Toxicity of Building Materials

Fernando Pacheco Torgal is a Principal Investigator at C-TAC, University of Minho. He holds the title of Counsellor (Top 0.5%) from the Portuguese Engineers Association and has been consistently recognized as a Scopus Highly Cited Scientist in the global rankings by Stanford University. With over 300 publications to his name, he has carried out in-depth peer reviews of more than one thousand scientific papers and assessed nearly one hundred research grant proposals across 15 countries. He serves on the editorial boards of nine international journals and has been involved in editorial decisions for several hundred manuscripts. In addition, he has edited 33 international books, many of which are available in the libraries of prestigious institutions such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. Said Jalali is former Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Minho, and is an acknowledged expert on building materials. Dr. Aleksandra Fucic has 30 years of experience working on the biomonitoring of populations exposed to radiation or chemical agents with a special interest in achieving a healthy living environment and investigation of health risks related to new construction materials.

"...this is one of the first books to take a detailed look at how well different antimicrobial treatments will reduce exposure of the occupants of a building to microbes" --Dr. Graham Atherton of the University of Manchester

• Contributor contact detailsIntroduction: types of potentially toxic building materialsChapter 1: The main health hazards from building materialsAbstract:1.1 Introduction1.2 Radiation1.3 Chemical carcinogens and endocrine disruptors1.4 Nanoparticles1.5 Conclusion and future trendsChapter 2: Plastic materials: polyvinyl chloride (PVC)Abstract:2.1 Introduction2.2 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC – CAS number: 9002-86-2)2.3 Building applications of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)2.4 Health and safety concerns and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)2.5 Alternatives to polyvinyl chloride (PVC)Chapter 3: Plastic materials: chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), chlorinated polyvinylchloride (CPVC), chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) and polychloroprene rubber (CR)Abstract:3.1 Introduction3.2 Structure and properties of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), chlorinated polyvinylchloride (CPVC), chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) and polychloroprene rubber (CR)3.3 Alternative materials3.4 Sources of further informationChapter 4: Materials responsible for formaldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissionsAbstract:4.1 Introduction4.2 Toxicology of formaldehyde4.3 Emission testing of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)4.4 Emission models of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)4.5 Determination of the characteristic emission parameters4.6 Influence of environmental factors on emissions of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)4.7 Conclusion and future trendsChapter 5: Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs): phthalates and flame retardantsAbstract:5.1 Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in the indoor environment5.2 Emission of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from building materials and consumer products5.3 Exposure to semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) emitted from building materials and consumer productsChapter 6: Wood preservativesAbstract:6.1 Introduction6.2 Types of preservatives and their potential hazards6.3 Potential toxic effects and ways they can be assessed6.4 Remedial action6.5 Conclusion and future trendsChapter 7: Mineral fibre-based building materials and their health hazardsAbstract:7.1 Introduction7.2 Classification of asbestos and mineral fibres, their structure, microstructure and properties7.3 Health effects of asbestos minerals7.4 Use of asbestos in building materials7.5 The reclamation of asbestos7.6 The disposal of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) and recycling7.7 Conclusion and future trendsChapter 8: Radioactive materialsAbstract:8.1 Introduction8.2 Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM)8.3 Radon exhalation, emanation and diffusion length8.4 Measurements of radionuclide composition8.5 Measurement of radon exhalation8.6 Building materials as gamma emitters8.7 Building materials with enhanced concentrations of natural radionuclides8.8 Building products with enhanced radon exhalation rate8.9 Control of radioactivity of building materials in regulationsChapter 9: Materials that release toxic fumes during fireAbstract:9.1 Introduction9.2 Fire behaviour of building materials9.3 The effects of conditions on the initiation and propagation of fire9.4 Health effects and analysis of combustion products9.5 Remedial actions9.6 Future trends for reducing toxic substances in fire and related resources9.7 ConclusionChapter 10: Heavy metals: leadAbstract:10.1 Introduction10.2 Use of lead in buildings and drinking water contamination10.3 Toxicity of lead to humans10.4 Assessing the risk associated with lead in drinking water10.5 Lead pipe replacement and fittings containing lead10.6 Corrective water treatment10.7 Recommendations10.8 Sources of further information and adviceChapter 11: Other heavy metals: antimony, cadmium, chromium and mercuryAbstract:11.1 Introduction11.2 Antimony11.3 Cadmium11.4 Chromium11.5 Mercury11.6 Remedial actions11.7 Future trends11.8 ConclusionsChapter 12: Materials prone to mould growthAbstract:12.1 Introduction12.2 Mould fungi in construction materials12.3 Algae in construction materials12.4 Potential toxic effects and ways they can be monitored12.5 Remedial action and future trends12.6 Sources of further information and adviceChapter 13: Antimicrobial treatment and efficacyAbstract:13.1 Introduction13.2 Research programs13.3 Static microbial test chamber13.4 Dynamic microbial test chamber13.5 Effects of moisture, relative humidity (RH) and dust13.6 Duct cleaning effectiveness on microbial growth13.7 Evaluation of antimicrobial treatments as control technologies13.8 Antimicrobial product acknowledgment13.9 Conclusions13.10 Future trends13.11 Sources of further informationChapter 14: Potential hazards from waste based/recycled building materialsAbstract:14.1 Introduction14.2 Main types of building materials containing wastes14.3 Waste properties and potential hazards14.4 Scenarios of pollutant emission from construction materials14.5 Potential hazard assessment for construction materials in their service life14.6 Conclusion and future trendsChapter 15: Toxicity of nanoparticlesAbstract:15.1 Introduction to nanoparticle and nanomaterial toxicity15.2 Morphology, classification, and properties of nanomaterials15.3 Types of building materials incorporating nanomaterials15.4 The uptake of nanoparticles and their toxicity15.5 Diseases associated with nanoparticle exposure15.6 Detection of occupational nanoparticles and remedial action15.7 Sources of further information and advice15.8 Conclusion and future trendsIndex