About The Red List

A list of chemicals representing the “worst in class”

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List is a list of chemicals representing the “worst in class” substances prevalent in the building industry that pose serious risks to human health and the environment. Since its inception in 2006, the Red List has been an intuitive tool for communicating the need to stop using harmful chemicals.

Red List chemicals serve many different functions in many building products. However, using these chemicals can harm health and the environment. Hazards include cancer, reproductive toxicity, acute or chronic organ toxicity, endocrine disruption, environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, ozone depletion, and others. 

Safer chemical alternatives, product designs, and building designs are possible: although prevalent, Red List chemicals are not necessary in most instances.

Chemicals and Classes

Chemical regulation has historically occurred on a chemical-by-chemical basis, leaving room for “regrettable substitution.” If a harmful chemical is restricted, it is often replaced with another that may have similar health and environmental impacts. Recognizing this limitation, the Red List references regulations but expands upon them using a precautionary chemical class-based approach. However, if data from a full chemical hazard assessment proves that a chemical within a class is not harmful, it can be removed from the Red List.

 The Red List is organized by chemical class and identifies individual chemicals by Chemical Abstract Registry Number (CASRN). Chemical classes (for example, orthophthalates) are added to or retired from the Red List with each new version of the LBC Standard. 

The chemicals included in each class are detailed in the 2025 LBC Red List CASRN Guide. Individual chemicals within chemical classes are updated in the CASRN Guide on an annual basis with input from Living Future’s  Material Health Technical Advisory Group.

References about the class-based approach for chemical management

• Environ Health. 2023 Jan 12;21(Suppl 1):120. doi: 10.1186/s12940-022-00919-y
• Environmental Health Perspectives 2024 Apr 29; 132(4):045002. doi: 10.1289/EHP13549
• Environ Health Perspect. 2021 Feb 17;129(2):025001. doi: 10.1289/EHP7431

Resources for finding safer ingredients

• Alternatives to Persistent Organic Pollutants restricted by the Stockholm Convention 
• TCO Certified Accepted Substance List 
• ChemForward Plastic Additives database
• U.S. EPA Safer Ingredients List
• 3E Exchange (formerly Toxnot) ChemSec Marketplace

About The Watch List and Priority List

The LBC Watch List and the LBC Priority List create a transparent on-ramp for the LBC Red List. The 2025 LBC Red List CASRN Guide contains these lists. 

Adding chemicals or chemical classes to the  LBC Watch List signals that Living Future is considering their future inclusion in the LBC Red List. The Watch List does not impact a product’s Declaration Status, nor the ability of LBC project teams to use products that contain these chemicals. 

Substances on the Watch List may graduate to the Priority List if Living Future intends to add them to the Red List in the near future. A chemical must be designated as “Priority” for at least 12 months before it can be added to the Red List. A chemical designated as Priority for Red List Inclusion will be flagged in light orange on a Declare label, but does not impact the product’s Declaration Status.

Stakeholder dialogue about whether and how to move substances between the Watch, Priority, and Red Lists is welcome. Questions and comments about specific chemicals and classes can be sent to declare.support@living-future.org. Other ways to engage include applying to our Material Health Technical Advisory Group – email tech.advisory@living-future.org. 

Notable Changes in 2025

No changes were made to the Red List in 2025.

However, effective February 1, 2025, the following changes were made to the Priority List: 

• Chemicals from several regulatory lists that are not already on the Red List have been added to the Priority List, to advance the full regulatory lists to the Red List in early 2026.
• Living Future will align its program rules with the regulations’ allowable thresholds and exemptions for specific chemical entries.
• The inventory of Toxic Heavy Metals on the Priority List was updated with 2073 additional CASRNs (chemicals with arsenic, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, and mercury). Living Future intends to advance most of the Toxic Heavy Metals to the Red List in 2026.
• Several cadmium-containing pigments will now be flagged on the Priority List and will likely advance to the Red List in 2026.
• Brass was demoted from the Priority List to the Watch List. We plan to do a larger study in the future to determine the program rules for alloys.
• 137 Organophosphate Flame Retardants (OPFR) were added to the Priority List. In 2026, a subset of these chemicals will advance to the Red List while the rest will be demoted to the Watch List.
• The OPFRs regulated by the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act and in polyurethane foam in the state of Washington will advance to the Red List in 2026.

The regulatory lists added to the Priority List this year include: 

• Stockholm Convention 
• Rotterdam Convention
• Montreal Protocol
• Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol
• EU REACH Annex XIV Authorization List – full list
• EU REACH Annex XVII Restricted Substances – Selected entries related to the building industry and the Annex VI category 1 CMRs 
• Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic chemicals banned by U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) 40 CFR 751

Please view the following resources for more information.

• Fact Sheet – The Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List 2025 Update: A Guide for Project Teams
• Fact Sheet – The Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List 2025 Updates: A Guide for Manufacturers

How Annual LBC Red List Changes Affect Project Teams and Product Manufacturers

Products in Declare will be evaluated against the LBC Red List version that is active when a manufacturer submits the product for its annual label renewal. At that time, a product with a Declare status of LBC Red List Free or LBC Red List Approved may subsequently receive Declared status because a constituent chemical was subsequently added to the Red List and the product formulation wasn’t changed.

An active Declare label with a status of LBC Red List Free or LBC Red List Approved at the time of specification (when the project team places the product order with the manufacturer) is sufficient documentation of product compliance with I13 Red List. This remains true even if a constituent chemical in the product is added to the Red List prior to the label’s expiration date. Living Future encourages project teams to download the Declare label information at the time of specification.

If a project team did not document the compliance status of the Declare label at the time of specification, they may cross-reference the Red List ingredient identified on the renewed Declare label with the contents of the Red List at the time of project registration, to demonstrate compliance.

Regulatory Lists to be included in the Red List in 2026

Stockholm Convention: Persistent Organic Pollutants

The Stockholm Convention, adopted in 2001, requires the elimination or restriction of selected persistent organic pollutants, including several pesticides, industrial chemicals, and chemical processing byproducts.
From the Stockholm Convention website:

“Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances; that is, they are carbon-based. They possess a particular combination of physical and chemical properties such that, once released into the environment, they:

• remain intact for exceptionally long periods of time (many years);
• become widely distributed throughout the environment as a result of natural processes involving soil, water and, most notably, air;
• accumulate in the living organisms including humans, and are found at higher concentrations at higher levels in the food chain; and
• are toxic to both humans and wildlife.

Exposure to POPs can lead to serious health effects including certain cancers, birth defects, dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems, greater susceptibility to disease and damages to the central and peripheral nervous systems.”

The Stockholm Convention POPs list includes several classes of chemicals that were already included on the Red List—for example, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), short-chain chlorinated paraffins, chlorobenzenes, pentachlorophenol, etc. Although the listed POPs have mostly been phased out of use, including the full Stockholm Convention list within the Red List is important to ensure its complete alignment with the most accepted international definitions of POPs.

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Rotterdam Convention: Banned or Severely Restricted Chemicals subject to the Prior Informed Consent Procedure

The objective of the Rotterdam Convention, adopted in 1998,  is to “promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm and to contribute to their environmentally sound use, by facilitating information exchange about their characteristics, by providing for a national decision-making process on their import and export and by disseminating these decisions to Parties.”

Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention lists the pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons and are subject to the PIC procedure. Annex III contains many of the persistent organic pollutants listed by the Stockholm Convention. It also lists asbestos, several PFAS, halogenated flame retardants, lead, mercury, organotin compounds, and other classes included in the Living Future Red List. 

Although many of the chemicals in Annex III are severely restricted and rarely used, including the full Rotterdam Convention list within the Red List is important to ensure its complete alignment with the accepted international definitions of hazardous chemicals.

Some of the chemicals listed in the Rotterdam Convention are restricted as pesticides, but allowed to be used as industrial chemicals. We intend to write our program rules to align with this – for example, certain pesticide dust formulations containing thiram are disallowed under the Convention; however, thiram is allowed for use as a vulcanizing agent for rubber.

Rotterdam Convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade

Ozone Depleting Substances as defined by the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment

The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a successful international agreement to phase out the use of ozone depleting substances, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) – gases often used in refrigeration and air conditioning. With over 190 signatories, including the U.S., the treaty put the ozone layer on the path to a full recovery. However, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) replaced the CFCs and HCFCs in many applications – these are also potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. 

The 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is an international agreement to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs by 80-85% by 2047. The U.S. ratified the Kigali Amendment in 2022 and manages the reduction of HFCs under the AIM Act.

While the original Red List included CFCs and HCFCs, it did not completely include all ozone depleting substances listed by the U.S. EPA, and it did not include the HFCs commonly used in HVAC systems (such as R410a, a mixture of HFC-32 and HFC-125).  Adding the full list of ozone-depleting substances as well as the HFCs listed in the Kigali Amendment will help Living Future to write program rules aligning with its climate goals and advocate for an industry shift toward natural refrigerants.  

• Ozone-Depleting Substances (EPA)
• Recent International Developments under the Montreal Protocol (EPA)

EU REACH Annex XIV—Full Authorization List

The European Union’s (EU) Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), adopted in 2007, is a law that aims to protect human health and the environment from the risks posed by chemicals.  

Annex XIV of the REACH regulation is a list of substances of very high concern (SVHC) that cannot be placed on the market in the EU unless prior authorisation is granted. 

The REACH regulation designates substances as Candidate SVHCs if they meet the criteria for classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction (CMR) category 1A or 1B; or if they are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB); or if they cause an equivalent level of concern as CMR or PBT/vPvB substances. 

SVHCs from the Candidate list are added to Annex XIV via a public consultation process, and are prioritized based on their PBT or vPvB properties; wide dispersive use; or high volumes. 

Including the EU REACH Annex XIV in the Red List will align  it with the leading international protective chemicals regulation. 

• Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Authorisation List (ECHA)

EU REACH Annex XVII – Restricted List – selected entries related to the building industry

The European Union’s (EU) Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), adopted in 2007, is a law that aims to protect human health and the environment from the risks posed by chemicals.  

Annex XVII is a list of substances that are restricted for specific uses because the manufacture, placing on the market, or use of a substance on its own, in a mixture, or in an article poses a risk to human health or the environment that is not adequately controlled. The restricted uses in Annex XVII have a wide range of applicability – from fertilizers, children’s toys, jokes and hoaxes, to cosmetics. The REACH regulation lays out a process for preparing, reviewing, evaluating and incorporating public comments on proposed restrictions.

The Red List already included several chemicals restricted in Annex XVII, including asbestos, mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium VI compounds, creosote, alkylphenol ethoxylates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, etc. 

In 2025, Living Future selected additional entries  from Annex XVII related to use in the building industry to add to the Priority List:

• Entry #5. Benzene
• #17. Lead sulfate
• #31. Creosote
• #28-30. Category 1 carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive toxicants (restricted at various defined concentrations in mixtures and articles supplied to the general public – use is “restricted to professional users”)
• #48. Toluene (restricted in adhesives and spray paints only)
• #54. 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethanol (DEGME) (used in paint strippers)
• #56. Diisocyanates (restricted for the general public, but allowed in manufacturing and construction by professional users if adequate training on their hazards and safe handling is provided) 
• #60. Acrylamide (restricted in grouting only)

Several of the Annex XVII entries restrict the use of a chemical only at certain concentration levels or for certain uses or users. Before advancing these to the Red List, Living Future will carefully consider how best to represent the nuances of these restrictions in the program rules.

• Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Substances restricted under REACH

Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic chemicals banned by TSCA

Section 6(h) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires the United States Environmental Protection Agency to take action to reduce exposure to certain chemicals that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT). This section restricts the use of six chemicals.

Two of the restricted chemicals, methylene chloride (CAS 75-09-2), often used in paint strippers, and Decabromodiphenyl ether (CAS 1163-19-5), a flame retardant used in wire and cable casings and building and construction materials, are already on the Red List. 

In 2025, Living Future is adding the rest of theTSCA PBT chemicals to the Priority List, with the intention of advancing them to the Red List in 2026:

• 2,4,6-Tris(tert-butyl)phenol (2,4,6-TTBP, CAS 732-26-3) – an antioxidant in fuel additives and fuel injector cleaners as well as an additive in oil and lubricants
• Phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP 3:1, CAS 68937-41-7) – a flame retardant in plastics and as a functional fluid in aircraft and industrial machinery
• Pentachlorothiophenol (PCTP, CAS 133-49-3) – a substance with applications in the rubber industry
• Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD, CAS 87-68-3) – a solvent in rubber manufacturing and in hydraulic, heat transfer or transformer fluid

• Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Chemicals under TSCA Section 6(h)
• Code of Federal Regulations, Part 751—Regulation of Certain Chemical Substances and Mixtures Under Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act

Alkylphenols and Related Compounds

Alkylphenols are a large family of organic compounds used in a wide variety of products, including cleaning products, beauty products, contraceptives, coatings, fragrances, thermoplastics, carbonless copy paper, and agrochemicals. Most concerns are focused on alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), which bioaccumulate and have been shown to cause endocrine disruption in fish. APEs are in cleaning products that end up in waterways from wastewater treatment effluent. Some alkylphenols, especially nonylphenol, are being phased out in Europe, and more research into their impacts is needed. A few governments with environmentally preferable purchasing programs restrict or ban APEs

• REF: http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2013/04/978-87-92903-99-0.pdf

Antimicrobials (Marketed with a Health Claim)

Antimicrobials are a class of chemicals designed to kill or inhibit the growth of microbes. Antimicrobials are frequently used in soaps and building materials, including countertops, paints, and doorknobs. Nineteen antimicrobials were banned in soaps and bodywashes by the FDA in 2016. Antimicrobials used in building materials are regulated by the EPA as a pesticide, falling outside of the scope of the FDA’s ban. Antimicrobials are often used as a preservative in building materials, but the health benefits of their use have not been established or substantiated. Some antimicrobials are endocrine disruptors, and have been shown to impair learning and weaken muscle function.

Interest in building products with applied antimicrobial treatments has increased significantly during the recent global COVID-19 pandemic. While information regarding individual substances’ efficacy in controlling propagation of SARS-CoV-2 remains incomplete, “no evidence yet exists to demonstrate that products intended for use in interior spaces that incorporate antimicrobial additives result in healthier populations.” (COVID-19 Statement: Understanding Antimicrobial Ingredients in Building Materials, Perkins and Will and Healthy Building Network (2020)) Living Future continues to monitor the situation and commits to presenting current information about reported or potential human and environmental health impacts of antimicrobial substances as commonly used within the building industry and supporting its community of users in best utilizing this information in their own practice.

• REF: Understanding Antimicrobial Ingredients in Building Materials

Asbestos Compounds

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that is used in a variety of construction materials for its strength and heat resisting capabilities. It is often found in wall insulation, vinyl floor coverings, paint compounds, roofing, heat-resistant fabrics, and automobile brakes. Exposure occurs as asbestos fibers are released into the air during use, demolition, work, building, or repair of asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos is a known human carcinogen, increasing risks of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

• REF: Learn About Asbestos | US EPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) and Structural Analogues

Bisphenol A (BPA) and chemicals with structural or functional similarity, or BPA structural analogues (NTP 2017), are used to manufacture polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins and other products. The plastics are used in many consumer products, such as drink bottles, DVDs, eyeglass lenses, electronics, car parts, and other products that must not break easily. Epoxy resins are used for lining food cans and water pipes, and for many sales receipts. Most recent testing in animal models and epidemiological studies in humans have shown that early life BPA exposure adversely affect neurological function and development, as well as adversely affect male sex organs (such as the prostate gland) in fetuses, infants, and small children (Inadera 2015). Most health organizations advise against the use of BPA for baby bottles and related infant products. BPA has also been found in breast milk demonstrating that this chemical has the potential to expose infant populations. BPA structural analogues such as Bisphenol S (BPS) are often less legally restricted and considered a “regrettable substitution” for BPA and pose many of the same risks as BPA.

• REF: Bisphenol A Structural Analogues
• REF: Neurological Effects of Bisphenol A and its Analogues – PMC

California-Banned Solvents

California-banned solvents herein refer to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) designated as Group II Exempt Compounds by South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) Rule 102. This designation results from the US EPA’s use of the criterion of smog formation (defined as an organic compound’s contribution to the formation of ground-level ozone) to inform the regulatory definition of a VOC. As a result, US federal air quality regulations focus on VOCs that increase ground-level ozone concentrations, and exempt (meaning exclude) compounds with negligible reactivity. The basis of this determination is the ground-level ozone forming potential of ethane. Rules promulgated by South Coast AQMD (including Rule 1113 – Architectural Coatings, Rule 1143 – Consumer Paint Thinners and Multi-Purpose Solvents, and Rule 1168 – Adhesive and Sealant Applications) therefore serve as gap-filling measures, limiting exempt compounds’ product concentration and content by regulation when they are not regulated by the EPA. Additionally following these Rules that limit the percentage by weight of these exempt compounds in their respective product types, cyclic, branched, or linear, volatile completely methylated siloxanes (VMS) are not subject to the percentage by weight limit and are not included in the LBC Red List. Though the South Coast AQMD is an authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) overseeing specific sectors of the California building products market, its restrictions on VOCs are considered industry exemplars and have influenced a significant proportion of these product industries to conform to its standards.

• REF: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/rules-compliance/compliance/vocs/exempts/group-ii

Chlorinated Polymers, Including PVC, PVDC, Chloroprene (Neoprene Monomer), and CPVC

PVC’s vinyl chloride monomer building block is a known human carcinogen, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, PVC is a Persistent Organic Pollutant Source Material. PVC often contains other Red List ingredients, such as cadmium, lead, and phthalates. The manufacture and disposal of chlorinated polymers can result in the production of dioxins and disposal phases. Dioxins are some of the most potent toxins known to humans, with no known safe limit for exposure and a strong propensity for bioaccumulation. In addition, dioxins are highly persistent in the environment.

Chloroprene is a Persistent Organic Pollutant Source Material. Due to its carbon- chlorine base, chloroprene contributes to the creation of dioxins at different points in its life cycle (often manufacturing and/or disposal). According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are some of the most potent toxins known to humans, with no known safe limit for exposure and a strong propensity for bioaccumulation. In addition, dioxins are highly persistent in the environment.

Chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE) and Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene (CSPE) are Persistent Organic Pollutant Source Materials: due to their carbon-chlorine bases, these products contribute to the creation of dioxins and furans at different points in their life cycle (often manufacturing and/or disposal). According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are some of the most potent toxins known to humans, with no known safe limit for exposure and a strong propensity for bioaccumulation. In addition, dioxins are highly persistent in the environment. Similarly, furans accumulate in animal fat, concentrating as they travel up the food chain. Non-chlorinated polyethylene products are readily available in many product categories.

• REF (dioxins): Dioxins

Chlorobenzenes

Chlorobenzene is used primarily as a solvent, a degreaser for auto parts, and a chemical intermediary for making other chemicals, so exposures are primarily a risk to workers making or using it. Most exposures are through inhalation of fumes. Short-term exposure can cause headaches, sleepiness, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, and in extreme cases, unconsciousness. Chronic (long-term) exposure can cause increased signs of neurotoxicity (numbness, etc.) and irritation of the upper respiratory tract. In animals, chronic exposure has also caused kidney and liver damage. Chlorobenzene is broken down by sun and bacteria in the environment and does not accumulate in the food chain.

• REF: Chlorobenzene | ToxFAQs™ | ATSDR 

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCS) AND Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCS)

According to the US EPA, the depletion of the Earth’s protective ozone layer by chlorofluorocarbons (or CFCs) is responsible for an increased incidence of skin cancer, cataracts, impairment of human immune systems, and damage to wildlife. CFCs have been banned from production in the United States since 1995.

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are potent ozone-depleting compounds. While less destructive than the now-banned chlorofluorocarbons, HCFCs are targeted for gradual phaseout by the US EPA, with a total ban going into effect in the year 2030. According to US EPA, the depletion of the Earth’s protective ozone layer is responsible for an increased incidence of skin cancer, cataracts, impairment of human immune systems, and damage to wildlife.

• REF: Phaseout of Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) | US EPA

Formaldehyde (Added)

Formaldehyde is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the State of California as a known human carcinogen. Common health effects at low levels of exposure to this volatile organic compound include irritation and sensitization, and the compound also acts as an asthma trigger. Long-term exposure is associated with nasal cancers and leukemia.

• REF: Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk – NCI

Monomeric, and Polymeric and Organophosphate Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFRS)

Halogenated Fire Retardants (HFRs) are a broad class of flame retardants containing chlorine or bromine that have aroused concern due to their exponential accumulation in human beings in recent years. HFRs are persistent bioaccumulative toxicants, meaning that they accumulate in organisms and the broader environment, often reaching alarmingly high concentrations as they travel up the food chain. In addition, certain halogenated products have shown evidence of harm to humans and other animal species. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, for example, the toxicity endpoints of concern for Penta-PBDE include adverse effects on neurological development, reproduction, thyroid hormone disruption and possible liver toxicity.

HFRs include PBDE, TBBPA, HBCD, Deca-BDE, TCPP, TCEP, Dechlorane Plus, and other retardants with bromine or chlorine. Boron is not an HFR and is allowed. Many products, including virtually all foam insulations, contain HFRs.

• REF: Flame retardants – Washington State Department of Ecology

Organotin Compounds

Organotin compounds are a class of substances containing a bond between tin and carbon. Organotin compounds are used in the production of PVC, silicone rubber, and polyurethane. Exposure can cause memory loss, eye irritation, and liver damage. Certain organotin compounds are neurotoxins and acute exposure can be lethal. Organotin compounds are persistent in the environment and pose a threat to aquatic life at elevated concentrations. Animal studies have indicated organotin compounds might damage the immune and nervous systems.

• REF: ORGANOTIN (Methyl and Butyl) TOXICITY

Perfluorinated and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) / Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCS)

Perfluorinated and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances, also commonly referred to as PFAS, are synthetic manufactured fluorine-containing chemicals that exist in many forms with many uses in building and consumer products. Perfluorinated Compounds, or PFCs, are a subset of PFAS. Building product applications of PFAS include roofing materials, paints and coatings, sealants, caulks, adhesives, carpets, and more, providing highly desirable functions such as weatherproofing, corrosion prevention, lubrication, friction reduction, and grease and water resistance. PFAS and PFCs are characterized by their carbon-fluorine bonds, which are some of the strongest bonds in all of organic chemistry. The wide range of uses for PFAS and PFCs increases the potential for human and environmental exposure and is magnified by their indefinite persistence in the environment and potential for bioaccumulation. While most individual PFAS have not been studied for their impacts to human and environmental health, their persistence contributes to bioaccumulation to levels that we know to be potentially harmful. In many cases, relatively safer non-fluorinated alternatives exist for these applications and many building product sectors are already making a transition to safer chemistries.

• REF: OECD Portal on Per and Poly Fluorinated Chemicals
• REF: Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) | US EPA
• REF: ITRC PFAS
• REF: PFAS Central

Phthalates (Orthophthalates)

Mounting evidence from animal studies show the hormone-disrupting potential of phthalates, primarily orthophthalates, prompting the National Research Council to urge the US Environmental Protection Agency to pursue a “cumulative risk assessment” of this class of chemicals to determine their interactivity. Testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that phthalates are nearly ubiquitous in the US population, with highest concentrations in women and in children aged 6 to 11 years. The endocrine disrupting nature of phthalates has implications for childhood and reproductive development, as well as cancer incidence. The European Union and over a dozen countries have banned the use of phthalates in children’s products, as has the State of California.

• REF (endocrine disruptors): EDC-2: The Endocrine Society’s Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals – PMC 

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBS)

PCB manufacturing in the United States stopped in 1977 but the compound is long-lasting in the environment (mostly in soils) around old manufacturing and disposal sites, in old electrical transformers and electrical devices, and in fish and their predators. PCBs make good coolants, lubricants, and insulators for electrical equipment of all kinds. They are known to cause cancer in animals and are probable human carcinogens, but exposure tends to be limited to people who worked in the electrical industry many years ago, lived close to manufacturing sites, and/or ate contaminated fish. Health effects also include acne-like skin conditions and neurobehavioral and immunological changes in children.

• REF: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Toxicity: Table of Contents | Environmental Medicine | ATSDR 

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHS)

PAHs are a group of chemicals that are often produced by the incomplete combustion of organic material, particularly wood and fossil fuels. PAHs are commonly inhaled in tobacco smoke or smoke from indoor stoves fueled by wood or coal. They can also be ingested by eating burned meat. PAHs are also used to manufacture certain types of dyes. Exposure to PAHs is linked to lung, skin, and urinary cancer, and short-term exposure may cause vomiting and diarrhea. Almost every American has detectable levels of PAHs in their body.

• REF: All About PAHs | The Superfund Research Center

Short-Chain and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPS & MCCPS)

SCCPs are most commonly used as lubricants and coolants in metal cutting and forming operations and are also used, along with MCCPs, as secondary plasticizers and flame retardants in plastics, such as PVC. Human exposure can be occupational, via inhalation of metalworking mists, or through contaminated food and dermal contact. Environmental exposure is usually from manufacturing activities, such as production, disposal, incineration, spills into waterways, and sewage effluent. SCCPs and MCCPs are persistent and very bioaccumulative in sediment. They have been found in marine mammals, other biota, and human breast milk in both industrial and remote areas. Toxic effects on mammals can include liver, hormone, and kidney damage that over a long term could lead to cancer in those organs.

• REF: Risk Management for Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins | US EPA

Toxic Heavy Metals

Toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, chromium (VI), lead (added), and mercury, pose a number of threats to health.

Arsenic is a carcinogen and can cause developmental issues.

The US Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have determined that cadmium is a known human carcinogen associated with lung cancer. Additionally, acute and long-term exposures can lead to lung and kidney damage, bone loss, and hypertension. In sufficient quantities, cadmium is lethal. Cadmium’s extreme toxicity means that overexposure can occur even when only trace amounts are present, such as during smelting and electroplating activities.

Chromium, primarily used in chrome plating materials, can cause breathing problems as well as nasal and lung cancer. Although chromium is a naturally occurring element and chromium III (trivalent chrome) is an essential nutrient, chromium (VI) (hexavalent chrome) can cause serious health issues, especially for factory workers who can inhale or ingest it during manufacturing. There has been concern about it in drinking water and, lacking EPA maximum allowable levels, the State of California set a public health goal for it. Chromium (VI) is used primarily for chrome plating of metals for decorative or protective finishes, making stainless steel, leather tanning, anti-corrosive agents for paints, and in textile dyes and pigments. Long-term or high-level exposure through inhalation can cause nasal irritation and ulcers, breathing problems, and nasal and lung cancer in unprotected workers. Ingestion can cause anemia and/or stomach tumors. Skin contact can cause skin ulcers and allergic reactions.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the environmental levels of lead have increased more than 1000-fold over the last three centuries, due almost exclusively to human activities. Lead exposure is damaging to virtually every organ and system in the human body, but is particularly damaging to the brain and central nervous system—profoundly so for young children and developing fetuses. Lead exposure is correlated with decreased IQ and delayed learning in children; scientific research has identified no safe level of lead exposure, and effects are irreversible.

According to the World Health Organization, mercury produces a suite of ill effects, including harm to the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, and even death. WHO lists children and developing fetuses as especially vulnerable to damage from mercury. Mercury bioaccumulates in the environment, eventually reaching concentrations thousands of times more intense than ambient levels.

• REF: Certain Metals – SixClasses.org
• REF: Public Health Statement for Arsenic
• REF: Cadmium and Cadmium Compounds (IARC Summary & Evaluation, Volume 58, 1993)
• REF: Hexavalent Chromium – Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• REF: Lead poisoning
• REF: Mercury | US EPA

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCS) in Wet Applied Products

VOCs are members of a large group of organic chemicals that can evaporate into the indoor air under normal temperature conditions and into the outdoor air, causing environmental impacts such as photochemical smog. Their health effects vary widely, from respiratory irritants to human carcinogens (such as formaldehyde), which is of concern since they are ingredients in many products in the built environment. On-site wet applied products (paints, adhesives, and sealants) are of particular concern because they can directly impact the health of installers who may not be using breathing or dermal protection, unlike in-factory wet applied materials that are (usually) applied with worker and environmental protections in place.

Unlike other items that appear on the Red List, (VOCs) are not banned outright. Wet-applied products (including coatings, adhesives, and sealants) applied on site must meet the following established emissions and/or VOC content standards: “Wet-applied products (including coatings, adhesives, and sealants) applied on site must have VOC levels below the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1168 for Adhesives and Sealants or the CARB 2007 Suggested Control Measure (SCM) for Architectural Coatings, as applicable.”

Wood Treatments Containing Creosote or Pentachlorophenol

Many conventional wood treatments introduce a litany of human health and environmental problems. The traits that make wood treatments effective at retarding rot and insect damage are also effective at damaging many other forms of life. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, creosote exposure is associated with skin and scrotum cancer in humans, and liver, kidney, and gestational problems in laboratory animals. Inorganic arsenic is not only an acute toxin; it is a known human carcinogen. Pentachlorophenol is linked to liver and immune system damage in humans, and reproductive and thyroid damage in laboratory animals.

• REF: (creosote): https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=64&toxid=18
• REF (pentachlorophenol): https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=400&tid=70

Red List and Watch List CASRN Guide

Previous Versions of the Red List

The LBC Red List has moved to an annual update process as of 2021. Previous versions of the LBC Red List along with the dates they were active can be found in the Living Future Membership Dashboard in the “Resources” tab of the Living Building Challenge section.