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Households

Buildings with healthy materials

CONTEXT

Some construction materials have harmful effects on health and the environment. Exposure to toxic chemicals affects the immune system of the human body. A toxic substance can act on the skin through contact, inhalation, ingestion or contact with the eyes. The symptoms may be headache, depression, ongoing flu, among others. In addition to acute problems that can result in chronic, long-term diseases.

OBJECTIVE

• Reduce the impact of materials on people’s health and the environment.
• Foster the use of healthy materials.

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposals and recommendations for the development of housing (public and private)

In general it is advisable to use local, reused or natural materials, given that they reduce global contamination in their extraction and transport. In this sense, natural materials can replace others that are more likely to generate certain risks.

Materials whose use should be fostered

• Materials free of toxins and innocuous for all forms of life.
• Products that have life-cycle assessment (LCA). This certificate assesses the environmental impact of a material from the purchase of the raw material to its treatment as waste.
• Materials that are not altered or biocompatible, easy to recycle or biodegradable.
• Materials without, or with the fewest possible, volatile organic compounds (VOC: benzene, toluene, nitrobenzene, formaldehyde, chlorobenzene).
• Halogen-free materials. Replace polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with polyethylene or polypropylene in water pipes and electric and telecommunication cables.
• Materials with officially recognised ecological logos. For example, certified wood is a self-renewable material that is produced with very little energy. In this sense it is advisable to use local wood instead of tropical wood, which may have dubious validity certificates and very high transport costs. Additionally, wood needs to have certification that ensures that it is from controlled forestry operations. The current official certificates are: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).
• Organic insulation made from plant fibres, cork or wool. These materials are not toxic and do not give off toxic substances. With a good building design they can be very durable.
• Terracotta. It is a material produced with very little energy, it is not toxic and is durable if used correctly. Also non-glazed adobe and mud walls.
• Use natural silicate paint rather than water-based acrylic paint, and the latter rather than synthetic paint.

Building systems to be used

• Foster the use of industrialised prefabrication systems that, due to their assembly and disassembly simplicity, allow various uses and produce less waste. The source of prefabricated materials must be taken into account to avoid harmful effects on global health related to transport.
• Avoid the adherence of different types of materials or compositions of two or more adhered materials as they are very difficult to recycle.
• Use aggregates from the recycling of demolitions to construct building envelopes, for example in reinforced concrete walls.

Materials that should be avoided

• Prohibited materials like lead, asbestos and foam blocks with CFC and HCFC gases.
• Plastic and non-breathable materials, given that they facilitate condensation and therefore the appearance of fungus.
• Wood not officially certified or wood treated with creosote. Current official certificates: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).
• Products that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are found in paint, synthetic varnish, rugs and curtains and also in cleaning and maintenance products (see "Volatile Organic Compounds").
• Closed-pore paint and elements that retain electrostatic dust.
• PVC frames.

Proposals and recommendations for the administration

• Development of public awareness or education campaigns to disseminate the possible harmful effects of toxic materials on homes.
• Preparation of specific plans and protocols to control the impact of toxic materials and eradicate their use.
• Establishment of municipal aid for renovations to foster:
  • The use of healthy materials.
  • The renovation of buildings that contain toxic materials.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

LEGISLATION

• Decret 111/2009, de 14 de juliol, de modificació del decret 21/2006, de 14 de febrer, pel qual es regula l'adopció de criteris ambientals i d'ecoeficiència en els edificis.
• Decret 21/2006, de 14 de febrer, per qual es regula l'adopció de criteris ambientals d'ecoeficiència en els edificis
• Real Decreto 396/2006, de 31 de marzo, por el que se establecen las disposiciones mínimas de seguridad y salud aplicables a los trabajos con riesgo de exposición al amianto.
• REGLAMENTO (CE) nº 1907/2006 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 18 de diciembre de 2006, relativo al registro, la evaluación, la autorización y la restricción de las sustancias y preparados químicos (REACH), por el que se crea la Agencia Europea de Sustancias y Preparados Químicos. (A.XVII (Restricción), Apen.7 (Etiq.))
• Real Decreto 105/2008, de 1 de febrero, por el que se regula la producción y gestión de los residuos de construcción y demolición.
• REIAL DECRET 227/2006, de 24 de febrer, pel qual es complementa el règim jurídic sobre la limitació de les emissions de compostos orgànics volàtils en determinades pintures i vernissos i en productes de renovació de l'acabat de vehicles.
• Real Decreto 102/2011, de 28 de enero, relativo a la mejora de la calidad del aire.
• Norma UNE 171330-2:2014 Qualitat ambiental en interiors. Part 2: Procediments d'inspecció de qualitat ambiental interior. Inclou valoris límit de COV´s
• Norma UNE-ISO 16000-6:2006 Aire d'interiors. Part 6: Determinació de compostos orgànics volàtils en aire d'interiors i de càmeres d'assaig mitjançant mostreig actiu amb adsorbent Tenax TA, desorció tèrmica i cromatografia de gasos emprant MS/FID.
• Norma UNE-EN ISO 16000-5:2009 Aire d'interiors. Part 5: Estratègia de mostreig dels compostos orgànics volàtils.

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

Documentació general

• Rodriguez, C. 1999. Guía de la Bioconstrucción. Mandala Ediciones.
• Revista Eco-Habitar. Revista de Bioconstrucció, Ecoarquitectura, Permacultura, Comunitats i Vida sostenible.  

En relació amb l’amiant

• Monserrat, J., Serrano, J., Carbonell, M., Pellicer, L. 2007. Guía de buenas prácticas en operaciones con riesgo de amianto. Govern de les Illes Balears.
• Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el trabajo, 2008. Guía técnica para la evaluación y prevención de los riesgos relacionados con la exposición al amianto .

En relació als compostos orgànics volàtils

• ANSES. 2016. Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC´s) by Building and decoration products.
• EPA. United States Environmental Agency. Volatile organic compounds the impact on indoor air quality. EEUU.
• Directorate-general environment. Air and noise unit. 2002. The costs and benefits the reduction of volatile organic compounds from paints.

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

• Àmbit Habitatge. Ús i manteniment dels habitatges. Fitxa "Edificis d´habitatges sostenibles i ecoeficients".
• Àmbit Habitatge. Ús i manteniment dels habitatges. Fitxa "Fonts de risc ambiental".
• Àmbit Equipaments de qualitat al servei de la salut. Fitxa "Amiant".
• Àmbit Equipaments de qualitat al servei de la salut. Fitxa "Composts orgànics volàtils (COV´s)".
• Àmbit Equipaments de qualitat al servei de la salut. Fitxa "L´edifici malalt. Els materials d´efectes nocius o perjudicials per a la salut".

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