Talking about building materials, it is important to inform that most materials used to build and furnish homes and offices are full of toxins. Since, there is no real regulation of the building materials, finding which materials contain harmful chemicals and which do not is becoming really difficult, even for the experts.

According to former dean at Parsons School of Design, Alison Mears, who is director of Healthy Materials Lab, which is currently working on tools to help people understand potential dangers in the building materials surrounding us; there are website that analyze chemical content in construction material, but this information is provided in very scientific manner which makes it really difficult for common people to understand.

With Healthy Materials Lab, Mears and co. are trying to communicate potential dangers of materials used in everyday materials in a much simpler manner, so that just everyone can understand.

In process, the Lab is getting retailers to find alternatives for current materials, and is also influencing the housing sector to reduce exposure to toxins.

Mears has noted that Living Building Challenge is taking note of harmful effects of building materials. Therefore, the Lab is making efforts to help developers meet Living Building Challenge requirements, which forbid use of red list materials and chemicals noted by the International Living Future Institute.

For an idea, there are as little as 25 projects in the world, which currently meet Living Building Challenge standards.