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LEED 2012 - 4th public comment now open
LEED 2012 fourth round of public comments is open now. Revised version is expected for May 2012. Membership ballot is planned for June. You can see relevant links at www.eurofins.com/leed-2012.
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VOC testing
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More information on VOC About VOC

VOC regulations

Low VOC labels

VOC in LEED

VOC testing

LEED® specifications on VOC emissions

LEED membership logo grayLEED® Indoor Environment Quality related product specifications, so-called credits, are split up in several chapters.

Fulfillment of the specifications in the respective credit allows to earn one point within the process of LEED® certification of a building project.

The general procedures are summarized here.

Please see our presentation on LEED® - a new challenge for low VOC emission materials, as presentation slides and as paper, held at CERTECH conference on Odours and Emissions from Materials in October 2009.

Indoor Environment related product specifications

Below you will find a summary of the most essential requirements on the impact of products on Environmental Quality (EQ), as laid down in the criteria for Commercial Interior.

Other applications may have different specifications. As an example, LEED for schools allows earning up to 4 points for low-emitting material just and only if these show compliance with Californian "Section 01350" testing and product requirements (with the exception of furniture where compliance with ANSI/BIFMA X7.1/M7.1 is required). LEED in Italy uses European criteria in two of the 4 EQ credits instead of the US specifications used in original LEED, and they do not use the credits EQ 4.5 and 4.6.

LEED and products

Products cannot be LEED certified. Only buildings can.

Use of low emitting materials is helping to achieve points for improving indoor air quality. Motivation of product manufacturers to show that their product can support collecting LEED® points ("LEED® compliance") is that they can sell their products to those who want to achieve LEED® certification of their building. But USGBC does not foresee any type of "LEED® compliance" attestation of a product. An overview of these requirements for purchasers and commissioners is available for download in English, in German and soon also in French.

An overview of these requirements for purchasers and commissioners is available for download in English, in German and soon also in French. Please note that an update of that document s planned for January 2012.

LEED® 2009


LEED® 2009 was launched April 27, 2009. With respect to indoor air quality,  LEED® 2009 is expanding both the scope of involved materials and alternative ways of showing compliance. And it starts to harmonise the specifications across the different applications.

Here is an overview of the Environmental Quality credits used in LEED. Some of these specifications are not used in all of the LEED specifications.

  • EQ credit 4.1: Adhesives, sealants

    • VOC content shall not exceed certain limits (in g/l), e.g. 50 g/l for carpet adhesives. Eurofins offers such tests.

    • Use of low emission adhesive or sealant can allow earning additional points under the "Innovation" ID credit 1, because not only VOC content is controlled, but also VOC emissions into indoor air. EMICODE EC1 products should easily apply for that.

    • GBC Italia has different specifications - you need to show compliance with EMICODE EC1 specifications for EQ credit 4.1 in Italian version of LEED.

  • EQ credit 4.2: Paints, coatings

    • VOC content shall not exceed certain limits (in g/l). Eurofins offers such tests.

      • If this shall be tested, then parallel testing for European Decopaint Directive can be performed for 2-components reactive products (cheaper than separate testing for LEED® and for Decopaint).

    • Use of low emission paint or coating can allow earning additional points under the "Innovation" ID credit 1, because not only VOC content is controlled, but also VOC emissions into indoor air. EMICODE EC1 products should easily apply for that.

    • GBC Italia has different specifications - you need to show compliance with EU Decopaint Directive Phase 2 limit values for EQ credit 4.2 in Italian version of LEED.

  • EQ credit 4.3: Flooring systems

    • Carpets: CRI Green Label Plus testing and product requirements shall be met or exceeded. Often, CRI certificate is used for that, but CRI certification is not required, so Eurofins can deliver such independent VOC emission testing.

    • Other flooring: Shall be Floor Score certified, or an independent testing lab shows compliance with Floor Score requirements. Certification is performed by SCS, and Eurofins is one of the approved testing labs within that procedure. Ceramic tiles and stone flooing are considered low-emitting without testing.

    • Alternative path of showing compliance: Californian "Section 01350" testing and product requirements shall be met or exceeded. Eurofins offers such testing. A comparison between limit values of AgBB, GUT, Blue Angel and CDPH Section 01350 was made available by GUT both in English and in German. It clearly shows that requirements by CRI are much weaker than European requirements.

    • VOC emission testing for flooring adhesives: Not required, but application of "Section 01350" is possible. Eurofins offers such testing.

  • EQ credit 4.4: Component Wood and Laminate Adhesives

    • These must contain no added urea-formaldehyde adhesive, no testing required. Alternative possibility, if such an adhesive is contained in a furniture, is to fulfill specifications of EQ credit 4.5.

    • LEED® for schools additionally specifies: Californian "Section 01350" testing and product requirements shall be met or exceeded. Eurofins offers such testing.

  • EQ credit 4.5: Systems furniture and seating

  • EQ credit 4.6: Ceiling and wall systems

    • Californian "Section 01350" testing and product requirements shall be met or exceeded. Eurofins offers such testing.

  • ID credit 10.1: Innovative design or innovative materials

    • Use of low VOC emission product where LEED® does not specify low VOC emission as EQ credit can try to earn an additional point under the "Innovation" ID credit 1, because it is an advantage for environmental quality if VOC emissions into indoor air are controlled. Any low VOC emission rating scheme might be referenced and used. First candidate would be Californian "Section 01350" testing and product requirements. Eurofins offers such testing.

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Using synergies

If a manufacturer needs VOC testing for markets on both sides of the Atlantic, then Eurofins can help saving money by combining all required testing into one test setup. This service is unique in whole world. No single other testing laboratory is approved for VOC emission chamber testing by so many organizations both for US purposes and for European labels such as Blue Angel, EMICODE and M1, combining this with a world-wide valid ISO 17025 accreditation.

Contact to VOC Testing Laboratories

Please see here contact information of Eurofins VOC testing laboratories in Europe, USA and China:
www.eurofins.com/voc-contacts.

Order forms and testing request forms are available for free download here.

 

Note: "U.S. Green Building Council", "USGBC", "LEED" and related logos are trademarks owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and used by permission.