September 21, 2005—A tough scientific standard that more effectively protects school children from exposure to high levels of potentially harmful chemicals has been developed by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) and is available for viewing at the GREENGUARD Web site.
The GREENGUARD Standard for Children & Schools sets criteria for manufacturers of building materials, furnishings, finishes and cleaning products to develop low-emitting products and materials for use in school buildings and daycare facilities.
Until now, none of the available product standards and protocols that ensure low emission levels of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) took into account children’s special needs, GREENGUARD says. These VOCs can trigger serious illnesses, including asthma in children.
The new standard takes the sensitive nature of school populations and the unique building characteristics and maintenance conditions found in schools into consideration and presents the most rigorous product emissions criteria to date. A typical school can have up to four times as many occupants as an office building for the same amount of floor space, leading to much greater occupant density.
Additionally, room size, ventilation rate requirements, and the amount of furnishings and building materials used per room are very different from those found in conventional offices. The GEI created the new standard as an extension of the established GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification Program, which certifies low emitting products for a variety of industries.
