Dozens of organizations and companies from around the world criticized the U.S. Green Building Council for proposing in the draft LEED for HealthCare (LEED-HC) rating system credits to avoid use of halogenated building materials.  Halogenated materials are those made partly or fully with chlorine, fluorine or similar elements known as halogens because of where they appear on the Periodic Table of Elements.  PVC is a halogenated building material.

USGBC spent years studying the comparative life-cycle health and environmental impacts of PVC and competing materials used in pipe, siding, windows and flooring.  The final report, released in February 2007, concluded that PVC products generally have no greater impact than the competition – and in some cases have less impact.  Specific conclusions:

  • “No single material shows up as the best across all the human health and environmental impact categories, nor as the worst.”
  • “[A] credit that awards avoidance of PVC could steer decision makers toward using materials that are worse on most environmental impacts,...”

These findings were consistent with the conclusions of another major review, published in 2004 by the European Commission, of life-cycle studies comparing PVC and competing materials.

Dismissing these findings, USGBC’s LEED Steering Committee opted to approve two “negative” credits (MRc 4.1 and MRc 5) in the draft LEED-HC document for the elimination of halogenated materials in building products and in furniture and furnishings.  The LEED-HC documnent also recommended the use of alternative materials.   The go-ahead on the negative credits came despite misgivings by the USGBC Material and Resources Technical Advisory Group (MRTAG), whose members were in conflict over the proposal.


LEED-HC Timeline

LEED-HC Draft Proposal Released
for Public Comment 

 Nov. 16, 2007  

VI Hosts Strategy Meeting
of Supply Chain Representatives, Allied
Associations, Interested Non-Vinyl Groups 

 Dec. 5, 2007 

VI Submits Comments 

 Dec. 14, 2007 

Public Comment Period Closes 
(More than 2,100 comments received) 

 Dec. 15, 2007 

LEED-HC Committee
Retreat to Review Comments 

 Dec. 16, 2007  

VI Sends Letter Listing Concerns
to USGBC President Rick Fedrizzi 

 Jan. 11, 2008  

Tentative Release Date
of Revised LEED-HC Draft 

 Feb. 4, 2008 

Tentative End
of Second Public Comment Period 

 Feb. 19, 2008