Number

086-EN

Section

General Section

Use

Abstract

During construction of a building an architect firm and an environmental network succeeded in substituting of PVC, tar, sodium dodecyl sulphate, herbicides and impregnated wood.

Substituted substances

Reliability of information

Evidence of implementation: there is evidence that the solution was implemented and in use at time of publication

Reason substitution

physical hazards

Other type of alternative

Larch tree wood Cover crops Mechanical weeding Linoleum flooring

Hazard Assessment

Substances to be substituted: PVC containing phthalates Many phthalates can affect the development of the unborn child and they can also affect the ability of women and men to have children. Several phthalates are endocrine disruptors, are toxic to aquatic life, and also cause long-lasting effects. Sodium dodecyl sulphate is not listed in the SUBSPORTplus Database and has no harmonised classification according to Annex VI of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP Regulation). Pine tar is not listed in the SUBSPORTplus Database and has no harmonised classification according to Annex VI of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP Regulation). Herbicides can have all sorts of hazardous properties. Alternative substances: There are no specific informations about the alternatives. At the time of the case study, for hazard assessment the "Swan" labelling, the outdated MAL-code system and the official classification have been used. According to these tools, less hazardous chemicals have been chosen. » Check the Substance Database according to SUBSPORTplus Screening Criteria (SDSC)

Description of Substitution

Architect Allan Wright is administrative director and partner in the architect firm Hune & Elkjær. The company has designed Seden Huse. The property developer is the municipality of Odense in Denmark. During the whole construction process there has been a focus on the materials used for the building. This work already started in the first phase of the construction. The tender from the construction developer included environmental conditions that had to be taken into account. The municipality of Odense is a member of the local environmental network for companies and organisations. At the very start of the planning an environmental steering group was established with representatives of all involved partners in the project and the environmental network. Among other things, the environmental network performed an assessment of the materials to be used. About 25 chemical products and materials were registered and assessed using a tool called "Kemiguiden", which can be downloaded in Danish for free from www.kemiguiden.dk. This showed several products to be problematic and so the group set out to find alternatives. They succeeded in several cases. Allan Wright feels they were really successful as compared to conventional building processes, but they could have been even more successful if they had been part of the very early process. Phthalates and PVC in flooring. In the tender PVC floors were prescribed. These floors contain besides PVC also phthalates. Thinking about both the inhabitants and the lifecycle of the building it was wished to use another material. Based on an assessment of environment, technical performance and economy, the solution chosen was to install prefabricated bathrooms with tiled floors. By choosing this solution both PVC and phthalates were omitted. In the kitchen the PVC flooring was substituted by linoleum flooring (based on linseed oil) that had the Nordic Ecolabel “the SWAN”, thus fulfilling strict requirements regarding hazardous additives. Details can be found here: https://www.ecolabel.dk/-/criteriadoc/4553 Cleaning agent In relation to indoor painting a cleaner called Fluren 32 was prescribed. Using "Kemiguiden" the environmental network assessed that it would be a good idea to substitute it because of its content of sodium dodecyl sulphate. It was replaced by an ordinary household cleaner without this compound. Durable versus impregnated wood In the tender impregnated wood was prescribed for outdoor constructions like sheds. Usually, impregnated wood contains heavy metals or biocides and therefore there was a wish to substitute this. As an alternative larch wood was used. This wood is naturally impregnated and therefore lasts longer without synthetic impregnation. Pine Tar Originally it was planned to treat a shed with tar, because of the finish and the minimal need for maintenance. Tar as used in surface treatments is not a well-defined chemical substance, but consists of more than thousand chemical substances. Surface treatments containing tar can irritate the skin and cause allergic reactions. The Danish MAL-code number is as high as 00-5 (for a description of the MAL-code system follow the link http://www.subsport.eu/substitution-tools/determination-and-work-with-code-numbered-products-mal-code ). Surface treatment with tar containing products was therefore substituted by an ordinary water-based paint with a MAL-code of 00-1. By doing this, it was accepted to use much more resources on maintenance. Allan Wright estimates that the shed has to get a new treatment every 5 years to look nice. Grout for wet room An alternative to a wet room silicone grout containing fungicides was sought. A suitable alternative was not found, because of lack of documentation for technical suitability. After a risk assessment it was decided to use the silicone grout with fungicide anyway. Besides these examples of diverse substitutions the environmental programme prescribed that herbicides should not be used on the outdoor facilities. Instead cover crops were used and – during maintenance – mechanical weeding. There was also a focus on reducing the building’s energy consumption, carbon footprint and the recyclability of the materials used. In total the building costs grew by got 5% during the construction process, but the developer calculates with a corresponding economic gain in the long run mainly because of lower energy consumption. The most active partners in the substitution process were the architects and the chemist from the environmental network. It was very important that there was a good cooperation with the developer and the turnkey contractor. In turnkey contracting a lot of decisions have already been taken, because a lot of the materials and processes have been described pretty much in detail in order to hire the subcontractors. Substitution is therefore suggested very late in this process and a new decision requires willingness and readiness from all partners. For some substitutions the suggestions come in too late to be realised.

Case/substitution evaluation

Despite the initial prescription of hazardous substances in the building process, several successful substitutions have been carried through: Linoleum is a good alternative to PVC floors containing phthalates By using wood from larch tree heavy metals and biocides are substituted Tar is substituted with a non-sensitising paint. The alternatives named are less than hazardous the substituted substances. But there is a lack of information about the alternatives, therefore a complete evaluation is not senseful.

State of implementation

In use

Date and place of implementation

2009 Denmark

Availability ofAlternative

Alternative is available on the market.

Type of information supplier

User

Contact

www.h-e.dk

Date, reviewed

December 11, 2020