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Integrating the use phase impacts of building materials into near-field LCA characterization
Citation:
Anastas, N., P. Egeghy, J. Bare, D. Vallero, L. Huang, AND O. Jolliet. Integrating the use phase impacts of building materials into near-field LCA characterization. To be Presented at ACLCA XVII, Portsmouth, NH, October 03 - 05, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
To support a peer reviewed journal article and to disseminate original research at a national meeting.
Description:
The characterization of chemical exposures from the use phase of building materials is currently in the earliest stages. While connections have been made between many chemical exposures and building materials and the accompanying human health impacts, currently there do not exist scientifically defensible ways to characterize the near-field emissions in a consistent manner for the entire field of building materials. Green building standards often attempt to support healthier environments indoors by banning some chemicals in certain products, but many times these decisions are made based on a consensus process and do not reflect measured or modeled exposures. The present paper thus intends to provide a roadmap which summarizes the current status and guides the future development of integrating the use-phase emissions and impacts of building materials into LCA characterization. After reviewing the current knowledge and available data sources for building materials, we propose a systematic approach to integrate the use phase impacts of building materials into LCA, and present an example using this approach to characterize the use phase impacts from one VOC and one SVOC in particleboard products. Results reveal that inhalation exposure dominates for the VOC, while dermal contact and dermal gaseous exposures dominate for the SVOC. Exposure duration affects the total intake and daily intake doses in different ways for VOC and SVOC. Data and modeling gaps which currently prohibit the application of the proposed systematic approach are discussed, including the need for chemical composition data, near-field exposure models and pre-calculated PiF values, and toxicity data. Finally, future directions for integrating the use phase impacts of building materials into decision making are discussed.