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Miljøvurdering af kemiske stoffer i byggevarer
The building sector uses numerous products (several thousands) many of which contain
chemicals, some have harmful effects on human and environmental health. Due to the limited
access of data the impacts of chemicals can be overlooked, e.g. in eco-profiles of
building elements. The reason is lack of product-specific emissions by manufacturing
chemical products, e.g. waterproofing systems and sealants. Besides, most LCA models do
not include assessment of emissions in working environment, indoor climate or from
disposal processes.
This project aims to adapt an existing method for assessing chemicals and test it on
selected construction products. The method should use easily available data, e.g. produced
in environmental declarations of construction products, and include the whole life cycle
of the materials. However, this project will focus on important life cycle phases, indoor
climate and disposal.
The project gives an overview of simple existing methods and discusses their
suitability for assessing chemicals in construction products. One method is adapted and
then tested on waterproofing systems. Waterproofing systems are recommended for different
types of bathrooms, and many products are available some containing dangerous substances.
An assessment of chemicals together with eco-profiles of building elements can supplement
technical information already available for the different types of bathrooms.
Today several simple methods for assessing chemicals exist, but in this project the
stipulated requirements to the method were:
 | To use easily available data |
 | To consider the application of the product |
 | Assessments should be easy to make |
 | Results can be communicated combined with an eco-profile of a building element. |
In general chemicals can be assessed in different ways:
 | Indicating the occurrence of substances on various lists of harmful substances (i.e.
lists of substances, the use of which should be restricted due to their hazardous
properties, persistence or other properties). |
 | Indicating the amount of substances in specific hazard categories, e.g. undesirable,
problematic and non-problematic. |
 | Score methods. |
Listing of chemicals use the same order of priorities as the authorities and include
all information about the chemicals, but it may be difficult to get an overview of
chemicals in building elements or buildings. In Denmark the environmental authorities use
three lists, list of undesirable substances, list of effects and list of dangerous
substances (available at www.mst.dk).
The amount of specific hazardous categories, (e.g. type 1, 2 and 3 or unwanted,
problematic or non-problematic) can be used as indicators of potential impacts from
chemicals. The methods give results for building elements or buildings that are easy to
communicate, but some detailed information is lost. All substances in the same category
contribute equally, and special properties of some substances are not considered.
The project uses two score methods, EURAM (European Risk Ranking Method) and EDIP
screening method (Environmental Design of Industrial Products), both using a
score for exposure and effect, and then multiply the scores.
EURAM was used to rank high production volume chemicals, which afterwards went through
a risk assessment. The principles for calculating scores according to EURAM were adapted
to construction products.
Score for exposure in the indoor climate was calculated from the amount of substance
used, as emissions from construction products cannot be calculated from the properties of
the substances (vapour pressure/boiling point, octanol-water partition coefficient). The
effect score was based on odour detection limit. According to EURAM the score for human
health was based on the classification of hazardous substances (Risk phrases).
Score for exposure from disposal of products was calculated from the amount of
substance used and some properties (vapour pressure/boiling point, octanol-water partition
coefficient, and biodegradation). The effect score was based on the aquatic toxicity (LC50)
for water organisms as in EURAM.
The EDIP method based the score for exposure on qualitative criteria (expected
emission, biodegradability and accumulation potential), and score for effect was based on
the classification of chemicals (Risk phrases).
Score methods give figures for the impacts from chemicals but it is important to give
an overview of parameters and how the scale for these parameters are defined, see table 3.
Table 3.
Score method parameters.
|
Human health |
Environmental health |
|
Exposure |
Effect |
Exposure |
Effect |
EDIP screening method |
Assessment of exposure and assessment
based on Risk phrases
(R53, R58) |
Scales 1, 2, 4 based on Risk phrases |
Assessment of exposure and assessment
based on Risk phases
(R53, R58) |
Scales 1, 2, 4 based on Risk phrases |
EURAM |
Amount used etc. |
Ranking based on Risk phrases |
Amount used etc. |
Calculated from LC50 for water
organisms |
EURAM
modifications, (see chapter 4) |
Amount |
Score based on odour limit value |
Amount used etc. |
Calculated from LC50 for water
organisms |
Score methods were developed to assess complex problems with many parameters in a
standardized way that gives easily understandable results useful for documentation of
buildings when comparing alternatives. Often the comparison is made on a subjective basis
with no documentation of which parameters have been included.
The disadvantages are that detailed information is lost, but it may be possible to get
background information about the included parameters and the scales used.
There have been many problems with waterproofing of bathrooms, and consequently several
types have been developed and some have recommended use of waterproofing systems. The
systems consist of a primer and a membrane. Information about waterproofing systems has
been collected from product information sheets and safety sheets. Some primers contain
organic solvents and one contains chlorinated paraffins, but the safety sheets give
information only about dangerous substances above a specific level, and it has not been
possible to get complete compositions of primers and membranes. In addition, the safety
sheets only provide information about chemicals in a product, but chemicals in
two-component products may react and therefore pose no risk of impacts in the indoor
climate and the disposal processes.
The mentioned score methods assess chemicals in two waterproofing systems, one with a
two-component epoxy primer and one with an acrylate primer, both with an acrylate
membrane. The two-component primer contains several dangerous substances, and the acrylate
primer contains some organic solvents.
Indoor climate
Modifications of EURAM show that it is difficult to use the method due to lack of data
on emissions and odour detection limits. Therefore the exposure score is based on the
amount of chemicals used and default values for the odour detection limits, but for
two-component primers the results did not provide a good indicator for impacts from
chemicals as default values are used for nearly all the components.
Disposal
The results from the adapted EURAM show that it is possible to
make an assessment of the chemicals in products, but for two-component products the
chemicals may have reacted to other substances.
Today eco-profiles do not include all important potential impacts from chemicals
because environmental data for chemicals are incomplete. Furthermore, LCA models most
often do not include life cycle phases where chemicals may impact, e.g. indoor climate and
disposal. Therefore, it is necessary to develop other assessment methods for chemicals.
From the application of different methods it can be emphasized that very simple methods
should be used so long as life cycle assessments do not include impacts in the indoor
climate and from disposal due to lack of data and models. At present it may be possible
instead to list substances or to indicate the amount of specific categories of substances.
However, efforts to obtain more data on chemicals and to develop generally accepted score
methods should be intensified.
Experts on human health and the working environment have criticized the methods for
being too simple for assessing impacts in the working environment and indoor climate.
Detailed information about the amount and type of chemicals in products is necessary for
the assessment of impacts in the working environment. For the indoor climate the labelling
of more products should be intensified, and the results from the labelling should be
utilized the LCA.

Figure 1.
The figure shows the possibilities for selection of methods. The method calculating
the amount of hazard categories is recommended, so long as there is a lack of data and
models for the different phases in life cycle assessments.
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