Bill Walsh, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, National Coordinator, Healthy Building Network, 927 15th Street, NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 898-1610, bwalsh@healthybuilding.net

The built environment has a powerful impact on public health as building construction uses tremendous amounts of materials, many of them containing or releasing toxic chemicals at various points throughout their life cycle, from extraction to manufacture to use to disposal, with both environmental and social justice ramifications. The materials and design of a building can greatly affect the indoor air quality and in turn the health of its occupants. With "first do no harm" as the most fundamental precept of the profession, organizations are finding that they are in a good position to lead the building industry in designing and constructing buildings in ways that enhance rather than injure health. This session will focus on toxics: what they are, where they occur in building materials, and the impact of toxics on occupational health and safety.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the presentation, the participant (learner) will be able to

• Understand connections all along a material's lifecycle, including communities that are home to manufacturing or disposal facilities, workers at those facilities, occupants of buildings using those materials, as well as firefighters and other first responders to emergencies.
• Identify shifting market demand from worst in class materials to healthier, available alternatives is often the most effective means to eliminating health and environmental hazards throughout a material's lifecycle.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.