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BEST
Product certifications and labels that are free of the most hazardous content
Green Screen Certified for furniture, fabrics, and food packaging
BETTER
Product certifications and labels that limit some of the most hazardous content
Green Seal GS-11 Certification for paints, coatings, stains, and sealants
EPA Safer Choice for cleaning products
GOOD
Interior building products should have a low-VOC emissions certification unless it does not emit volatile organic compounds, such as masonry, concrete, stone, ceramic/glass/stone-tile, and unfinished solid wood without coatings or sealants.
Green Label Plus for carpeting, pads, and adhesives
FloorScore for flooring products and adhesives
Hazardous Chemicals
Certain chemicals are known to pose serious risks to human health and the environment. Certifications such as “Cradle to Cradle” and “Red List Free” have created their own lists of the most hazardous chemicals, and require that products seeking their certification are free of those listed chemicals.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
VOCs are organic chemicals that evaporate into the air at room temperature. They are emitted from products such as carpet, vinyl flooring, adhesives, paints, stains, composite wood products, upholstery foam, caulks, and sealants.
Some VOCs are known carcinogens, such as formaldehyde and benzene. The effects of VOCs may range from headaches, loss of coordination, and nausea to damage of the liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.
For more information, visit this U.S. EPA webpage.