Where is this information found? MSDS, Manufacturer's product data.
For example, a Greenguard Gold certificate for a certified paint product, indicates Maximum Allowable Predicted Concentration and has a subnote that indicates "Defined to be the total response of measured VOCs falling within the C6 – C16 range, with responses calibrated to a toluene surrogate."
Is this the C6 - C16 range?
Would the TVOC rang on the Low-Emitting Materials Calculator be "5.0 mg/m3 or more?
Michelle Halle Stern
Senior Sustainability ConsultantGreenwood Consulting Group
121 thumbs up
November 6, 2014 - 1:47 pm
So far I have never seen any information regarding TVOC range on manufacturer's product data. I think it is a lack of education of the manufacturers as to the credit requirement. The C6-C16 range could be what your looking for, but I don't know how to translate it to mg/m3. I would go back to them and request the information in the proper units. If enough people start asking, manufacturers and Greenguard should start adding it to their technical data sheets and certificates.
Catherine Blakemore
Architect, LEED AP BC+DHOLT Architects
32 thumbs up
November 6, 2014 - 2:36 pm
Ok.
Greenguard Gold Certificates do not indicate the exposure scenarios used either. They just say "applicable exposure scenarios(s).
I think manufacturers also need help in understanding what information LEED v4 is requesting and how to state it so that both contractors and professions can find it easily.
It would be great if they just downloaded the Low-Emitting Materials Calculator and input their products and applicable information into it and posted it on their websites.
GBCI or LEED User should have a help line specifically for manufacturers to help them with this. A webinar series would even be helpful.
Torsten Biernat
November 10, 2014 - 11:12 am
The C6 - C16 range might refer to the chemical length of the carbon chain of the VOC's. That would mean that during the test of this product only VOC's with a carbon chain between 6 and 16 would have been measured. Maybe it contains VOC's with a longer or shorter carbon chain, maybe not, maybe their content is negligible.
Reinhard Oppl
Independent consultant on VOC issuesformerly with Eurofins Product Testing A/S
329 thumbs up
December 10, 2015 - 9:44 am
Hi. Sorry for being late. The C6-C16 range is based on the underlying testing technology. It covers all emissions of organic compounds (here this means chemicals) that in terms of volatility are in the range from n-hexane to and including n-hexadecane. Analytical details are different with the different testing methods; but you cannot predict the emissions at the testing day from the total content of volatile compounds. Any manufacturer having tested the emissions of his products can deliver that information. The others cannot qualify for use within this credit.