Hazardous materials in buildings

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the types of building materials that could present a hazardous risk to health of building occupants. The review is necessary as many countries including Korea and the UK have a policy target to make building sustainable and air-tight; therefore a strategy and guide is needed to address the possible hazards that could be found in existing structures of many buildings. For new buildings, the assessment should be at the beginning of building conception, which should be extended to all stages of construction, and the potential hazard should be registered in record to inform the future refurbishment procedures and end-of-life management of the building, for disposal and re-use of materials. The assessment of hazardous materials should be an important aspect of the green building certification such as those being developed in Korea. Various types of hazardous building materials are described. Guidance is provided to encourage precaution and remediation of risks when handling these materials during construction or refurbishment or with materials already in place in existing buildings. The good practice should include a checklist procedure including: survey, assess condition, assess presence, identify and analyse, record, evaluate, and finally develop a plan strategy for prevention and possible remediation.