GREEN INSULATION

Determining which solutions can be classified as Green insulation is complex.  Our focus here is to evaluate health and air quality issues.  Spray foam insulation improves indoor air quality while saving energy.  The most commonly used forms of insulation are fiberglass and cellulose.  However, they have detrimental impacts on air quality.

Fiberglass, one of the most common forms of insulation, is classified by OSHA and the EPA as a hazardous material.  The Natural Resources Defense Council determined that “substantial and well documented public health threats are associated with fiberglass” after completing a comprehensive review of toxicology studies.  If you are working with fiberglass insulation, it is important to wear protective clothing such as long sleeves and gloves. A dust mask and/or activated charcoal mask is also recommended. Clothing should be laundered separately to avoid contaminating other garments.  In addition, moisture will negate the insulation value of fiberglass batts and promote mold and mildew which degrade indoor air quality.

When wood is transformed into cellulose such things as sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, and chlorine compounds are added during processing. A variety of chemicals can be produced as the wood chips are broken down chemically. Some of these by-products are: formaldehyde, chlorine, fluorine, lead, iron compounds, sulfur compounds, cadmium, nitric oxide, methane, etc. While the goal is a pure product called cellulose, the material that leaves the pulp mill is contaminated with many of the chemicals that are either added to the wood fibers or created as a result of chemical reactions.

Spray foam is different because it blocks air and water movement.  Therefore, there are no mold issues or outdoor pollutants, such as smoke, smog, pollen.  In addition, the spray foam insulation material is very safe once it hardens in place.  Our spray foam contains significant percentages of bio-based materials as well as pre-consumer recycled PET manufactured using the most environmentally conscious products available.

A Green Building Envelope