June 6, 2007—GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), an independent non-profit that develops standards and certification programs for indoor air, has launched a communication campaign to inform the public on the microbial or mold resistance of building products and materials.
As summer approaches and the heat forces Americans inside to the comforts of air conditioning and climate control, some buildings will also become fertile ground for the growth of mold, says GEI. Mold growth on building products and materials harms indoor air, potentially causing a range of health symptoms ranging from allergy-like problems to respiratory ailments.
GEI is announcing a new program of listing products on its Web site that have been tested and met requirements to resist mold growth.
Using a standardized laboratory method, the resistance of a material to support the growth of environmental mold is measured and reported. A material found to be resistant to mold growth can be listed on the GEI website. This approach was developed and refined through a 21-month pilot study sponsored by GEI and conducted by Air Quality Sciences jointly with participating manufacturers. The test method was found to be reliable and reproducible across a wide variety of building materials.
