A system to establish limits for the emission of hazardous chemicals from products used in buildings and homes has been developed by the European Union-wide Lowest Concentration of Interest Working Group.
Cranfield University scientists, as members of the EU-LCI Working Group, have contributed to the development of the new procedure, intended to be adopted and applied across Europe. The system sets limits for the acceptable level of emissions of hazardous substances from building products for use by manufacturers and regulators.
Europe has a number of different programs to assess product emissions that affect indoor air quality, but these vary from country to country. The new method aims to provide a consistent European approach, including the basis of labeling products in the future to indicate the likely impact on a buildings’ air quality and any associated potential risks.
Belgium and Germany have already agreed to adopt these limits to protect their population against risks to health, according to the working group.
A UL study published earlier this month calls indoor air quality a “sleeper issue” in the US. It says a major cause of poor indoor air quality is the growing amount of chemicals in buildings, which can emanate from technology hardware, construction materials, furniture and furnishings, and cleaning products.
