We are currently verifying that an insulation product would meet the Low Emitting Materials criteria. Is the following equivalent to CDPH Standard Method v1.1-2010 in LEED reviewers perspective?
The Environmental Chamber Test Report we have obtained was issued by "Air Quality Sciences" and claims to meet GreenGuard certification criteria (TVOC </= 0.5mg/m3) over 24 hrs. It states their environmental chamber test follows ASTM D 5116 in a 0.09 + .007 m3 chamber. Predicted concentrations are based on a standard wall usage (28.1 m2) in a room with ASHRAE 62.1-2007 ventilation conditions (32 m3 and 0.72 ACH).
We are keen on determining if there's any precedent for using this in lieu of an official GreenGuard with CDPH. Let me know if the info above does not provide enough context!
Raja Tannous
Berkeley Analytical (BkA)2 thumbs up
April 26, 2018 - 4:13 pm
Kena:- 24h tests are considered screening tests and not equivalent to the CDPH V1.1-2010 test method. Acceptable certifications and programs for Low Emitting Materials credits are listed in the LEED v4 EQ table. Certified products according to program documents UL 2818 and UL 2821 dated 3/14/2014 are acceptable as equivalent. The CDPH Standard Method v1.1 is a 14-day long test and includes 35 compounds including the Xylene isomers with allowable CREL concentration levels that building materials must meet. See table 4-1 in Appendix B for details. Revisions of exposure model parameters, addition of general guidelines to manufacturers and certification organizations on how to make product-wide claims, revisions of specimen collection timelines, and addition of a section on quality management are some of the major changes made in in this revision. Hope this helps!
Reinhard Oppl
Independent consultant on VOC issuesformerly with Eurofins Product Testing A/S
329 thumbs up
April 27, 2018 - 6:43 am
I am sorry to say but GreenGuard certification criteria are not stringent enough to show compliance with CDPH Standard Method v1.1-2010. It needs to comply with UL Greendguard GOLD, as in Document UL 2818 3/14/2014, see https://www.usgbc.org/resources/low-emitting-materials-third-party-certi....
And then please be aware of this requirement in the credit: "Manufacturers’ claims. Both first-party and third-party statements of product compliance must follow the guidelines in CDPH SM V1.1–2010, Section 8. Organizations that certify manufacturers’ claims must be accredited under ISO Guide 65." Just showing an older test report may be too weak to fulfill this.