Should my Dispatch Center LEED with Red Lists Materials?

We are exposed to over 80,000 chemicals in our daily lives, with varying degrees of safety and testing. Green building rating systems are increasingly taking note of the potential health and environmental risks associated with chemicals found in common building materials, and are taking steps to encourage projects to identify and select safer products.
- GBRI.org

Three ways of achieving a healthful workplace come with certifications. Each ups the ante on product and materials standards.

Indoor air quality

Center's seeking to provide their 911 dispatchers with a healthful work environment prioritize Indoor Air Quality. There are multiple certifications for Indoor Air Quality. SCS testing ensures interior products have no to low VOC emissions.

...with the most transparent indoor air quality (IAQ) standard for furniture and building materials. The Indoor Advantage and Indoor Advantage Gold standard aligns with both ANSI/BIFMA M7.1 and X7.1, and CA 01350. It is recognized by the EPA and GSA, and qualifies for many building rating systems, including LEED v4, BREEAM, WELL Building, and Living Building Challenge.

Another common, though less stringent, standard is Greenguard.

LEED

The LEED certification program is the leading international program for sustainable building design and construction. Attaining LEED certification demonstrates environmentally responsible building practices...
- TheBalanceSMB.com

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is one of the most popular green building certification programs and it is used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods. The standards aims to help building owners and operators make environmentally responsible choices and use resources efficiently.

The Living Building Challenge is the world’s most rigorous standard for green buildings. Going above and beyond LEED certification, Living Buildings strive for net-zero or net-positive energy, are free of toxic chemicals, and lower their energy footprint many times below the generic commercial structure.

To be certified under the Challenge, projects must meet a series of ambitious performance requirements over a minimum of 12 months of continuous occupancy.
- Living-Future.org

According to The Living Future Institute, "the Red List contains the worst-in-class materials used for residential and commercial construction." Use of these chemicals are of high concern because they 1) pollute the environment, 2) bio-accumulate within the food chain and reach toxic levels consumed by humans, and/or 3) have proven unhealthful and harmful to construction and factory workers.

Products that contain chemicals on the Red List must not be used if a building is to achieve Living Building status. This requirement is intended to ensure that buildings are not only conserving energy or limiting waste, but also protecting occupant health. Red List materials contain one or more compound from these commonly recognized chemical families:

• Asbestos
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Formaldehyde (added)
• Halogenated flame retardants
• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
• Lead (added)
• Petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides
• Phthalates
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

While achieving Living Building Status is gaining steam, you can use resources that The Living Future Institute provides to learn more about Red List materials and how to avoid them.

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