Enhanced material safety

BACKGROUND

Some of the chemicals used in building materials have not been fully evaluated for safety and may carry potential health risks. Off-gassing from such materials can contribute to SBS (sick building syndrome) and associated respiratory, neurotoxic and dermatologic symptoms. A precautionary approach—taking reasonable steps to minimize risks and avoid hazards—suggests substituting potentially dangerous materials with safe ones when possible. Various voluntary programs in the market allow suppliers that have carefully screened the composition of their products and avoided potentially harmful substances to be recognized for their achievements.

Cardiovascular

Respiratory

Endocrine

Immune

Integumentary

Muscular

Digestive

Nervous

Part 1
Precautionary Material Selection

VERIFICATION

At least 25% of products by cost (including furnishings, built-in furniture, all interior finishes and finish materials) meet one or more of the following requirements:

a.¹³

Have a Declare: Living Building Challenge Red List Free, Declare: Living Building Challenge Compliant, or Living Product Challenge label.

b.¹

Have a Cradle to Cradle™ Material Health Certified with a V2 Gold or Platinum or V3 Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Material Health Score.

c.¹

Have no GreenScreen® Benchmark 1, List Translator 1 or List Translator Possible 1 substances over 1,000 ppm, as verified by a qualified Ph.D. toxicologist or Certified Industrial Hygienist.

Letter of Assurance
Architect Contractor Owner

	Core & Shell	New & Existing Buildings	New & Existing Interiors
Part 1: Precautionary Material Selection	-	O	O

	Commercial Kitchen	Education	Multifamily Residential	Restaurant	Retail
Part 1: Precautionary Material Selection	O	O	O	O	O

Verification Methods Matrix

	Letters of Assurance	Annotated Documents	On-Site Assessment
Part 1: Precautionary Material Selection	Architect, Contractor, Owner

Standard Citations

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.
26.1.d	USGBC's LEED v4 MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Material Ingredients, Option 3 allows projects to combine allowed programs in meeting the 25% threshold.
26.1.b	USGBC's LEED v4 MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Material Ingredients allows Cradle to Cradle v2 Gold or Platinum or v3 Silver, Gold or Platinum as one way to achieve Option 2.
26.1.c	USGBC's LEED v4 MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Material Ingredients allows GreenScreen v1.2 Benchmark as one way to achieve Option 2.

13

**International Living Future Institute. Living Building Challenge 3.0. Seattle; 2014: 38, 43-49, 60.**
26.1.a	The International Living Future Institute's Living Building Challenge 3.0 Imperatives 10 and 12 require independently verified declarations of products.

This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Enhanced material safety

Enhanced material safety

BACKGROUND

Part 1 Precautionary Material Selection

Applicability Matrix

Verification Methods Matrix

Standard Citations

Part 1
Precautionary Material Selection