Focus on Energy: Insulation That Won’t Make You Sick

Insulation That Won’t Make You Sick by Alex Wilson One of the highlights of the Advanced Residential Construction conference in March was a presentation on the toxicity of building materials. A speaker at the Quality Building Council’s conference in Monticello, N.Y., recommended that we not use laminated-wood products (plywood, waferboard, particleboard, paneling, etc.), asphalt foundation coating, petroleum-based paints and stains, drywall, every caulk we’ve heard of, all the insulation materials we’ve ever used, pressuretreated lumber…and on and on. As Paul Bierman-Lytle spoke, attendees on both sides of me joked about going off to live in a tent. It’s an issue we would all prefer to laugh off. But as Bierman-Lytle assured us, it isn’t a joking matter. He quoted from studies done by NASA and the