December 20, 2018

What’s the healthiest insulation?

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Insulation is a touchy subject in green building. Many designers just want the best R value and tightest seal, which you can get from plastic foams. They say “solid petrochemicals are a lesser of two evils when compared to CO2” and deride my concerns as “an example of “Perfect is the enemy of good”.

But some organizations have been looking beyond CO2 at the issues of health. A new report by Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA)—Making Affordable Multifamily Housing More Energy Efficient: A Guide to Healthier Upgrade Materials is a real eye-opener. It was developed by the Natural Resources Defense Councilin collaboration with The Healthy Building Network (HBN), Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Three3, and the International Living Future Institute, to determine which are the healthiest. Why is this necessary?

Building materials matter to our health. So why do so many of the products commonly used to insulate and air seal our multifamily buildings contain chemicals that are hazardous? We believe that three primary factors are at work: a weak regulatory environment allowing the use of hazardous chemicals in products; misconceptions about chemicals in building products and their impacts; and the lack of disclosure and transparency about chemicals used in products.

The regulatory control of chemicals in the USA is particularly weak, with the attitude that they are safe until proven otherwise. An amazing 62,000 chemicals were grandfathered in when the Toxic Substances Control Act was passed 45 years ago and only 200 have been tested since. So according to the EPA many of the chemicals in the list above are perfectly fine. Some of them even have their own promotional organizations. When you are up against the American Chemistry Council, Formaldehyde Facts and this gem from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, it is hard to know what to believe.

Toxic chemicals aren’t necessarily safe if they are behind walls, either; “A 2009 Healthy Building Network analysis of fiberglass insulation emissions studies revealed that formaldehyde from binders readily migrated through drywall and air barriers.”

Using a four-step methodology, NRDC and its partners ranked insulation products on the basis of health impacts. They also include relative costs.

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