Expanding the reach of green building to include air toxics
The fundamental goal of the "Green During Construction" project is to encourage institutions, developers, designers, and professional organizations to adopt a Green during construction pledge to the benefit of the surrounding community and workers and visitors on the site by reducing both particulate matter, dust and silicates, and toxic gases, like CO.
Construction can be dirty work but we have an opportunity to make it cleaner. The green building movement focuses on constructing energy efficient buildings and using less toxic building materials.
Organizations such as LEED and NEEP have developed certifications that are gaining adherents and advocates among building investors, designers, developers, and architects. Investors are increasingly requiring designers and builders to meet these certifications. And many firms, banks, design firms, stipulate that they will only rent space in a "green certified" building.
While there are obvious benefits to this green building movement what is left out of this approach is air quality while structures are being built.
Air Quality Concerns
Carbon monoxide, fine and ultrafine particles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), sulfur and nitrogen oxides, benzene are emitted in significant amounts by diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment on construction sites. Gasoline powered vehicles and equipment produce prodigious amounts of carbon monoxide (CO), a lethal gas. Two thousand seven hundred CO emergency poisonings from worksites occur each year.
Gasoline emissions have been shown to exceed one in one hundred thousand cancer risk thresholds in northeast urban areas. Prolonged exposure to diesel exhaust can exacerbate asthma and other lung and cardiovascular diseases, and probably increases the risk of lung cancer.
During construction soil, granite, and concrete will be dug, drilled crushed, impacted, abraded. Soil, granite, and concrete contain crystalline silica (sand). Occupational exposure to silica produces silicosis, a chronic, disabling lung disease characterized by nodules of scar tissue in the lungs. Each year nearly 300 workers die from silicosis in the US, hundreds more are disabled. Between 3000-7000 new cases occur each year. In addition, crystalline silica is carcinogenic. Construction, more than any other industry, leads in premature mortality (years of potential life lost) from silicosis.
Green During the Construction Phase
This is an opportunity to directly address the health and environmental impact of stationary equipment and motor vehicles, of dust and silicate exposures, and to integrate worker and community health into a seamless package.
The American Lung Association in Rhode Island and others have joined an initiative begun by the Rhode Island Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (RICOSH).
The goal of the Initiative is to encourage institutions, developers, designers, and professional organizations to adopt a Green during construction pledge to
the benefit of the surrounding community, workers and visitors on the
site by reducing emissions, particulate matter, dust and silicates, and
toxic gases, like CO.
Protocols for Air Pollution Reduction During the Construction Phase
RICOSH in coordination with the American Lung Association of RI, and with the official support of the Air Resources Unit of RI DEM have begun to develop protocols that integrate air pollution issues into the Green Building approach. The fundamental goal of this project is to encourage institutions, developers, designers, and professional organizations to adopt a Green during construction pledge and include key parameters of all three metrics in bid and contract specs for construction projects.
- Restrict idling of gasoline and diesel vehicles.
- Apply dust suppression controls.
- Reduce diesel and gasoline exhaust emissions.
This would benefit the surrounding community and workers and visitors on the site by reducing particulate matter, dust and silicates, and toxic gases, like CO. In addition this approach will achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.