Design firm Perkins+Will has launched a free, universally accessible database aimed at educating people on building materials that are, or are suspected of being, hazardous to human and environmental health.
The database is based on the “precautionary principle,” the idea that in the absence of scientific consensus, an action merits precautionary treatment if it has a suspected risk of causing harm to humans or to the environment.
Included in the site is a list of substances which are known or suspected to be common asthma triggers, sourced from governmental lists, and a list of flame retardants, featuring original research by the Green Research Policy Institute. The list details the content of asthma triggers and flame retardants by cataloging these substances and their known or suspected health and environmental impacts.
