Indoor air quality solutions for healthcare facilities
Contribute to low emissions goals with high-value products
Healthcare facilities are designed to ensure clean, healthy air permeates every corridor, waiting room, patient room and surgery theater to prevent both the spread of contagious diseases and the infiltration of harmful pollutants. As indoor air quality research advances and hospital air quality monitoring programs expand, it is vital for architects to specify products that minimize indoor air problems.
There are two parts to managing indoor air quality: mechanical air handling and filtration systems and material emissions. This article will focus on the latter and show how National Gypsum Company provides select high-value products manufactured by its affiliate companies, Gold Bond Building Products, LLC, ProForm Finishing Products, LLC and PermaBASE Building Products, LLC, that contribute to low emissions goals.
What are low-emitting products and why do they matter?
Following research studies that revealed formaldehyde as a potential carcinogen and lead in paint as detrimental to cognitive development, scientists began to examine the role building products play in creating a safe and healthy indoor environment.
Many building products include organic chemicals that off-gas as volatile organic compounds, which can cause respiratory irritation, headaches and fatigue. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, VOC levels inside buildings are typically 10 times higher than outside. With a growing understanding of the effect of VOCs on health, governments and industries have developed testing standards to verify a product won’t adversely affect indoor air.
Nearly 20 third-party low-emitting materials certifications exist now. Some are broad, while others focus on specific industries such as flooring or furniture. Third-party certifications help architects and their teams quickly verify a product meets general emissions evaluations for compliance with the Indoor Environmental Quality Credit for Low-Emitting Materials in LEED.
This chart shows many of the third-party low-emission testing certifications that exist today and how they relate to different building materials. Download the chart now.
National Gypsum Company affiliates provide UL GREENGUARD Gold Certified products
UL GREENGUARD Gold certification verifies that products limit emissions of over 360 VOCs and total chemical emissions. Certified products also comply with requirements of the state of California Department of Public Health Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical Emissions from Indoor Sources Using Environmental Chambers (also known as California Section 01350).
UL GREENGUARD Gold certified products manufactured by Gold Bond, PermaBASE and ProForm include:
- Gold Bond® Gypsum Board, Ceiling Board and Ceiling Panels
- Gold Bond® XP® Gypsum Board products
- Gold Bond® eXP® Interior Gypsum Panel products
- Gold Bond® SoundBreak XP® Products
- DEXcell® Glass Mat Roof Board
- DEXcell® Cement Roof Board
- PermaBASE® Cement Board products
- ProForm® setting compounds
- ProForm® All Purpose with Dust-Tech® Joint Compound
- ProForm® Lite Blue™ with Dust-Tech® Joint Compound
- ProForm® Ultra Lite® All Purpose Joint Compound
- ProForm® Concrete Cover Joint Compound
- ProForm® All Purpose Orange Joint Compound
- ProForm™ Paper Joint Tape
In addition to being UL GREENGUARD Gold certified, ProForm® All Purpose with Dust-Tech® Joint Compound and Gold Bond® SoundBreak XP Retrofit® Board are both ideal for use in facilities that can’t shut down for renovations. The Dust-Tech product produces 60% less airborne dust, essential to health care facilities that continue operations during renovations. SoundBreak XP Retrofit Board is designed to be installed on existing wall assemblies without demolition to improve acoustical performance.
Mold, mildew and moisture resistance provide a preventive shield
In addition to being low-emitting, the Gold Bond® line of XP® gypsum board products also has enhanced anti-mold and mildew features to prevent it from hosting air-polluting mold should the board get wet.
- Features SPORGARD® technology with extra mold-inhibiting properties.
- It includes PURPLE paper on the face side and, on the back side, heavy, 100% recycled gray paper that is resistant to mold, mildew and moisture.
XP products earn the highest possible score on mold tests (ASTM D3273 and ASTM G21) and have less than 5% water absorption per ASTM C473.
Gold Bond, PermaBASE and ProForm products provided by National Gypsum have you covered when it comes to indoor air quality for health care projects.
Find our UL GREENGUARD Gold Certification documents to verify low-emission compliance for LEED, WELL Building and other sustainable building programs.
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SPORGARD® is a registered trademark of LANXESS Deutschland GmbH, Germany.
The color Purple is a registered trademark of Gold Bond Building Products, LLC.
