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  2. Fundamental material safety

Fundamental material safety

Features>Air>11. Fundamental material safety

11. Fundamental material safety

Some hazardous materials that are no longer used in the United States, such as asbestos and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), are often encountered in older buildings. Others, including lead, remain in limited use.

This feature restricts the presence of added lead and asbestos in building materials and limits occupant exposure to these hazards where they might exist in older structures. Refer to Table A3 in Appendix C for specific chemical names and registration numbers.

Part 1: Asbestos and Lead Restriction

All newly-installed building materials meet the following materials composition requirements:

a. No asbestos.
b.36 Not more than 100 ppm (by weight) added lead.
Part 1: Air Flush

A building air flush is performed while maintaining an indoor temperature of at least 15 °C [59 °F] and relative humidity below 60%, at one of the following volumes:

a.1 A total air volume of 4,500 m_ of outdoor air per m_ of floor area [14,000 ft² per ft² of floor area] prior to occupancy.
b.1 A total air volume of 1,000 m_ of outdoor air per m_ of floor area [3,500 ft² per ft² of floor area] prior to occupancy, followed by a second flush of 3,500 m_ of outdoor air per m_ of floor area [10,500 ft² per ft² of floor area] post-occupancy. While the post-occupancy flush is taking place, the ventilation system must provide at least 0.1 m_ per minute of outdoor air per m_ of floor area [0.3 CFM fresh air per ft² floor area] at all times.
Part 3: Asbestos Abatement

To reduce hazards in buildings with known or suspected asbestos, the following testing, evaluation and abatement is conducted:

a.33 Projects conduct asbestos inspection every three years through an accredited professional per Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)’s Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP), National Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) accredited asbestos consultant (State or local equivalent) or by a U.S. EPA accredited company experienced in asbestos assessment.
b.33 In accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), development, maintenance and update of asbestos management plans, including all necessary actions to minimize asbestos hazards: repair, encapsulation, enclosure, maintenance and removal, follow protocol detailed in the Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools Rule (40 CFR part 763).
c.33 Projects conduct post-abatement clearance in accordance with Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools (40 CFR part 763).
Part 4: Polychlorinated Biphenyl Abatement

Any projects constructed or renovated between 1950 and 1977 and undergoing current renovation or demolition carry out the following:

a.34 Conduct evaluation and abatement of materials in accordance with the U.S. EPA Steps to Safe PCB Abatement Activities.
b.34 Conduct removal and safe disposal of PCB-containing fluorescent light ballasts in accordance with the U.S. EPA guidelines.
Part 5: School Playground Equipment Safety

The following requirements are met:

a. Lead paint on playground equipment is assessed and remediated in accordance with the Consumer Product Safety Commission Staff Recommendations for Identifying and Controlling Lead Paint on Public Playground Equipment.
b. Playground equipment composed of pressure treated wood is remediated in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency’s Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA): Consumer Advice Related to CCA-Treated Wood, or replaced using oil-based, semi-transparent stains.
c. Sample, evaluate and apply protective actions to mitigate risks associated with lead contaminated artificial turf per guidelines outlined in Evaluating and Regulating Lead in Synthetic Turf.
Cardiovascular
Respiratory
Nervous

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell Tenant Improvement New Construction
Part 1: Asbestos and Lead Restriction P P P
Part 1: Air Flush - O O
Part 3: Asbestos Abatement P P P
Part 4: Polychlorinated Biphenyl Abatement P P P
Part 5: School Playground Equipment Safety - - -
Commercial Kitchen Schools Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
Part 1: Asbestos and Lead Restriction P P P P P
Part 1: Air Flush O O O O O
Part 3: Asbestos Abatement P P P P P
Part 4: Polychlorinated Biphenyl Abatement P P P P P
Part 5: School Playground Equipment Safety - P - - -

Verification Methods Matrix

Letters of Assurance Annotated Documents On-Site Checks
PART 1 (Design)
Asbestos and Lead Restriction 		Architect
PART 1 (Protocol)
Air Flush 		Contractor
PART 3 (Design)
Asbestos Abatement 		Remediation Report
PART 4 (Design)
Polychlorinated Biphenyl Abatement 		Remediation Report
PART 5 (Design)
School Playground Equipment Safety 		Architect

1

U.S. Green Building Council. LEED v4: Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction. Washington D.C.: U.S. Green Building Council; 2013: 37, 43-44, 541-552, 567, 605, 623, 645-53, 658-61, 682-3, 685-6, 723-4.
11.5.d

USGBC’s LEED v4 For Healthcare: MR prerequisite: PBT Source Reduction - Mercury recommends that projects do not install or specify mercury vapor type high intensity discharge (HID) lamps and probe start metal halide HID lamps in interior spaces.
11.5.a

USGBC’s LEED v4 For Healthcare: MR prerequisite, PBT Source Reduction - Mercury bans the use of mercury containing equipment, including thermostats, switching devices and other building systems in new construction (of healthcare facilities).
11.5.b

USGBC’s LEED v4 For Healthcare: MR prerequisite, PBT Source Reduction - Mercury recommends phasing out mercury products and upgrading current mercury-containing lamps to low mercury or mercury-free lamp technology in renovating healthcare facilities.
11.5.c

USGBC’s LEED v4 For Healthcare: MR prerequisite, PBT Source Reduction - Mercury recommends that projects only specify and install illuminated exit signs that use Light Emitting Diode (LED) or Light-Emitting Capacitor (LEC) lamps.
31

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Work Practice Standards for Conducting Lead-Based Paint Activities: Target Housing and Child-occupied Facilities. http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/745.227. Published 1996. Accessed September 15, 2014.
11.2.b

The EPA's Work Practice Standards for Conducting Lead-Based Paint Activities document establishes requirements for conducting lead-based paint activities.
11.2.c

The EPA's Work Practice Standards for Conducting Lead-Based Paint Activities document establishes requirements for conducting lead-based paint activities.
11.2.a

The EPA's Work Practice Standards for Conducting Lead-Based Paint Activities document establishes requirements for conducting lead-based paint activities.
33

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Guidelines for Conducting the AHERA TEM Clearance Test to Determine Completion of an Asbestos Abatement Project. Published 1989: 5
11.3.a

AHERA's Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan establishes asbestos limits.
11.3.b

The EPA's Guidelines for Conducting the AHERA TEM Clearance Test to Determine Completion of an Asbestos Abatement Project guidelines establish requirements for conducting post-abatement checks.
11.3.c

The EPA's Guidelines for Conducting the AHERA TEM Clearance Test to Determine Completion of an Asbestos Abatement Project guidelines establish requirements for conducting post-abatement checks.
34

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Steps to Safe PCB Abatement Activities. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/caulk/guide/guide-sect4a.htm. Published 2012. Accessed 2011.
11.4.a

The EPA's Steps to Safe PCB Abatement Activities establishes PCB abatement procedures.
11.4.b

The EPA's Steps to Safe PCB Abatement Activities provides guidance on the handling, storage, and disposal of PCB waste.
36

U.S. Green Building Council. Pilot Credit 54: Avoidance of Chemicals of Concern. http://www.usgbc.org/node/2606894?return=/pilotcredits/Commercial-Interiors/v2009. Accessed September 15, 2014.
11.1.b

USGBC's LEED v4 Pilot Credit 54, v3 2009 requires that a minimum of 20%, by cost, of at least 3 building product and material types must not contain lead and lead compounds greater than 0.01% (100 ppm) as calculated by mass.
165

Ulirsch, GU, Gleason, K, Gerstenberger, S, Moffett, Pulliam, G, Ahmed, T, Fagliano, J. Evaluating and Regulating Lead in Synthetic Turf. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2010; 118(10): 1345-9. http://www.synturf.org/images/NIEHS-http___ehp03.niehs.nih.gov_article_fetchArticle.pdf. Accessed March 30, 2015.
11.6.c

The authors recommend an "interim standardized approach for sampling, interpreting results, and taking health-protective actions" for the assessment of lead in synthetic turf.
166

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA): Consumer Advice Related to CCA-Treated Wood. U.S. EPA website. http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/reregistration/cca/cca_consumer_doc.htm. Updated February 7, 2014. Accessed March 30, 2015.
11.6.b

The EPA notes that some studies suggest that the application of oil-based or semi-transparent stains "may reduce the migraton of wood preservative chemicals from CCA-treated wood."
167

Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Staff Recommendations for Identifying and Controlling Lead Paint on Public Playground Equipment. CPSC website. http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Lead/CPSC-Staff-Recommendations-for-Identifying-and-Co.... Published October 1, 1996. Accessed March 30, 2015.
11.6.a

The CPSC Staff Recommendations for Identifying and Controlling Lead Paint on Public Playground Equipment identifies potential lead poisoning hazards in some public playground equipment and provides recommendations for controlling such hazards.
Features>Air>11. Fundamental material safety