PVC and LEED

A question came up on a project recently regarding PVC blinds in the building.  The owner expressed some concern about internal curtains containing PVC.  The following is a brief summary of my knowledge on the matter. Useful resources listed at the end.

First, there is currently no LEED requirement regarding PVC. That being said I know of a few projects that have chosen to include PVC-free as part of their sustainability priorities alongside LEED certification, due to the environmental damage of the material. A challenging feat since a good portion of the building incorporates PVC products from wall coverings to plumbing to the electrical wiring (even some cork flooring uses a PVC coating for durability). Manufacturers have begun to develop alternatives that are PVC free or at least reduce the quantity. You should also be aware that there has been a large marketing campaign by the Vinyl Institute to down play the potential harmfulness of PVC.

The majority of the environmental damage from PVC is during the manufacturing process and disposal which releases the most toxins. The locations of both generally being far from the consumer although becoming more and more critical environmental issue. If a fire occurs in the building, the release of large amounts of toxins from the PVC put in danger the occupants health far beyond a standard fire. The hydrochloric gas released results in severe burns to skin, eyes and lungs and effects those in nearby buildings as well.

For the day to day use of the space, it is really the chemical additives that are added to PVC that are of concern to the health of the occupants. The most critical one being the phthalate plasticizers which studies are starting to show are linked to increased rates of asthma. The other additive of concern are the metal stabilizers. In the past the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning about PVC window blinds and their release of lead.

I’d have to do some more digging but my understanding is that the Greenguard certification that Gensler passed along focuses on VOCs and does not address the full spectrum of potentially harmful toxins. As mentioned there are other PVC-free shading options. Nysan is one company I’m familiar with that offers PVC-free options. The other is MechoShade that has EcoVeil which is a MBDC product (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry).

The T-Screen spec lists the product as having 64% PVC composition which is typical for standard blinds but still a high level. If indoor air quality is a key concern, I’d recommend looking at alternatives that have lower amounts of PVC or are PVC-free ideally. The blinds represent a large amount of PVC product in the space compared with other PVC products and can have a potential impact.

Resources:

1. Healthy Build Network, www.healthybuilding.net/pvc   My go-to place for addressing PVC questions.  Useful report is, "Environmental Impacts of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Building Materials" by Joe Thornton (2002)
2. Building Green, www.buildinggreen.com   My go-to place for product information and the latest developments in the industry.  A subscription is needed to access the product information about Nysan and MechoShade.

Outstanding Question:
 If a product is GreenGuard certified but has PVC content what does that mean?  It's a little misleading that the product has a green stamp of approval but may still have health concerns.  I wasn't able to look into this question before, but did a quick search just now and it looks like GreenGuard doesn't cover PVC and phthalates (amongst other toxins)  but primarily focuses on VOCs.   A useful document is a two pager from Healthy Building Network, "Screening the Toxics out of Materials" that points this out and lists the primary toxins to be concerned about and the various resources for finding healthy building materials - both databases and certifications.  Conclusion is that GreenGuard doesn't address the PVC health concerns.