material from the site, and disposed
correctly. Or remove from the project prior to
construction by checking material processes as
outlined in the previously.
• alternatives: substitute the hazard. Again through
suitable material research determine a safer
material.
• enclosure:encase to prevent the material from
causing harm. Again this applies to any scale from
concrete bunding to painting over a more toxic
material.
• engineering: Active monitoring of the hazard/
environment to ensure safe levels of material,
before initiating the above.
• OH+S: Working within a toxic environment and
undertaking work practices/ procedures for
reducing risk.

Sick Building
Syndrome
headache,
eye, nose, and throat irritation
fatigue
dizziness
nausea.

materials - toxicity
indoor air quality
Wherever or whenever possible consider natural systems
to purify air.
Most easily done with landscape design.
for example...
The Plants
Areca Palm Chrysalidocarpus lutescens
Mother in Law's Tongue Sansevieria trifasciata
Money Plant Epipremnum aureum
The speaker in the Video.
Kamal Meattle has a vision to reshape commercial building in India
using principles of green architecture and sustainable upkeep
(including an air-cleaning system that involves massive banks of
plants instead of massive banks of HVAC equipment). He started
the Paharpur Business Centre and Software Technology Incubator
Park (PBC-STIP), in New Delhi, in 1990 to provide "instant office"
space to technology companies. PBC-STIP's website publishes its
air quality index every day, and tracks its compliance to the 10
principles of the UN Global Compact, a corporate-citizenship
initiative.
from ted.com

Indoor Air
Quality
removal
control
expell
providing outside air quality is better than in... then
adequate and controlled air changes

materials - toxicity
building poisons
Buildings can be a cocktail of toxic chemicals. It should be
remembered here, that people die in house fires, not
necessarily by being burned alive, but by asphyxiation,
the inhalation of toxic smoke. Burning houses are not
like some bonfire of eucalypt leaves and pleasant
smells, but a combination of plastics and other
synthetics that make breathing impossible. Firefighters
are overcome by smoke, not heat.
Chemicals to avoid in and around buildings include..
• Organochlorines: prevalent to prevent termites and
weed species.
• Polyvinyl Chloride: while chemically inert
undisturbed, creates toxic smoke when burned.
• CFC's & Halons: Ozone depleting gases.
• Mercury: Accumulates in the blood stream. Metals
have been associated with Alzheimer's disease.
• Formaldehyde is a fixative in MDF and is a known
carcinogen.
• Chemical Cleaning of Masonry (generally
hydrochloric acid, significantly alters pH of
landscaping.)
endocrine disruptors: nasty stuff!

Materials
• toxicity
– Formaldehyde
RMIT University©12/9/18 School of Architecture + Design 10

Volatile Organic
Compounds
Plastics
Paints
Resins
Glues

materials - toxicity
volatile organic compounds
ahhh that new car smell....
unfortunately it's probably killing you!

materials - toxicity
asbestos
• Any home built prior to the mid to late 1980's has some
level of asbestos in it.
• Any prolonged or intense direct exposure to asbestos
can cause the fatal and incurable mesothelioma.
• The material is insidious, and was used extensively for
a wide range of building products.
• The removal and disposal of asbestos, must be carried
out by licensed contractors.
• When undertaking renovations on existing buildings
always minimise dust, and identify possible hazards.
• If regularly painted and not degrading, some building
products are relatively benign.

materials - toxicity
asbestos
30%
of all homes
White
Grey
Brown
Blue
(non)+friable
still one of the most toxic materials
still mined in Canada
still used in India

Asbest
os
• roof sheeting and capping
guttering
• gables, eaves/soffitswater pipes and
flues wall sheeting (flat or a
weatherboard style) vinyl sheet flooring
Codes of Practice:
• carpet How to Safely and Remove tile Asbestos underlays and
How to Manage and Control Asbestos in
• zelemite the Workplace. backing boards to the
switchboards flexible building boards
• Imitation brick cladding
fencing
• carports and sheds

materials - toxicity
history
With increased pressure to reduce (sub)urban growth,
more sites previously overlooked due to
contamination may, by necessity, be built on.
It is important to know the specific history of a site.
Any previous industrial use has the potential for
ground contamination.
An environmental audit must be carried out to
determine the type of contaminants existing on
site. The results of the audit determine the
suitability of a proposed use and what form of
remediation works may be required.
What was once a petrol station, may now be a B&B.

site contamination
Toxic materials can indirectly
continue to affect our health.