Event Description

There is no question that investing in energy efficiency upgrades has the potential to deliver substantial financial, environmental, and health benefits to building owners and residents. Robust evidence demonstrates that interventions such as weatherization and other energy-efficiency upgrades, particularly in poor quality housing, can reduce thermal stress, asthma symptoms, and energy costs for residents.

What is far less understood and addressed, however, are the adverse impacts of hazardous chemicals in some of the insulation and air sealing materials commonly used for energy efficiency upgrades. These materials can contain chemicals that are asthmagens, reproductive or developmental toxicants, endocrine disruptors, or carcinogens. These toxic chemicals can pose threats to building residents and, over the materials’ life cycle, to the workers who manufacture, install, and dispose of these products, to the communities adjacent to these facilities, and to the broader environment.

The good news is there are healthier insulation and air sealing material options that perform well, are cost-effective, and widely available. In this course, you will learn about how energy efficiency can support good indoor environmental quality, common chemical hazards in insulation and air sealing materials, and how to select and specify healthier materials.