Offgassing & SIPs?
Claire Anderson
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
Does anyone have a metric for estimating offgassing of formaldehyde (and other chemicals) from SIPs? A research article I recently found stated that SIPs offgas formaldehyde, toluene, etc.—even through gypsum drywall. I’m in the process of contacting the authors of this paper, as well as querying various manufacturers of “safe” sealants, but I’m wondering if anyone else has leads on solid sources of information (i.e., independent research), especially with regards to the possibility of sealing in the chemicals so they can’t offgas into a living space.
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Replies
Claire,
Of all the materials included in new homes, it's fair to say that SIPs are very low on the list of concerns for offgassing. Any green builder should be striving to achieve very low levels of air leakage through walls and ceilings; in fact, SIP manufacturers provide instructions on how to use gaskets, foam, and caulk to achieve these low air leakage rates. Furthermore, interior walls are almost always finished with gypsum drywall; no one leaves the OSB exposed.