Insulation has been the single most important ingredient for residential energy conservation since California's energy regulations took-off in the early 1980's, with 70% of it in the form of pink fiberglass batts. Most will agree, the cost and ease of installing "batts" is well worth the benefits of energy conservation and lower fuel bills. Nevertheless, it may be time for builders and design professionals to reevaluate the cost of using this product now that the Department of Health and Human Service's has added it to its list of suspected carcinogens.

The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, an industry trade group, maintains that the hazard with fiberglass insulation is in breathing the fine glass fibers that may become air-borne during installation--a similar problem discovered with asbestos about two decades ago. Moreover, as the insulation value per inch of fiberglass batt insulation increases from R-11 to R-13 to R-15, the glass fibers are spun finer. Finer glass fibers have a greater tendency to become air-borne and, therefore, may be more hazardous to one's health, although this is still not a proven fact and may not be a proven fact for sometime because of opposition by fiberglass insulation manufacturers.

With almost three-quarters of the 2 billion dollars spent by Americans for insulation each year going for the pink fiberglass suspected carcinogen, we may be headed for a 'fatal attraction'. Fortunately, there are alternatives to fiberglass insulation that contain no suspected carcinogen, are environmentally friendly, and utilize recycled materials.

Cellulose insulation is one attractive alternative to fiberglass. Manufactured from shredded recycled newspapers with boric acid (also used as a fire retardant in children's pajamas) added, cellulose insulation provides the same insulation value as fiberglass for the same thickness. Although the cost of fiberglass compared with cellulose materials is about the same, the labor to install the cellulose is more. On a small residential remodel with open stud cavities, the installed cost of cellulose can be as much as 50% more than fiberglass batts.

The cellulose is blown into attic cavities and is typically made from shredded newspaper. The same product can be drypacked into wall cavities after gypsum board is in place or with the aid of screening. Another method of applying cellulose to wall cavities is by spraying a wet slurry into the open wall cavities. This wet application method requires sulfate based type papers (such as, shredded Kentucky Fried Chicken boxes) whose longer fibers maintain their integrity when water is added to create the slurry.

When specifying cellulose insulation, be sure that you also specify that the fire retardant be boric acid with a boron additive to control smoldering. For best results, do not allow the use of the less expensive ammonium sulfate fire retardant, which smells like ammonia and can be corrosive if it is not properly buffered. It's not worth the risk.

Other non-toxic alternatives to fiberglass insulation include a product which is essentially cement coated air bubbles (derived from sea water), cotton insulation made from shredded denim textile scraps, and CO2 foamed urethane. If you're interested in these products, please refer to the Green Building Resource Guide for a much more complete description, including cost information, addresses and phone numbers.

The high quality of service The Architectural Machine is able to provide is driven by professional clients with high standards, seeking the best for their projects. Therefore, as this busy year comes to a close, I applaud my clients for their dedication to quality, their faithful support and their undying... energy!

Cancer is on the rise, according to statistics compiled at the National Academy of Sciences. Since the late 1960's deaths from cancer have increased. Specific causes are not listed and proof may take years, as in the example of cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Nevertheless, the statistics are there and researchers have drawn a tell-tale and controversial connection implicating the burgeoning chemical production in the U.S. in the 1960's with the 30 year latency period characteristic of carcinogens.

If this is true, we are now living among "chemical time bombs" that are claiming human lives as the 30 year fuses detonate, driving today's alarming cancer rates. So, "Living Better Through Chemistry" did have a price tag after all!

Don Siegel's entertaining science fiction movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) may actually have more relevance for us today than for viewers several decades ago. Although most cinema aficionados have considered it to be a response to social conditions at the time, in hindsight it seems to harbor a grim irony with a latency period. Moreover, the movie plunges us into the depths of fear and paranoia--with a twist. There lingers that haunting suggestion that there is no such thing as paranoia,... because everything you believe to be happening really is happening.

OK, so mistakes were made and there's nothing anyone can do about it. How does one respond? We learn and move on. Take control of what you can to influence the course of events for the next 30 years. As architects, builders and design professionals, that means reevaluating the chemicals in materials we specify and their influences on air quality in the buildings people spend 90% of their lives in. Such decisions are even more critical now because we no longer build the leaky buildings like we used to. (Even energy conservation may have a high price, if we're not careful!)

Let's begin with the surface upon which we stand--the carpet. Most carpets are suffused with many chemicals which won't appear on the labels. And, the carpet pad, in commercial projects, is usually glued to the floor with solvent-laden adhesives.

Although the carpet label may list the material as wool, nylon or some other synthetic fiber, it's the unlisted substances most responsible for toxic "off-gassing". These substances which can make you sick reside in the primary and secondary backings and chemical additives for controlling mildew, fungus, and rot.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC's) "off-gas" from carpets and are released into the air. These VOC's may include carcinogenic chemicals such as acetone, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, and benzenes. According to the American Lung Association, these chemicals can be detected through symptoms, such as, eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, skin irritation, and fatigue. Coughing or shortness of breath can also signal the presence of VOC's.

May I recommend that you specify carpets which minimize the "off-gassing" of VOC's and use water-based adhesives or carpet tacks.

Natural carpet materials, such as, wool, cotton, and linen are obvious choices for reduced "off-gassing". Nevertheless, it's the other substances listed above which need to be specified-out of the carpet. There are several manufacturers who are becoming more responsive than others to such needs throughout the U.S. and Canada. One manufacturer will even make a custom carpet to your specifications and claims to have developed a proprietary 97% toxin free carpet and underlayment.

The Architectural Machine's Green Building Resource Service has assembled an extensive data base of manufacturers. This database was established to serve you in specifying green building materials, such as, carpets with reduced "off-gassing".

So, when you stand in the middle of that carpet of yours, which is probably "off-gassing" VOC's, and raise a glass of that toxic substance to your lips, let's hope this New Year's resolution will include "cleaning-up your act/specifications".

Here's to the next 30 years! May the Almighty give us the courage, fortitude and... energy!