Hi,
We are assessing a building in Portugal and, to comply with this credit regarding the paints, we have found products which have the french legislation label, with A+ rating. As we understand, the basis of testing of this is ISO 16000 and AgBB. Considering this, is it safe to assume that these paints comply with the credit for both General emissions and VOC content? The "LEED v4 EQ Credit Low-Emitting Materials Third Party Certifications and Labels" does not refer to this certification applied to paints.
Thanks
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Reinhard Oppl
Independent consultant on VOC issuesformerly with Eurofins Product Testing A/S
332 thumbs up
August 3, 2017 - 8:51 am
Hi Maria,
French A+ class is based on ISO 16000, but not on AgBB. French A+ is good enough only for composite wood products. Any other compound has to fulfil AgBB which has more limits to comply with than A+ has.
A+ plays a role only because LEED requires lower formaldehyde emissions than AgBB does. And one possibility to demonstrate such low formaldehyde emissions is French A+ label.
John-David Hutchison, LEED AP BD+C, PMP
Sustainability ManagerBGIS
LEEDuser Expert
166 thumbs up
August 3, 2017 - 9:04 am
I would suggest requesting a Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) equivalent (Fiches de donnes de securite?) that states VOC content in g/l and testing protocols.
It is difficult to ascertain labels for paints, as they differ greatly. For example, The Canadian government label program does not meet the requirements af SCAQMD!
Reinhard Oppl
Independent consultant on VOC issuesformerly with Eurofins Product Testing A/S
332 thumbs up
August 3, 2017 - 9:18 am
Unfortunately, most MSDS do not contain that information on VOC content. And none of these contains information on VOC emissions such as AgBB and A+. If the product is not labelled with a US GBC approved program then the only way is to ask the manufacturer - or to order a test yourself.