Indoor air environments have obviously been heavily scrutinized in recent times for reasons associated 
with the global health pandemic situation since the spring of 2020. Temporarily overlooked during this period has been the degree of everyday chemical exposure which occurs in homes, schools, offices, and other venues. These airborne chemicals, commonly referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are utilized to manufacture and maintain numerous building products, interior finishing and furnishing materials, and cleaning products. Some VOCs possess irritant and potentially toxic health hazard profiles which can cause both short and long-term effects.
People on average spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, where various studies conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency and other research outfits have demonstrated that air pollution levels directly attributable to VOC concentrations are 2 to 5 times higher than those found outdoors. Coupled with the development and adoption of more stringent global regulatory compliance initiatives focused on reducing allowable VOC levels, as well as the continued promotion and utilization of green building programs in commercial construction, the need and/or requirement for environmental awareness and sustainability is quite likely at an all-time peak.
With a return to “normal” life in the hopefully not-so-distant future, STI has continued its mission of environmental advocacy by pursuing GREENGUARD Gold Certification on its existing firestop product portfolio to further promote healthier indoor environments. This program, managed by UL Environmental, awards certification credentials to products scientifically proven to meet some of the world’s most rigorous, third party chemical emissions standards. Not only are GREENGUARD Gold certified products designated as “very lowemitting” and acceptable for use in potentially sensitive environments such as educational and healthcare facilities, they are also recognized, referenced, or preferred by more than 450 global purchasing specifications, building codes, and green building rating systems such as USGBC LEED and IFLI Living Building Challenge.
There is no question that the protection, preservation, and conservation associated with environmental awareness will continue to be an extremely important issue on varied personal, professional, and even political fronts moving forward. Contact STI for additional information on our products and their ability to promote healthier indoor environments accordingly.