ChemSec takes on PFAS in this educational rap battle.
This report discusses concerns about replacing lead service lines with PVC plastic pipes, highlighting the potential health and environmental risks associated with leaching chemicals, urging for thorough consideration and evaluation of alternative piping materials.
This report explores the association between racially discriminatory housing practices from the 1930s and exposure to oil and gas wells, highlighting the impact of structural racism on environmental exposure disparities in urban areas.
This report evaluates the risk of drinking water contamination in Los Angeles County, California, based on the proximity of supply wells to oil and gas wells, highlighting disparities in risk based on race/ethnicity and measures of structural racism.
This fact sheet provides an overview over plastic pollution at each life stage: from resource extraction all the way to removal and remediation.
This report emphasizes the need for equitable building decarbonization efforts, highlighting the importance of centering the perspectives of vulnerable communities to address long-standing inequities in housing quality and health disparities exacerbated by current policies.
HBN tested 94 commercially available paint products for the presence of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), called “forever chemicals”. Approximately 50% of paints tested positive for fluorine, a marker of PFAS. Review the details of our findings and the recommended actions you can take.
HBN and Perkins&Will have released a second report aimed at transforming the way project teams select sustainable, low-carbon products. Building on the first report titled “Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Gypsum Drywall and Flooring,” a second report investigating the intersection of carbon and material health is titled “Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Insulation”.
Insulation is a unique product category that can help reduce a building’s operational carbon emissions by optimizing performance, lowering the energy required for heating and cooling. Those same materials can also negatively impact the environment by releasing greenhouse gasses throughout their life cycle. Insulation can also contain toxic chemicals that migrate into interior spaces. This report provides guidance for designers and architects to choose the best materials that takes materials health and embodied carbon into consideration.
Key Highlights from the reports include:
The reports represent a significant step forward in sustainable design practices, offering actionable insights that empower professionals to make environmentally conscious choices without compromising on carbon or health priorities.
Pediatric physician, Dr. Nicholas Newman, discusses his experience treating patients impacted by PFAS in this video by the Great Lakes Center for Reproductive and Children’s Environmental Health.
In this case study, Healthy Building Network and Energy Efficiency for All teamed up to apply a framework for considering life cycle chemical and environmental justice impacts to the primary component of fiberglass insulation: glass fibers.
The case study explores the chemical hazards associated with the manufacture of glass fibers and the localized impacts that facilities have on communities and workers. It includes an example of chemical movements within the supply chain and highlights end of life scenarios for fiberglass insulation. Overall findings are coupled with specific recommendations for policymakers and for manufacturers throughout the supply chain.
Supporting Documents: