GreenBuild: Buildclean is a Breath of Fresh Air
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 11.25.08
I have never understood why the Environmental Protection Agency is in charge of the Energy Star rating system; it is not as if the American government really believes that Carbon Dioxide is a problem, and yet in the interest of reducing fossil fuel use the EPA suggests that everybody seal their houses tight as a drum to reduce heat loss or gain. By not insisting on some form of ventilation system, the EPA is probably poisoning people with Energy Star. But nobody cares about air quality and health in America, only about the price of gas.
Let me correct that- Ashli Ayer does. Alone and forlorn in her booth at the Greenbuild show, this lawyer turned crusader is trying to identify healthy, safe and environmentally friendly choices in building products.
She rails against asbestos, bacteria, lead, radiation and VOCs. When she raised the issue of radiation and radon being emitted from granite, she received threatening phone calls. Yet all she wants is:
"that all natural stone products be tested for radon emissions before putting them on the market. The tests exist today and are not expensive, It is the responsible thing to do."
In the light of the controversy over possible radiation emissions from natural stone, and the increasing air-tightness of our homes, is this not reasonable?
Learn more at Buildclean., with particular attention to their information about radon.
More in TreeHugger on air quality in houses:
Ask TreeHugger: What Do Radon Tests Mean?
Don't Take it for Granite that Your Countertop isn't Radioactive ...
Big Steps In Building: Ban Formaldehyde
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
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Doesn't the DOE (Department of Energy) run Energy Star...NOT the EPA. Energy Star is an energy efficency rating system and has nothing to do with environmental impact so to speak. At least that was my understanding. I work for a window company and we are heavily involved with energy star as a result, but i never thought it was created or run by the EPA. Am i wrong?
LA: It is supposed to be run by both; if you look on the site, all the graphics point to the EPA.
I applaud this organization. This is the missing link for LEED certified buildings: accounting for the quality of air that people breathe inside buildings. It's interesting that a buildings with underground parking lots can be certified as green. The car exhaust in these parking lots rises and invariably finds its way into indoor air spaces.