- What is meant by the expression “pollution knows no borders”?
Pollution doesn’t stay solely in one place. Air pollution moves around the world through wind currents, water pollution spreads as the oceans move and fish eat plastic and then their predators eat them which spreads plastic, and produce from countries spreads pollution as they are sorted and shipped to many different places.
- How is pollution reflective of inequality at
- a) a global scale?
Those who are well off ‘offshore’ their highly polluting industries to lower income less environmentally regulated countries which in turn pollute their ground, food, and water.
- b) a local scale?
Communities in the US are eating food (like produce that you can get at a supermarket) that are grown and packaged and shipped from places that don’t have the same environmental regulations which can be spreading pollution.
- What are the socio-economic impacts of pollution?
Some of the economic impacts of pollution include the economic impact of having to work on environmental change, especially in making the air cleaner and more healthy. Another thing is the intrinsic connection to climate change and how climate change causes countries to spend more and more money on temporary fixes because of an originating problem. Other things include the health and wellbeing of people, especially children who are still developing.
- What are questions designers can explore and stakeholders they can consult to help them choose ‘healthier’ materials?
Some questions to explore are: how does this material affect human health? Where do the raw materials come from? Which extraction processes cause the least harm to workers, the local population, and the ecosystem? What consequences do transportation of raw ingredients and manufacturing processes have for the local, regional, or global environment? How might manufacturing workers be exposed to potentially hazardous substances? What products will minimize hazards for construction workers and building occupants? What happens to the product at the end of its life in a building? Can it be recycled? Does it generate toxic or environmentally damaging impacts as it degrades or breaks down?
- In the trade-offs between using one material over another, what is one of the most important factors in helping to determine which material to use?
Health and Environmental attributes are some of the hardest and most unavailable information to find about materials. They are oftentimes very complex answers and there is no direct decision to be made found from those answers. I think some other things that are important to think about is how something affects the environment and affects the user/community and weighing which one is more important – if the situation comes to it
- What are some strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of building materials across its life cycle?
Some strategies include: During manufacturing, having good, comprehensive, enforced, and up to date laws and regulations can significantly reduce emissions. Similarly, you could also use incentive for these manufacturers to create less waste and use less resources. In construction and installation, emphasizing minimal use/waste, minimization of using ozone-depleting materials, and regulations all help to reduce negative environmental impacts. For use and maintenance products and materials that don’t require harmful recoating or chemical cleaning are better for the environment. Green cleaning also helps to reduce toxic waste created from this stage. For the end of life, usage of alternative-end-of-life uses of building materials such as reuse, recycling, etc.
- What are the various ways people can be exposed to toxic substances from building materials across its life cycle?
An example would be the growing rate of asthmatic children, because of the presence of certain chemicals in paints or finishes, it altered lung and immune system development. Similarly, diabetes and cancer have had exposure to common materials which may be contributing factors.
- What are some classifications for toxic chemicals?
Pthalates, Pesticides, Metals, Phenols, Phenoxy Acids, etc.
- What is the challenge in regulating toxic chemicals?
One of the challenges in regulating toxic chemicals is that it is not like the food and drug administration where there are strict standards. Companies aren’t required to do any health or environmental impacts when they make changes in chemical compounds.
- Identify a product you use/consume on a regular basis. Have you ever considered its health impacts? See if you can identify any toxic chemicals that may be contained within the product and/or created during its lifecycle, what are their potential health impacts?
Something that I’m always with is my phone. After doing a bit of research I’ve learned that it can have possible carcinogenic radiation as well as a higher risk for brain tumors, glioma, meningioma, and more. Some of the older iPhones had benzene and n-hexane in them as well. Many iPhones land in the landfill but Apple has a growing recycling program which I participated in to get my new phone (while also getting $100 back!)
Bioaccumulation
Accumulation of chemicals in an organism. An example of this would be when fish eat plastic particles and when that fish is eaten that plastic is then transferred to its predator, and so forth.
Acid Rain
Rainfall that is acidic enough because of pollution that is harmful to the environment. It’s main cause is the burning of coal and other fossil fuels.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Compounds that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature. These are emitted as gasses by solids or liquids.
