June 25, 2007—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, says the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI).
The industry independent non-profit has launched a communication campaign to inform the public on the microbial or mold resistance of building products and materials.
GEI is announcing a new program of listing products on its Web site that have been tested and met requirements to resist mold growth.
GREENGUARD’s Microbial Resistance Listing Program is based on ASTM D 6329-98 (2003), “Standard Guide for Developing Methodology for Evaluating the Ability of Indoor Materials to Support Microbial Growth Using Static Environmental Chambers,” a guide developed on research by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
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 (www.aqs.com) jointly with participating manufacturers.
Already manufacturers from several different industries have had their products tested and deemed resistant to microbial growth and mold. Among those companies whose products were determined to be resistant to mold are Armacell, LLC, DesignTex, Inc., Freudenberg Nonwovens (Viledon), Lonseal, Mapei, Inc., Thermafiber, and W.F. Taylor.
