GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) has established performance based standards to define goods with low chemical and particle emissions for use indoors, primarily building materials, interior furnishings, furniture, cleaning and maintenance products, electronic equipment, and personal care products. The standard establishes certification procedures including test methods, allowable emissions levels, product sample collection and handling, testing type and frequency, and program application processes and acceptance.

All products are tested in dynamic environmental chambers following the GREENGUARD test method, "Method for Measuring Various Chemical Emissions using Dynamic Environmental Chambers," as posted on this web site. The method follows the guidance of ASTM standards D-5116-06 and D-6670-01, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's testing protocol for furniture, the State of Washington's protocol for interior furnishings and construction materials, and California's Department of Health Services (CDHS) standard practice for the Special Environmental Requirements, Specification Section 01350. Products are measured for emission levels, which must meet the following indoor air concentrations within seven (7) days of unpackaging.

Air concentrations are based on the product being in a room 32 m3 in volume with outdoor air ventilation based on ASHRAE 62.1-2007 or the USEPA's recommended exposure factors. Maximum allowable emission levels are those required by the State of Washington's indoor air quality program for new construction, the US Environmental Protection Agency's procurements specifications, the recommendations from the World Health Organization, Germany's Blue Angel Program for electronic equipment, LEED for New Construction, and LEED for Commercial Interiors. Office furniture products meeting these allowable emission levels also meet the requirements of LEED 2009 - CI - credit 4.5 and the BIFMA X7.1 Conformance standard. When multiple emission values are recommended, the lesser, or more stringent, is used as the acceptable emission value for GREENGUARD Certification.

Navigating the various sustainability requirements can be challenging, so the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) has been working hard to identify opportunities that better align the GREENGUARD Certification Program with other standards and requirements. GEI's efforts have yielded some positive updates.

As an ANSI Authorized Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments, and buildings. All GREENGUARD Standards are among the most stringent indoor air quality standards in the world.

The GREENGUARD Standards for Low-Emitting Products evaluate more than 75,000 chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carcinogens and reproductive toxins.The GREENGUARD Standards are based on low pollutant requirements of the State of Washington's Indoor Air Quality program, OSHA's Formaldehyde Rule, USEPA's office furniture specifications, the USEPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standard, Germany's Blue Angel Program, and 1/10 of all regulated chemical exposure limits established by OSHA. Controlled pollutants include VOCs, respirable particles, formaldehyde, total aldehydes, ozone, and carbon monoxide. Specific chemicals, which are known irritants, odorants, or carcinogens must meet certain criteria for some products.

On November 24, 2004, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) became an authorized national standards developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). As an authorized developer, GEI can seek approval of standards specific to indoor air quality issues. Under ANSI rules, the standard development process begins with the issuance of a PINS (Project Initiation Notification System), publicly communicating an organization's intent to develop a standard. For more information on the ANSI process, please go to: www.ansi.org. Leveraging the nation's experts, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute developed an ANSI standard of "best practices" for mold and moisture management in newly constructed buildings. It was approved in April 2009, and is called the ANSI/GREENGUARD Environmental Institute Mold And Moisture Management Standard For New Construction (ANSI/GEI -- MMS1001).

• Individual VOCs < 0.1 TLV
• Formaldehyde < 0.025 ppm (< 0.03 mg/m≥)
• 4-phenylcyclohexene < 0.0033 mg/m≥
• Total VOCs < 0.25 mg/m≥
• Total aldehydes < 0.05 ppm

Listing of measured carcinogens and reproductive toxins as identified by California Proposition 65, the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the International Agency on Research on Cancer (IARC) must be provided. Any pollutant not listed must produce an air concentration level no greater than 1/10 the Threshold Limit Value (TLV) industrial work place standard (Reference: American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists, 6500 Glenway, Building D-7, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211-4438. Any pollutant regulated as a primary or secondary outdoor air pollutant must meet a concentration that will not generate an air concentration greater than that promulgated by the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (U.S. EPA, code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 50). Also complies with ANSI/BIFMA X7.1 - 2007 / M7.1 - 2007.