Eurofins Product Testing - LEED® for Adhesives and Sealants

Please also click below for more general information

on legal requirements

on VOC emission testing for ecolabels

on the meaning of VOC

LEED for adhesives and sealants

LEED^®, the US originated rating system for sustainable buildings, is requested by more and more building planners in the USA and in Europe and at the Gulf.

Copies of that rating system can be found in the Gulf region, in Italy, in Australia, and in some Asian regions. Slightly different approaches are in use in Europe, see also here.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non profit organization that developed and administers the LEED^® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.

Please see our presentation on LEED^® - a new challenge for low VOC emission materials, as presentation slides and as paper, held at CERTECH conference on Odours and Emissions from Materials in October 2009.

Indoor Environmental Quality specifications by LEED^®, IEQ credit 4.1

There are VOC requirements for adhesives and sealants in the LEED^® 2009 specifications for

• Commercial Interior
• New Construction
• Core and Shell
• Existing Buildings (in credit MR3)

These go for VOC content determination, where all volatiles are determined by weight loss after drying at 110°C during 1h. Besides VOC, also water evaporates then. Therefore a water determination is added and all water is subtracted. Furthermore, all VOCs that are not relevant for ozone generation in ground-level atmosphere ("exempt compounds") are subtracted. Limit values are different per product group and application.

Some examples of limit values (Volatiles minus water minus exempt compounds):

• Flooring adhesives 50 g/l
• Rubber floor adhesives 60 g/l
• Wood floor adhesives 100 g/l
• Indoor sealants 250 g/l

The data can be determined by calculation or by testing. References methods include SCAQMD rule 1168, SCAQMD methods 304 and 303, ASTM D2369 and D3960, EPA method 24. Also ISO 11890-1 is equivalent to ASTM D2369.

For testing, the laboratory needs to know what type of adhesive or sealant the test is about. Please see a table with the different product groups and respective limit values. And please use our LEED specific order form.

There are different VOC requirements for adhesives and sealants in the LEED^® 2009 specification for

• Schools

These go for VOC emission chamber testing in accordance with Section 01350 specification. A comparison of test data showed the equivalency of EMICODE EC1, Blue Angel and CA Section 01350 requirements.

Other points may be achieved for recyclable and for recycled content.

Italy

GBC Italia has different specifications - you need to show compliance with EMICODE EC1 specifications for IEQ credit 4.1 in Italian version of LEED.

Using synergies

If a manufacturer needs VOC testing for markets on both sides of the Atlantic, then Eurofins can help saving money by combining all required testing into one test setup. This service is unique in whole world. No single other testing laboratory is approved for VOC emission chamber testing of adhesives and sealants both for US purposes and for European labels such as Blue Angel, EMICODE and M1, combining this with a world-wide valid ISO 17025 accreditation.

Further Information

Please see our flyer on LEED^® issues in English or in French, or contact our national organisations or our specialists for using Eurofins expertise that may help to establish sustainable and green buildings.

Order forms and testing request forms for VOC testing are available for free download here.

Further contacts regarding LEED:

• USGBC Contact page
• USGBC Customer Service page
• LEED FAQ
• LEED Rating systems
• LEED Addenda (updates and clarifications)
• GBC Italia Contact page

Your direct contacts:

Direct contact to Eurofins Product Testing A/S, the world market leader for VOC emissions chamber testing:

• Sales: Reinhard Oppl, email ReinhardOppl@eurofins.com
• Certification: Dr. Roland Augustin, email ccs@eurofins.com
• Testing laboratory: Thomas Neuhaus, email product-emissions@eurofins.com

Note: "U.S. Green Building Council", "USGBC", "LEED" and related logos are trademarks owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and used by permission.