CO2 in the Air – Why is My Air Stale and Stuffy? Carbon Dioxide and Its Relation to Your Interior Air Quality. CO2 in the Air. Why is my air “Stale?” Many of my clients often complain of either specific symptoms, general malaise, or “just not feeling right” when in a building they spend a

Asthma and Buildings – California and US Trends in Asthma Buildings are too often neglected in the asthma equation. Asthma is sometimes defined as a symptom of poor indoor air quality, and other times defined as a Building Related Illness. This blog references the recently released report, “Asthma in California: A Surveillance Report,” compiled by

No one rating system can isolate every possible environmental angle, and the International Institute of Building Biology founders were certainly most interested in human health, but it is hard to imagine a more comprehensive healthy building checklist than what’s provided in the Building Biology 25 Principles. It is quite difficult to incorporate every principle into

Recently appeared in the NorthBay Biz Journal, GreenScene by Alex Stadtner A battle has been raging in the design-build community for decades. Much is at stake, yet few are paying attention. Here’s the blow-by-blow from a battle that affects everyone. Ringside. Energy Efficient versus Healthy Building. A hush before the bell rings… When “green building” is mentioned

Air Quality Results from Green Festival San Francisco We’ve been swamped so the release of the air quality results from Green Festival San Francisco has taken longer than expected. Hopefully those who were at the Green Festival are still curious! I don’t have enough time to provide too much commentary or interpretation of the results…

Toxic Building Materials in Residential Construction A reporter from Angie’s List Magazine just asked for my opinion on toxic building materials in residential construction… and while writing my response I realized there was some valuable information to share. Hopefully Angie’s List Magazine will decide to run the piece. Here is my response to some great

Safer Foam Insulation Flame Retardants Doing More Harm than Good? Safer foam insulation is on its way to becoming a reality in the US construction industry. Momentum for eliminating unnecessary flame retardants from buildings is growing exponentially. The fire safety benefit isn’t adding up to the known hazards associated with halogenated flame retardants. Leading the

Tips for Building Healthy Home – Part 1: Minimize VOCs Minimize Exposure to Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is one of the most common industrial chemicals and is widely used as a component of building products, upholstery, carpeting, etc. and classified as a human carcinogen. Formaldehyde’s other health impacts include respiratory problems; eye, nose, and throat irritation; allergic

Flame retardants creeping you out… For years a small (but growing) group of concerned scientists, designers, and public health advocates have been warning about the dangers of flame retardants. It may seem counterintuitive that flame retardants – intended to reduce risk of harm from fire – could be harmful themselves. However, according to many of

Toxins in Household Goods are the current norm. With the growing buzz concerning toxins in building materials and a push for more transparency, where can consumers turn? The answer:  Not enough places. Several factors contribute to this lack of information on toxins in household goods. One lies in the sheer number of ingredients involved. Significant