May 5 2010
Believe it or not, not all "green" buildings are as healthy and sustainable as they appear. In fact, many of them could be inadvertently harming the health of their occupants through the products and materials used in their construction and design.
"Now more than ever, indoor air pollution from product emissions is a huge concern," says Dr. Marilyn Black, world-renowned scientist, indoor air quality expert, and founder of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI). "As the demand for more energy-efficient, tightly-sealed buildings grows, so does the risk for trapping indoor air pollutants inside. We end up inhaling countless chemicals that off-gas from interior products and materials -- chemicals that are known to make us sick."
To help shed light on this important and timely issue, Dr. Black will present "Protecting Health and Wellbeing of Building Occupants with Green Building Procedures," an accredited continuing education course for building and design professionals, at the CONSTRUCT 2010 show in Philadelphia, Pa. on May 12.
The course will explore the fundamentals of indoor air quality as it relates to human health (exposure to polluted indoor air is known to cause nosebleeds, headaches, nausea, asthma, and even cancer); the financial and legal backlash that often accompanies "sick buildings"; and the simple, proactive ways to minimize indoor air pollution in commercial, healthcare, and educational environments.
"It's important to remember that while 'green' products, materials, and practices can be good for the outdoor environment, they may not always be the best for our indoor environments," Black says. "Our indoor environments are where we spend 90-percent of our time. We have to make sure that the products we surround ourselves with are low-emitting."
The presentation will begin at 8 a.m. EDT Wednesday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
Source: http://www.greenguard.org/