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AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUMMIT - COPY OF AH MATERIALS LIST

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2025 AH Summit - Updates from the Shift to Safer Materials (2)

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2025 AH Summit - Updates from the Shift to Safer Materials (1)

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2025 AH Summit - Updates from the Shift to Safer Materials

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUMMIT - COPY OF AH MATERIALS LIST

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Declare - International Living Future Institute

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Build your knowledge of healthier products by digging into our research, translated into easy to understand guidance.

The intuitive red-to-green color ranking compiles decades of comprehensive research about the health impacts of chemicals on building occupants, fenceline communities, and workers throughout the product life cycle.

Step up from red - a critical first move. Next, prefer product types ranked yellow and green.

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Build your knowledge of healthier products by digging into our research, translated into easy to understand guidance. The intuitive red-to-green color ranking compiles decades of comprehensive research about the health impacts of chemicals on building occupants, fenceline communities, and workers throughout the product life cycle. Step up from red - a critical first move.

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Build your knowledge of healthier products by digging into our research, translated into easy to understand guidance.

The intuitive red-to-green color ranking compiles decades of comprehensive research about the health impacts of chemicals on building occupants, fenceline communities, and workers throughout the product life cycle.

Step up from red - a critical first move. Next, prefer product types ranked yellow and green.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Build your knowledge of healthier products by digging into our research, translated into easy to understand guidance. The intuitive red-to-green color ranking compiles decades of comprehensive research about the health impacts of chemicals on building occupants, fenceline communities, and workers throughout the product life cycle. Step up from red - a critical first move.

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When choosing flooring materials:

This guidance encompasses a wide variety of flooring options, including resilient, ceramic tile, wood, and carpet. It excludes adhesives which may be required to install the products. Refer to the Flooring Installation Product Guidance for information on adhesives and other installation methods.

Hazardous chemicals are common in various flooring products and can be released from products, exposing installers and residents.[1] Of particular concern is the impact on children who are more vulnerable due to their size and developing bodies.[2]

The production of flooring materials can also have significant impacts on nearby communities and the broader environment through the release of hazardous chemicals. These impacts can occur at the facilities that make the flooring products as well as those farther back in the supply chain. For example, many flooring materials are made using plastic or other petroleum-derived materials. Oil and gas extraction and processing have significant impacts on surrounding communities.[3]

Many flooring materials are manufactured with a protective topcoat, a standard practice in the industry. These topcoats are typically polyurethane or epoxy-based resin hardened with aluminum oxide and exposure to ultraviolet light.[4] The primary health concern stemming from these coatings is for workers who could be exposed to the coating while it is wet in the factory. However, some products include nanomaterials in topcoats, and these may be a concern for residents as well. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has raised concern that "substantial" amounts of nanomaterials in topcoats may be released via repeated mechanical forces such as walking on, mopping, and polishing floors. The federal agency is concerned that, "such release of the nanosize material is potentially harmful to the occupants, particularly children who typically experience greater exposure to substances deposited at floor level."[5] More research is needed on the health and environmental impacts of nanoparticles and how often they are being used in flooring products. Nanomaterials that may be used in topcoats include nano-sized aluminum oxide, silica, or silver nanoparticles.[6] More on silver nanoparticles below.

Given the widespread presence of topcoats in resilient and wood flooring, topcoats are a high priority for green chemistry solutions.

Here is some general guidance to use when choosing flooring materials:

Prefer non-vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring has many life cycle concerns and also can contain many additives of concern. If possible, avoid products that contain vinyl. Note that vinyl is present in some unexpected product types: wood plastic composite commonly contains vinyl and cork click tiles may as well. If you use vinyl flooring or carpet with vinyl backing, make sure it is free of phthalate plasticizers, a class of chemicals that carry multiple health concerns,[7] which can migrate from products and expose residents, including young children.

Avoid fluorinated (PFAS-based) stain or oil repellents. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals that are a high priority to avoid because they can be toxic, persist in the environment, and build up in body tissues.[8]

PFAS are commonly used in stain-repellent treatments for carpets. Many new carpets are available without these stain repellents.

PFAS are often found in certain accessory products used with polished concrete or ceramic tile, like sealers, coatings, and densifiers. Minimize accessory products, preferring simple materials like densifiers. Always check with manufacturers to verify that PFAS are not present because even products with simple formulations may contain them.

Some resilient flooring may also include PFAS in finishes. Avoid resilient flooring products that advertise stain repellent treatments unless manufacturers can verify that they are free of PFAS.

Check the type and source of recycled content. Recycled content can add significant hazards to products if sourcing is unknown and screening is not performed. In particular, you should avoid fly ash in carpet backings, crumb rubber in rubber flooring, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in ceramic tile, and post-consumer recycled vinyl. See below for more information and resources. You can use this information request template to ask manufacturers about the origins and screening processes for recycled content.

Avoid products marketed as antimicrobial and claiming or implying a health benefit. Some antimicrobials may be necessary as preservatives, but these merely protect the product from degradation and do not provide a health benefit. Products marketed as being "antimicrobial" and having a health benefit may contain additional antimicrobials beyond those needed for preservation, and these products have not been shown to provide any actual health benefit. Worse, the added antimicrobials can migrate out of the products and end up in the dust of interior spaces where people can become exposed. Of particular concern are antimicrobials based on silver nanoparticles (nano-silver). These ultra-small particles are not well understood, and are able to pass through the walls of cells in the body. For more information on antimicrobials, read our blog post, the full report, Healthy Environments: Understanding Antimicrobial Ingredients in Building Materials, or our updated statement about antimicrobials in products and COVID-19. Consider signing on to the Joint Statement on Antimicrobials in Building Products and diving deeper by watching this webinar, Navigating the Demand for Antimicrobials in Building Products.

Prefer products with a CDPH emission certification, but don't rely on this information alone. Ask for products certified to the most protective, residential scenario.[9] Many green building programs and certifications have requirements for emission testing of flooring products. These are typically based on the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method for Testing and Evaluation of VOC Emissions. Requiring CDPH emission testing may help weed out some of the worst actors in terms of VOC emissions from floors, but it is important to keep in mind that this testing only covers a small number of volatile chemicals (the standard imposes limits on only 35 specific VOCs). Many other volatile, semi-volatile, or nonvolatile hazardous chemicals may still be found in products certified to this standard. Use the other general guidance above and the red-to-green ranking below to help avoid other chemicals of concern in flooring products.

Linoleum sheet or tile is a very good option for flooring to avoid toxic substances. Excluding the topcoat, it's typically made from bio-based and low hazard ingredients - see the Read More section above for more information on topcoats.

Be aware that some linoleum flooring has optional layers for acoustic insulation or floating floor installation which can add additional hazards. Floating floors do, however, avoid the use of a potentially hazardous adhesive, so they are still a preferred flooring option. See the Flooring Installation Product Guidance for more information.

Watch out for fluid-applied products like "liquid linoleum," which are not included in this green ranking. While somewhat similar in content to standard linoleum, the fluid-applied products include a significant portion of asthmagenic isocyanates. Isocyanates are derived from fossil fuels and react when the floor is installed to create a plastic product.

Ceramic tiles can be relatively low-impact materials for a flooring (or wall) installation, but you need to watch out for added lead. Lead can come from two places in ceramic or porcelain: either intentionally added to the glaze or from certain types of recycled content that end up in the glaze or the tile body itself.

While some manufacturers have phased out toxic lead compounds from ceramic tile glazes, others may continue to use them. Tiles made in the USA are typically free of lead compounds in their glazes. Look for tile product literature that identifies where they've been made, and what they are made of, including frits, glazes, and pigments. Unglazed tiles are most preferred.

Avoid tiles with non-specific post-consumer recycled content. These contents may be old cathode ray tubes (CRTs) from TV sets and computer monitors. They contain high concentrations of lead. Tiles with CRT content are sometimes called CRT tiles.

Ceramic or porcelain tiles that have no lead from tile glazes or from recycled content are ranked light green for flooring.

Accessories used with ceramic tiles can also introduce chemicals of concern. Avoid using epoxy grouts and avoid sealers that contain "forever chemicals" (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)) - these sealers are typically advertised as "oil-repelling."

Homogeneous cork floors are a relatively low hazard flooring option made up of natural cork granules, a binder, and a finish. The binders are commonly based on isocyanates, which are asthmagens. This is primarily a concern during manufacturing.

Cork floating floors can have additional hazards. Floating floors do, however, avoid the use of a potentially hazardous adhesive, so are still a preferred flooring option. See the Flooring Installation Product Guidance for more information.

Prefer products that are pre-finished in the factory and don't require additional on-site finishing. Be aware that some cork flooring products can include a layer of PVC (vinyl) or a decorative layer that includes PVC or a similar material. Avoid these products (see the sections on vinyl flooring below).

Cork veneer products can contain additional components and are not included in this ranking.

Many PVC-free resilient flooring options are available. They may also be called non-vinyl polymeric composite flooring. This category covers PVC-free resilient flooring that isn't linoleum, rubber, polyurethane, or cork flooring. These products can vary in the type of binder used including polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyester, and acrylics or some combination of these. Different binders pose different concerns in terms of potentially hazardous residual catalysts or monomers in the finished product and in terms of life cycle impacts. However, these binders are typically preferable to polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride.

PVC-free resilient flooring can be homogeneous (the same composition throughout) or heterogeneous (with layers of different composition within the flooring). Homogeneous PVC-free resilient floors are commonly made of a binder, filler, colorants, and additional additives as well as a protective finish. Heterogeneous floors have multiple layers and may include a printed layer which may contain dyes and paper or a polymer film. Others may have additional layers such as a fiberglass layer within the floor and/or a backing material. Additional layers may add additional hazards.

Some products contain pre-consumer recycled content, likely from the limestone filler, which is sometimes designated as recycled content. Some may contain biobased content, typically at a low percentage of the overall product, less than 2%.

Most of these products do not require additional waxing or polishing but some do; check specific product information. Accessory materials can add additional hazards.

Engineered wood or bamboo flooring is a lesser option than solid wood because it requires the use of a binder and other adhesive ingredients that add chemical impacts throughout the product life cycle; however, these can still be preferable options in terms of chemical exposure during installation and use if purchased pre-finished.

Formaldehyde-based binders commonly used in engineered wood and bamboo floors can emit small quantities of formaldehyde (a carcinogen and asthmagen) over time. Prefer floors made with an NAF (no added formaldehyde) binder. See our Composite Wood Product Guidance for a further ranking of composite wood products.

When possible, prefer a product that does not require an adhesive for installation.

Laminate floors are a type of engineered floor made by layering a sheet of decorative paper infused with a binder over a plank of composite wood. The pattern on the paper is usually intended to resemble the grain of a wood floor. Like other engineered floors, care should be taken to find products with an NAF (no added formaldehyde) binder, and that do not require adhesives for installation. Note that unlike solid wood floors or other engineered floors, laminates cannot be sanded or refinished. It is also worth noting that laminate flooring manufacturing has had supply chain quality control issues leading to some imported products with formaldehyde emissions well above regulatory limits.[11] Prefer products made in the US.

Carpeting is variable and can be made in many combinations of backings, face fibers, and surface treatments. Carpet with this color ranking does not contain the chemicals and chemical classes that are the highest priority to avoid: fly ash, vinyl and polyurethane backings, and PFAS.

Vinyl and polyurethane backings have significant life cycle concerns and can contain hazardous additives. Alternative backings like polyolefin are less hazardous and more readily recyclable at the end of the product's life.

Fly ash is commonly used as a filler in carpet tile backing, and it contains heavy metal contaminants. Alternative fillers include calcium carbonate and ground, recycled post-consumer container glass which are becoming more common and don't contain toxic substances.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly used in stain-repellent treatments for carpet fibers, are a high priority to avoid. Alternative treatments are available and appear to be better from a health standpoint, but greater transparency about their chemical identities and hazards is still needed.

Additional chemicals of concern that may be found in carpet include antimicrobials and flame retardants. Carpet is also the flooring product type with the shortest service life, meaning it will need to be replaced more frequently, compounding the life cycle impacts.

Quick tips for vetting carpet products:

Broadloom carpet does not typically contain fly ash.[12]

See PFAS Central, a project of Green Science Policy, for a list of carpet manufacturers and retailers with PFAS-free policies.

The San Francisco Department of the Environment carpet list can be a starting point.[13]

For more information on carpet content and carpet recycling, see the full report here: Eliminating Toxics in Carpet: Lessons for the Future of Recycling.

Polyurethane resilient flooring is similar to PVC-free resilient flooring in terms of composition but is based on isocyanate chemistry and has greater life cycle concerns than many other polymers. Isocyanates are asthmagens and are primarily a concern during manufacturing of PU flooring. Polyurethane resilient flooring commonly has bio-based inputs (vegetable oils) accounting for around 29% of the product.[14] These floors are ranked orange because there are more hazardous chemicals associated with their life cycle than other PVC-free resilient flooring, but they are still preferred over vinyl.

Because of the toxic processes required to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), commonly known as vinyl, and the toxic pollution created when it is disposed of, vinyl floors of any kind are not a preferable material. However, in the instance where vinyl is used, vinyl that has been reformulated to be free of hazardous phthalate plasticizers and doesn't contain toxic or unnamed recycled content should be preferred. Stain repellent treatments are most often associated with carpet, but some vinyl floors may be treated with them as well.[15] Avoid these whenever using vinyl flooring to avoid PFAS chemicals.

For more information on PVC see this report.

Rubber sheet or tile flooring made with crumb rubber is not a healthy option. Crumb rubber (also referred to as post-consumer recycled content in this type of product) is sourced from recycled tire scrap and can include significant additional hazards. Much research has been done considering the presence of hazardous chemicals in crumb rubber. These chemicals include phthalates, heavy metals, processing oils, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other additives. Many of these chemicals are carcinogens, mutagens, and/or reproductive and developmental toxicants.[19] In addition, high rates of offgassing of volatile chemicals have been measured from floors containing recycled tires.[20]

Avoid using rubber or rubber cork floors made with crumb rubber. Never use products designated for exterior or interior-exterior applications inside a building.

For more information read our 2013 report.

Carpeting is variable and can be made in many combinations of backings, face fibers, and surface treatments. Materials of concern in carpets include:

Coal fly ash used as filler in some carpet backings. Fly ash is a waste product from the combustion of coal and can be contaminated with mercury (a PBT developmental and reproductive toxicant) and other metals present in the coal itself.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) used as stain-repellent treatments. Health hazard information is not available for all the chemicals within this large group, but PFAS as a class have been identified as chemicals of concern because many have been found to be highly toxic, persist in the environment, and build up in body tissues.[21]

Vinyl and polyurethane backings. Because of significant life cycle concerns, vinyl and polyurethane are not preferred materials. Polyurethane is based on isocyanate chemistry. Isocyanates are a leading cause of workplace asthma,[22] so they present a concern during manufacturing, and residuals may be present in the final product. Vinyl and polyurethane backings commonly contain hazardous organotin catalysts, and vinyl backings may be plasticized with hazardous phthalates.

Carpets containing all these substances of concern are rated red - those that avoid them all are rated orange, see above.

For more information on carpet content and carpet recycling, see the full report here, Eliminating Toxics in Carpet: Lessons for the Future of Recycling.

Because of the toxic materials required to make vinyl and the toxic pollution created when it is disposed of, vinyl floors of any kind are not a preferable material.

Vinyl floors, whether sheet, tile, or plank, made in the conventional way, are a poor choice for a flooring material. Hazardous phthalate plasticizers, and stabilizers based on organotins which can be reproductive toxicants, present hazards to occupants when they leach out of the floors and into the living space.

In addition, the inclusion of recycled vinyl in new products is a major pathway for the introduction of hazardous materials. Because vinyl products of all kinds may be recycled together, hazardous lead, arsenic, PCBs, and plasticizers can be found in post-consumer recycled vinyl.

For more information on vinyl see this report. For more information on the hazards of post-consumer recycled vinyl, see this report.

Last updated: April 22, 2024

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When choosing flooring materials: This guidance encompasses a wide variety of flooring options, including resilient, ceramic tile, wood, and carpet. It excludes adhesives which may be required to install the products. Refer to the Flooring Installation Product Guidance for information on adhesives and other installation methods.

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Certified products - Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

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The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is a non-profit organization created to bring about a large scale transformation in the way we make the things we make

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What are Living Building Challenge (LBC) requirements for HPDs?

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The HPD is a flexible format that allows manufacturers to self-disclose more or less information about their products. Publicly disclosed HPDs compliant with the Materials Petal must report to 100 ppm all intentionally added ingredients, with CAS…

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Declare - International Living Future Institute

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Declare - International Living Future Institute

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Declare - International Living Future Institute

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Declare - International Living Future Institute

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Declare - International Living Future Institute

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Declare - International Living Future Institute

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Declare - International Living Future Institute