The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced a new LEED pilot credit: Building Material Human Hazard & Exposure Assessment.
The credit aims to encourage building teams and manufacturers to assess human health-related exposure scenarios for products during installation and beyond.
“We have a focus on transparency and optimization so specifiers can know what they are using and can reward innovation,” said Scot Horst, chief product officer, USGBC. “But understanding how a material impacts human health requires a full understanding of hazard and exposure. The new pilot credit is a first step toward evaluating exposure by encouraging product inventories in order to prioritize decision making.”
The pilot credit is intended to reward manufacturers who perform hazard and exposure assessments designed to help minimize human health impacts during installation and use of their products. By requiring exposure to be considered during product development, make linkages can be made between the product’s ingredient inventory and hazard assessment required by the existing Materials Ingredients credit and performance testing required by LEED’s Low Emitting Materials credits.
Related Stories
Sponsored | Metals | Jul 20, 2015
Life cycle assessment, and why you should care
LCA is a way of quantifying the environmental impact generated by the manufacture and delivery of a product.
Green | Jul 16, 2015
7 parking facilities first to earn Green Garage Certification
The new program rates parking structures based on 48 elements of operation, from water reuse to bicycle parking to car sharing options.
Smart Buildings | Jul 12, 2015
Office of Management and Budget asks agencies to consider climate change when budgeting for construction projects
For the first time, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget is asking agencies to submit budget plans that consider the effects of climate change on construction and maintenance of federal facilities.
Engineers | Jul 12, 2015
White paper explores low-flow toilets’ impact on drain lines, clogs
The research found that certain variables: toilet paper—along with the pipe slope and flush volume—are key variables in determining whether drain lines might be predisposed to clog.
Green | Jul 12, 2015
U.S. Green Building Council aligns programs with CALGreen
California has a new LEED certification path as the state struggles with drought.
Green | Jul 7, 2015
Philips sheds new light on growing fresh food indoors
A research center in The Netherlands is testing the latest techniques in urban farming.
Green | Jun 29, 2015
Rick Fedrizzi to step down as USGBC’s Chief Executive next year
Fedrizzi will be leaving an organization that has grown to 76 chapters. The Washington, D.C.-based USGBC employs 260 people, and last year reported $74.1 million in revenue.
Green | Jun 26, 2015
Training center for electricians in L.A. focuses on net zero technologies
Construction has begun Los Angeles County on what is being called the nation’s largest Net Zero Plus retrofit of a commercial building.
Green | Jun 24, 2015
6 steps toward better water management [AIA course]
When it comes to water conservation, Building Teams tend to concentrate on water-efficient plumbing fixtures, irrigation controls, graywater capture, and ways to recycle condensate from air-conditioning systems. Yet many of the best opportunities for saving water begin with big-picture thinking in a project’s earliest phases.
Green | Jun 19, 2015
3 steps toward sustainable landscape architecture
A water-conscious, sustainable landscape is easily achievable, and the options for native and drought tolerant plants far exceed cacti and succulents, writes LPA's Richard Bienvenu.