Avoiding the Final Toxicant Dose

Description | Indicators | Scoring Criteria | Definitions | Issues

PROBLEM
At the end of their useful life, building materials that aren’t recycled are either burned in incinerators or deposited in landfills, where their contents leach into groundwater and air or decompose or burn in uncontrolled landfill fires – which can be the most polluting. Workers and nearby communities are exposed to toxic substances from this disposal process. Many of the substances that leach, off gas, or decompose from building materials or are released by combustion are known or suspected of being hazardous to human and animal health and have been associated with cancer, genetic mutation, reproductive or developmental harm, endocrine disruption and a large range of other chronic illnesses and acute hazards. Many more chemicals have not yet been adequately tested for toxicity. Of particular concern are persistent and bioaccumulative toxicants (PBTs) that remain in the environment without breaking down to safer compounds, travel long distances from their origin, and concentrate as they move up the food chain leading to high concentrations of concern in humans.

GOAL
Eliminate the use or creation of persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic, and/or untested substances that in disposal or fire may endanger the health of workers at disposal facilities and neighboring communities and environments.

IDEAL
All substances used in products and released from them in decomposition or combustion are tested to insure that they are green chemicals - not persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic. Optimal materials and products will avoid halogenated compounds and other toxicants and not release other hazardous substances as they decompose or combust at the end of life.

NOTES
This protocol is currently based primarily on a categorization of hazard lists developed by authoritative bodies that have associated substances with a variety of priority human and environmental health effects. A color scheme from black to green characterizes level of concern based on the warnings in these hazard lists. This list based assessment protocol has been developed in conjunction with the Green Screen for Safer Chemicals in collaboration with Clean Production Action (CPA www.cleanproduction.org).

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