Some materials provide a better alternative in an application dominated by products for which there are concerns about toxic constituents, intermediaries, or by-products. With the panoply of products made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants, some products are green simply because they provide an alternative. Examples of this are natural wall coverings, drain and vent piping, and roofing membranes. Some green products are free of hazards common to the product category; for example, LED lighting is inherently free of the mercury found in fluorescent lighting sources.
However, it’s worth noting that without transparency about actual ingredients, there’s no guarantee that a product won’t have less common or less well-known hazards that the manufacturer isn’t talking about. We use Pharos’s Chemical and Material Library to assess less well-known hazards, and we encourage manufacturers to review the hazardous properties of all chemicals they use and seek out safer materials.
SoudaSeal 240 FC
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Just how low the VOC level needs to be for a given product to qualify for inclusion in GreenSpec depends on the product category. For most products, we require certification to California’s health-based emissions standard, CDPH Std Method v1.1 standard (also referred to as California Section 01350), which tests a product’s resultant VOC concentrations in the space after a given period of time. For wet-applied products like paints, caulks, and adhesives, we still also look for VOC content instead of, or in addition to, verified low emissions; this is because emissions testing doesn’t adequately test initial offgassing, and VOC content is currently the only widely available proxy.
Soudaseal 240 FC is a joint sealant with high adhesive strength effective on a variety of substrates and suitable for a variety of sealing and bonding needs. It is based on "MS-Polymer" technology, a polyether-based 100% solids formula that is free of isocyanates, solvents, halogens and acids. It is chemically neutral and fully elastic. Soudaseal 240 FC is UV-resistant and may be painted with water-based paints.
While adhesives must perform well, they are also a significant potential source of indoor air quality concerns, so these products should be selected with care. While some adhesives are multipurpose, others are specific to a particular application or product. Consider use of mechanical fasteners where they provide a reasonable alternative. With mechanical fasteners, look for products that improve building performance, facilitate design for disassembly, or contain recycled content.
Look for adhesives that have both low VOC content and are certified low-emitting.
GreenSpec lists adhesives that exceed SCAQMD 1168 VOC content limits and also meet California Section 01350 or other more stringent emission protocols as verified through related certifications such as Greenguard Children and Schools. We don’t stop there, however. Lots of adhesives meet 01350 requirements, so we look for manufacturers with whole product families that meet these requirements, along with keeping an eye out for the additional green features below.
EBN subscribers: read more in the 2006 EBN feature article Get a Whiff of This: The Lowdown on Product Emissions Testing
Make sure the adhesive you select is appropriate to the real composition of the substrates you’re trying to adhere. There are no foolproof tests for long-term performance and manufacturer recommendations are key. If a manufacturer recommends a specific low- or zero-VOC, water-based product for use with its material, then use it; otherwise, check to ensure the low-emitting product you are considering is appropriate for the application. Low-VOC water-based adhesives may be less tolerant than solvent-based adhesives of dust or other suboptimal application conditions—keep a clean construction environmental and follow recommendations.
It doesn’t stop at VOCs. There are some non-volatile hazards that are common in adhesives.
GreenSpec will also select products where the manufacturer provides a written promise that the product contains no chemical hazards of high concern.- GreenSpec would like to see products that provide full disclosure of material composition to Pharos demonstrating that the product contains no chemical hazards of high concern.
LEED Credits
EQc4.1: Low-Emitting Materials—Adhesives&Sealants
IEQc4.1: Low-Emitting Materials—Adhesives and Sealants
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