May 2, 2007—A technical advisory committee for the US Green Building Council released a report that does not recommend imposing restrictions on the use of PVC in buildings seeking LEED certification until there is more research on the subject.
The Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee recently published the report that states PVC – also known as vinyl – did not perform better or worse overall than alternative materials with regard to its impact on the environment or human health in commercial building applications.
There has been concern in the environmental community that PVC had some potential environmental and human health impacts that were problematic,” says Malcolm Lewis, chairman of TSAC. “The bottom line is that there’s no simple yes or no answer.”
The committee began studying PVC in 2002 after concerns arose regarding the effects of PVC on the environment and human health. USGBC members serving on the LEED for Commercial Interiors Development Committee proposed giving builders a credit for not using the material.
TSAC conducted life cycle assessments and risk analyses to determine whether, for the building applications studied, vinyl was consistently among the worst materials in terms of environmental and health impacts. More than 2,000 documents providing information about PVC from stakeholders and independent sources were also considered.
The LEED steering committee plans to review the report and its recommendations before making any policy changes or revising the USGBC’s rating system. For more information, see the Web site.
