Red List building materials

Red List Building Materials contain chemicals that have been designated as harmful to living creatures, including humans, or the environment. There are many "Red Lists" that have been developed specifically for building materials. These lists have primarily been developed by green building rating system developers and architecture firms. They are typically developed from chemical hazard lists published by government agencies, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), European Union Commission on Environment (European Commissioner for the Environment), and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has developed the following red list of chemicals that may not be included in materials used in construction that seeks to meet the criteria of the Living Building Challenge (LBC). According to ILFI, the list is composed of materials that should be phased out of production due to health concerns. The list is updated as new science emerges. The most recent update came in May 2014.

The LBC red list is shown directly below. This list includes both chemicals and chemical groups. In 2014, ILFI published a spreadsheet that represents the full list of chemicals, as this spreadsheet expands these chemical groups into the individual chemicals of which they are composed. As of May 2014, this spreadsheet contained 815 individual chemicals.

In addition to this red list, LBC criteria mandate that petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides cannot be used during the certification period or be used in operations and maintenance.

The Red List and the Living Building Challenge

The Living Building Challenge includes seven performance categories, titled as petals. The red list falls under the materials petal. A building project may not contain any of the Red List chemicals or chemical groups. There is an exception for small components in complex products. Each of these exceptions must include a written explanation. These exceptions will only be approved with a copy of the letter sent to the manufacturer stating that the product purchase does not ensure an endorsement. In addition, the final documentation must include a statement that asks the manufacturer to stop using the red list material or chemical. There are also temporary red list exceptions for numerous red list items for which viable alternatives are not yet commercially available.

...
Wikipedia