To develope criteria that identify chemicals of concern in soft materials and to prioritize relevant sustainability applications in the design field
Materials Science & Engineering
Description
According to the UK Building Research Establishment, nearly 70,000 new synthetic chemicals and materials were introduced in the twentieth century, and less than 2% of them have been tested for their effects on human health, while more than 70% have not been tested at all. There are significant challenges coupled with the great performance improvements that the synthetic materials development has brought. Growing concerns are recently realized about the environmental and health impacts of those materials and the finishes plus treatments added to them. Emerging science links many of the applied chemicals to environmental contamination and negative human health effects. In order to move to more sustainable choices, manufacturers, designers and end-users must address the environmental and health issues in each of the major aspects of production and specification for design applications.
