Post by account_disabled on Mar 4, 2024 3:41:36 GMT -5
When purchasing a flooring product, what do you consider? You may think about the appearance of the product and its durability. The cost of using a material is influenced by the purchase cost of the product itself; the cost of installation, maintenance and the life of the product. All of these costs are implicit in the rent requested by the owner of a building. However, for a long time the human and environmental repercussions of product quality were not considered in the construction industry. What is the real cost of investing in toxic and environmentally unfriendly materials? We tell you.
Today, more professionals in the construction industry are paying attention to the content of the products they use and working to avoid toxic materials. Thus, in an effort to help protect building occupants and installers, they ask to look beyond the monetary cost.
According to the Green Biz article , potential chemical impacts during the use phase are important considerations to include in purchasing decisions. And these impacts must be weighed when deciding on the acquisition of materials.
Certainly, experts note that as the movement of safer materials matures, we must evolve to include a fuller and fairer consideration of chemical impacts and the true cost of materials. And in this way consider the impacts of the product throughout its life cycle; including extraction/refining, chemical manufacturing, product and end of life.
The saying, cheap is expensive, is true
Many costs associated with products are more or less hidden when choosing a building material. Below are some of these hidden costs:
Impacts of toxic chemicals on human health ; This includes direct Chile Mobile Number List medical expenses due to illnesses caused or aggravated by exposure to toxic materials, as well as indirect health-related costs; such as loss of productivity at work or school; and the decrease in economic productivity in terms of years of life lost. It also includes the immeasurable costs to quality of life and the loss of loved ones.
Environmental pollution costs: Pollution of the environment with toxic chemicals contributes to the human health impacts mentioned above. Additionally, the costs of environmental contamination can include reduced property values in and around contaminated areas, loss of income; and food production due to the contamination of farms; as well as the cost of water pollution cleanup activities by public services. Less quantifiable costs include damage to wildlife and ecosystems.
Climate change impacts: Chemical generation is often energy-intensive and fossil fuel-based. Most products contribute to climate change to some extent. Some contribute more than others due to energy use or the release of chemicals with high global warming potential. These greenhouse gas emissions exacerbate climate change, with increasingly high and recurring recovery costs. Climate change also magnifies the impacts of toxic materials, increasing costs to human and environmental health.
Environmental injustice ; Disproportionately, health impacts and associated costs throughout the life cycle of products fall on communities of color and low-income communities.
Impacts of toxic materials on human health
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that American workers alone suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths per year related to chemical exposure. These chemical exposures are linked to cancers, as well as other lung, kidney, heart, stomach, brain, and reproductive diseases.
While some workers may have increased exposure to hazardous chemicals, we are all affected. Many of you are likely familiar with PFAS, also known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS have been used in a wide range of applications, including stain repellent treatments for carpet and countertop sealants.
The widespread use of PFAS has caused extensive contamination of the planet and people. Increased research and attention to this group of chemicals has led to some quantitative understanding of the costs to society of their use.
According to, a recent publication in Environmental Science and Technology outlined some of the true costs of PFAS chemicals. The authors highlight: A recent analysis of the impacts of PFAS exposure in Europe identified annual direct healthcare expenditures between €52 and €84 billion. Importantly, they also say: These costs are not paid by the polluter, but by ordinary people, health care providers and taxpayers.
Another recent study estimated that the cost of American exposures to phthalates, chemicals used to make plastics more flexible, is about $40 billion or more due to lost economic activity from premature deaths. While more research is needed, the scale of these estimated costs is staggering.
And what about the costs of environmental pollution?
About two-thirds of the US population receives municipal drinking water that is contaminated with PFAS. Reducing PFAS levels in drinking water can be costly and neither method completely removes PFAS.
In fact, an Environmental Science and Technology study mentioned above, which following extensive contamination by a PFAS manufacturer in the Cape Fear River Basin, Brunswick County, North Carolina, is spending $167.3 million on a reverse osmosis plant and Cape Fear Public Utility. Orange County, California, estimates that the infrastructure needed to reduce PFAS levels in its drinking water to state-recommended levels will cost at least $1 billion. Again, these costs are generally not paid by the polluter, but rather are passed on to the public.
Impacts of climate change
As if that were not enough, the toxic materials used in the production of some PFAS deplete the ozone layer and potent greenhouse gases. New research published in September by Toxic-Free Future, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families and Mind the Store links the release of one of those chemicals, HCFC-22, to the production of PFAS used in food packaging. Reported emissions of this chemical from a single facility are equivalent to emissions from driving 125,000 passenger cars for one year.
The costs of the impacts of climate change are immense.
For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes how climate change contributes to the increase in the frequency of climate crises with impacts of billions of dollars.
The total cost of billion-dollar disasters over the past 5 years (2016-2020) exceeds $600 billion, with an average annual cost of $121.3 billion, both of which are new records.
toxic materials
Disasters and billion-dollar costs (1980-2020)
Environmental injustice
Communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by environmental pollutants. These communities often face dangerous releases from multiple sources due to high concentrations of manufacturing facilities near their homes. The area along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is known as "Cancer Alley" due to the concentration of industrial activity and the associated high risks of cancer. These are facilities that release or handle hazardous chemicals that require reporting to the EPA.
Geismar, Louisiana, is home to 18 TRI facilities. These facilities reported a total of more than 15 million pounds of on-site releases of hazardous chemicals to air, water, and land in 2019. Several of these facilities produce chemicals used in the construction products supply chain. Two facilities produce chlorine for the internal or external production of PVC, which can be used to make pipes, siding, windows, flooring and other construction products. Two other facilities manufacture a key ingredient in spray foam insulation, MDI.
Some of these facilities have a history of noncompliance with EPA regulations, one with significant violations for nine of the last 12 quarters and another with significant violations for the last 12 quarters. Surrounding communities are affected by regular toxic emissions from these facilities and are vulnerable to toxic chemical accidents. For example, a vinyl plant explosion and fire in 2012 released thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals, brought a community shelter back to order, and closed roads and a section of the Mississippi River.
Where do we go from here?
However, there is not enough information available to make detailed cost accounting possible in general; and there is no framework to account for and compare the full extent of product costs.
Transparency about what is in a product, how the product is made, and hazardous emissions, beyond those required by law, is essential. The responsibility extended to manufacturers to manage materials at the end of their useful life can be a starting point on the life cycle impacts of products; and can help manufacturers account for a wider range of costs, once they are better understood.
Finally, the Green Biz article points out that it seeks to go beyond discussions based solely on material costs or the initial costs of products; and work to recognize and shed light on the implications of using toxic materials within our society and in specific communities. Because the impacts of toxic materials are not only monetary, they also damage people's health and quality of life in multiple ways.
Today, more professionals in the construction industry are paying attention to the content of the products they use and working to avoid toxic materials. Thus, in an effort to help protect building occupants and installers, they ask to look beyond the monetary cost.
According to the Green Biz article , potential chemical impacts during the use phase are important considerations to include in purchasing decisions. And these impacts must be weighed when deciding on the acquisition of materials.
Certainly, experts note that as the movement of safer materials matures, we must evolve to include a fuller and fairer consideration of chemical impacts and the true cost of materials. And in this way consider the impacts of the product throughout its life cycle; including extraction/refining, chemical manufacturing, product and end of life.
The saying, cheap is expensive, is true
Many costs associated with products are more or less hidden when choosing a building material. Below are some of these hidden costs:
Impacts of toxic chemicals on human health ; This includes direct Chile Mobile Number List medical expenses due to illnesses caused or aggravated by exposure to toxic materials, as well as indirect health-related costs; such as loss of productivity at work or school; and the decrease in economic productivity in terms of years of life lost. It also includes the immeasurable costs to quality of life and the loss of loved ones.
Environmental pollution costs: Pollution of the environment with toxic chemicals contributes to the human health impacts mentioned above. Additionally, the costs of environmental contamination can include reduced property values in and around contaminated areas, loss of income; and food production due to the contamination of farms; as well as the cost of water pollution cleanup activities by public services. Less quantifiable costs include damage to wildlife and ecosystems.
Climate change impacts: Chemical generation is often energy-intensive and fossil fuel-based. Most products contribute to climate change to some extent. Some contribute more than others due to energy use or the release of chemicals with high global warming potential. These greenhouse gas emissions exacerbate climate change, with increasingly high and recurring recovery costs. Climate change also magnifies the impacts of toxic materials, increasing costs to human and environmental health.
Environmental injustice ; Disproportionately, health impacts and associated costs throughout the life cycle of products fall on communities of color and low-income communities.
Impacts of toxic materials on human health
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that American workers alone suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths per year related to chemical exposure. These chemical exposures are linked to cancers, as well as other lung, kidney, heart, stomach, brain, and reproductive diseases.
While some workers may have increased exposure to hazardous chemicals, we are all affected. Many of you are likely familiar with PFAS, also known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS have been used in a wide range of applications, including stain repellent treatments for carpet and countertop sealants.
The widespread use of PFAS has caused extensive contamination of the planet and people. Increased research and attention to this group of chemicals has led to some quantitative understanding of the costs to society of their use.
According to, a recent publication in Environmental Science and Technology outlined some of the true costs of PFAS chemicals. The authors highlight: A recent analysis of the impacts of PFAS exposure in Europe identified annual direct healthcare expenditures between €52 and €84 billion. Importantly, they also say: These costs are not paid by the polluter, but by ordinary people, health care providers and taxpayers.
Another recent study estimated that the cost of American exposures to phthalates, chemicals used to make plastics more flexible, is about $40 billion or more due to lost economic activity from premature deaths. While more research is needed, the scale of these estimated costs is staggering.
And what about the costs of environmental pollution?
About two-thirds of the US population receives municipal drinking water that is contaminated with PFAS. Reducing PFAS levels in drinking water can be costly and neither method completely removes PFAS.
In fact, an Environmental Science and Technology study mentioned above, which following extensive contamination by a PFAS manufacturer in the Cape Fear River Basin, Brunswick County, North Carolina, is spending $167.3 million on a reverse osmosis plant and Cape Fear Public Utility. Orange County, California, estimates that the infrastructure needed to reduce PFAS levels in its drinking water to state-recommended levels will cost at least $1 billion. Again, these costs are generally not paid by the polluter, but rather are passed on to the public.
Impacts of climate change
As if that were not enough, the toxic materials used in the production of some PFAS deplete the ozone layer and potent greenhouse gases. New research published in September by Toxic-Free Future, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families and Mind the Store links the release of one of those chemicals, HCFC-22, to the production of PFAS used in food packaging. Reported emissions of this chemical from a single facility are equivalent to emissions from driving 125,000 passenger cars for one year.
The costs of the impacts of climate change are immense.
For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes how climate change contributes to the increase in the frequency of climate crises with impacts of billions of dollars.
The total cost of billion-dollar disasters over the past 5 years (2016-2020) exceeds $600 billion, with an average annual cost of $121.3 billion, both of which are new records.
toxic materials
Disasters and billion-dollar costs (1980-2020)
Environmental injustice
Communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by environmental pollutants. These communities often face dangerous releases from multiple sources due to high concentrations of manufacturing facilities near their homes. The area along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is known as "Cancer Alley" due to the concentration of industrial activity and the associated high risks of cancer. These are facilities that release or handle hazardous chemicals that require reporting to the EPA.
Geismar, Louisiana, is home to 18 TRI facilities. These facilities reported a total of more than 15 million pounds of on-site releases of hazardous chemicals to air, water, and land in 2019. Several of these facilities produce chemicals used in the construction products supply chain. Two facilities produce chlorine for the internal or external production of PVC, which can be used to make pipes, siding, windows, flooring and other construction products. Two other facilities manufacture a key ingredient in spray foam insulation, MDI.
Some of these facilities have a history of noncompliance with EPA regulations, one with significant violations for nine of the last 12 quarters and another with significant violations for the last 12 quarters. Surrounding communities are affected by regular toxic emissions from these facilities and are vulnerable to toxic chemical accidents. For example, a vinyl plant explosion and fire in 2012 released thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals, brought a community shelter back to order, and closed roads and a section of the Mississippi River.
Where do we go from here?
However, there is not enough information available to make detailed cost accounting possible in general; and there is no framework to account for and compare the full extent of product costs.
Transparency about what is in a product, how the product is made, and hazardous emissions, beyond those required by law, is essential. The responsibility extended to manufacturers to manage materials at the end of their useful life can be a starting point on the life cycle impacts of products; and can help manufacturers account for a wider range of costs, once they are better understood.
Finally, the Green Biz article points out that it seeks to go beyond discussions based solely on material costs or the initial costs of products; and work to recognize and shed light on the implications of using toxic materials within our society and in specific communities. Because the impacts of toxic materials are not only monetary, they also damage people's health and quality of life in multiple ways.