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FAQs about IEQc4.3 :

If I have no flooring products in the scope of my project, can I earn this credit?

How do I handle a polished concrete floor?

Should mineral-based finish flooring products (without any integral organic-based coatings and sealants) and unfinished/untreated solid wood flooring be documented on the IEQc4.3 LEED Online form, even though they are exempt from certification requirement

On a renovation, should flooring that is previously installed be subject to the credit requirements?

One flooring adhesive we are using falls under both IEQc4.1 and IEQc4.3, and is over the VOC limit. We are using the VOC budget method to meet IEQc4.1 requirements, but are we automatically disqualifed from IEQc4.3?

The credit requirements are allowed to exempt unfinished wood flooring from the credit requirements, but wood flooring is almost always finished. This is confusing!

I have an international project and my flooring products aren’t tested using any of the above standards. How can I tell if they still comply?

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Forum discussion

NC-2009 IEQc4.3:Low-Emitting Materials—Flooring Systems

TVOC Limit

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matthew convery
Operations Manager
BLM Construction Company, Inc.
LEEDuser Basic Member
7 thumbs up

I am trying to determine if the VOC content in a flooring we used meets LEED standards. It is a Regupol Aktiv floor, and the manufacturer cannot provide a VOC content (as the floor is not a liquid), so it gave me a test report that included the TVOC. Does anyone know where I can reference a TVOC limit?

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Josh Jacobs
Technical Information & Public Affairs Manager
UL Environment
LEEDuser Basic Member
356 thumbs up

Wed, 09/19/2012 - 18:32

Matthew, VOC content minimization is not a compliance pathway for EQ 4.3 - VOC emission minimization is the compliance pathway. TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) is not one of the criteria that is called out in the compliance options. The best bet is to ask if they have certified to CRI Green Label Plus (if carpet), FloorScore or GREENGUARD Children & Schools (if they are other flooring), or have tested the product according to CA 01350. These are the most common ways of showing compliance in this credit.
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matthew convery
Operations Manager
BLM Construction Company, Inc.
LEEDuser Basic Member
7 thumbs up

Wed, 09/19/2012 - 18:51

Thank you for explaining why I could not find a TVOC limit to reference. The company we bought the rubber floor from is Australian, and they could only provide an " Good Environmental Choice Australia" License (GECA). They are not FloorScore Certified. They have also provided a third party VOC Emission Test Report from Berkeley Analytical. Is any of that information going to be useful or helpful to me?
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Josh Jacobs
Technical Information & Public Affairs Manager
UL Environment
LEEDuser Basic Member
356 thumbs up

Wed, 09/19/2012 - 18:57

If the testing report from Berkeley Analytical was done to show compliance with the CA 01350 requirements it should state it somewhere on the test report. If the report shows a passing test, then that can be submitted to the LEED reviewers and should be enough for compliance.
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Melissa Vernon
Director of Client Engagement
Natural Capital Partners
LEEDuser Basic Member
42 thumbs up

Wed, 09/19/2012 - 18:58

Read the test report and it should indicate which test standard was used for the testing. If it matches one of the test methods listed in the LEED credit, then it should be fine for documenting that the product meets the requirements.
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matthew convery
Operations Manager
BLM Construction Company, Inc.
LEEDuser Basic Member
7 thumbs up

Wed, 09/19/2012 - 19:10

This is what the report said as far as what testing standards were used... "Test Protocol Summary* – This VOC emission test was performed following the guidance of ASTM Standard Guide D 5116. If required by the test, chemical sampling and analysis for VOCs were performed following U.S. EPA Compendium Method TO-17. If required, sampling and analysis for low molecular weight aldehydes were performed following ASTM Standard Method D 5197.". (However, I do not see anywhere on the report anything that indicates whether their product passed or not.) Do these standards coincide with LEED standards? Also, would this type of flooring have to be categorized under option 2 of IEQc4.3? I don't see anything under option 1 that a rubber floor would be categorized under.
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Josh Jacobs
Technical Information & Public Affairs Manager
UL Environment
LEEDuser Basic Member
356 thumbs up

Wed, 09/19/2012 - 19:24

That ASTM Test Method is what GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) uses to show compliance for their emission criteria - which is in TVOC. Unfortunately, the test report does not seem to show qualification to CA 01350 and therefore doesn't help you get the point. For the easiest path in the future look for products that are certified to the programs mentioned in my previous post or obviously products that have shown compliance, through a test report, to the CA 01350 test methodology.
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Alfred Hodgson
Research Director
Berkeley Analytical
LEEDuser Basic Member
6 thumbs up

Wed, 09/19/2012 - 21:25

Matthew: For compliance test reports, the test method on the first page of the report should be CDPH/EHLB/Standard Method V1.1 (Sect. 01350). Otherwise, it is a QC report for other objectives. The report should also have acceptance criteria and modeling scenario(s) tables. Screening reports do not usually indicate ASTM D5116-2010 as the test method. However, the emission factor tables can be used to estimate VOCs impact from flooring materials by dividing the emission factor values in ug/m^2-h by the flooring Area- specific flow rate of 2.14 for classrooms and 1.86 for office environments. For pass/fail criteria limits, see Table 4-1 of the standard http://berkeleyanalytical.com/sites/default/files/cdph-iaq_standardmethod_v1_1_2010_0.pdf
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Michelle Teague
Architect, LEED Consultant
Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects
LEEDuser Basic Member
29 thumbs up

Tue, 09/25/2012 - 17:37

Matthew, I also just received a test report on Regupol Activ for a LEED project and have the same problem as you. Spoke with Regupol and will update if I turn up anything useful.

Wed, 08/14/2013 - 03:00

Michelle, I am working on a project that wants to include Regupol. Could you please confirm whether you had any luck obtaining anything useful. I presume your lack of follow up means you didn't :(

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