Environmental Toxins & Materials

What do you think about when you hear the word environment?  Is it recycling your empty milk carton or Sunday's newspaper?  Is it the smog from the daily commute to work?  What about the paint you are scraping off your great aunt's armoire?  All these examples are part of the environment, yet it is so much more.  The environment is concurrently experienced in multiple scales every second.  At the same time, each scale directly impacts another.  As Bill Davenhall illustrates, the formula for life and good health are genetics, lifestyle, and environment.  However, we rarely consider the environment as a contributor to good health.  If we did, we would have it documented as one of the forms we fill out at the doctor's office.

If we break down Jack Lodd, MD's quote: "Geography is destiny in medicine," we could interpret it as "the environment is an essential factor of good health."  But how can we narrow that down since the environment has many scales?  Let us break it down.

On a larger scale, geographic information, including the locations and adjacent businesses, are a critical aspect of development.  Developments, especially parks, should not be near highways.  Multi-family, corporate, hospitality, and other real estate developments should consider nearby business processes as potential sources of pollutants.  Since people are spending 75% of their time indoors, appropriate and efficient ventilation is critical, not to mention the simple fact that walking outside to a car should not harm your health.

On a smaller scale, interior space should contribute to good health, especially since we are talking about the human scale, the areas people physically interact with daily.  However, the invisible pollutants like bacteria, mold, asbestos, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and carbon monoxide attack the human system without permission.

It is impossible to create zero energy, 100% sustainable building that is allergy-free.  There are too many allergens, too many conflicts among these three initiatives.  However, we must do our best as designers to meet as many criteria as possible and get our client's buy-in since it will more than likely cost more to produce such a building, even though this type of decision should not be about the bottom line.  It is about providing a healthy space for the people that use the area.

What can designers and facility managers do to create such a space?  Research.  Research proper ventilation strategies.  Require in-depth data sheets for all products—research manufacturing methods. 

The problem:  These strategies are currently in use (in various forms) across the country, especially when it comes to LEED and WELL, yet that is not enough.  Is the solution to provide stricter regulations at the LEED and WELL level?  No.  The answer is in pre-install.  The solution is in the product DNA and production.  Finding the solution at the source is the only way to create a healthier environment for better well-being.