Sustainability and Toxicity of Building Materials: Manufacture, Use and Disposal Stages

With the increasing emphasis on sustainable construction, it has become important to better understand the impacts of common materials. While many building and furnishing materials are safe to use, in recent decades some have had to be redesigned due to recognition that they contained problem chemicals like formaldehyde. Unfortunately, there is still limited understanding of the toxic impacts of many synthetic chemicals which means that the risks in this area are not well recognized. With increasing interest in using limited resources more sustainably, definitions of what is sustainable should be expanded to move from the focus on energy and carbon impacts to also include more explicit consideration of toxicity impacts. Sustainability of Building Materials: Manufacture, Use and Disposal Stages provides a comprehensive review of the toxicity impacts from the building materials in use, including the consideration of the toxicity in the extraction and manufacture of the materials and eventual dismantling and disposal. This book also offers the potential to stimulate future developments in this area, both in terms of knowledge-building and methods for future research. Civil and structural engineers, postgraduates, researchers as well as architects will find this book to be useful in selecting sustainable building materials. Examines the toxicity in the extraction and manufacturing of materials Presents the short term and long-term toxicity effects of natural and manmade building materials Guides readers in selecting building materials that have a positive impact on the health of the occupants and the environment INDICE: Part 1: Contextualising the importance of the evaluating toxic impacts 1. Principles for evaluating toxicity of building and furnishing materials in manufacture, in use and in disposal stages 2. Political and economic factors for resistance to change 3. Role of eco labelling schemes in fostering change 4. Characteristic of the traditional building and furnishing materials 5. Continued use of known toxic components: lead, chlorinated polymers (CPE, CPVC, CSPE, CR) Part 2: Toxicity issues with natural and conventional construction materials 6. Natural harvested materials and their products: bamboo, hemp, straw, grasses and vines 7. Timber: use of wood in construction and furnishing 8. Natural extracted materials and their products: earth, stone, gravel, sand, glass 9. Brick 10. Concrete 11. Metals: steel, aluminium, copper, zinc, titanium Part 3: Toxicity issues with synthetic and composite materials 12. Plastics: PE, PET, PVC/vinyl 13. Composite wood products: medium density fireboard (MDF), particleboard, plywood, hardboards, laminates 14. Film-forming finishes: paints, varnishes, and oils 15. Carpets and textiles 16. Issues with added chemicals: chemical treatments and fire retardants Part 4: Emerging considerations 17. Natural composites, bio-polymers and eco-materials 18. Nanoparticles in building materials 19. Radioactive components in building and furnishing materials 20. Recycled and upcycled materials: toxicity impacts from 'closing the cycle' 21. Innovative and historical assembly-disassembly systems 22. Innovative digital systems supporting improvements of material information dissemination 23. Conclusion

• ISBN: 9780323983365
• Editorial: Woodhead Publishing
• Encuadernacion: Rústica
• Páginas: 500
• Fecha Publicación: 10/02/2024
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés