[sudo-discuss] [omni-building] Accessibility Liaison?

[Patrik D'haeseleer]

Just reminding people what the original request was about, which was
dealing primarily with the use of certain* building materials*:

On Sun, Apr 19, 2015 at 8:06 PM, niki <niki.shelley at gmail.com> wrote:

> she was particularly concerned with building improvements and the impact
> on those with chemical sensitivities. [...]
>
> She asked us to not use any materials that will inhibit those with
> chemical sensitivities from accessing the space and to create communication
> around our accessibility and needs.
>

I do think we should use materials that are low in volatile organic
compounds (VOCs):

- Paint: low-VOC paint is available, and doesn't cost all that much more.
Needless to say, also much more pleasant for the painters to work with...

- Particle board has a known issue with outgassing formaldehyde throughout
its lifespan. Sealing it can drastically slow that down. I bet there are
low-formaldehyde options available as well, but haven't had time to look
into this yet. Looks like there's some formaldehyde-free plywood at least

- Drywall / sheetrock: looks like there was a bit of a scare with Chinese
sheetrock, and with Chinese materials making it into US-made sheetrock, but
that may have been mostly an East Coast problem:

http://www.propublica.org/article/american-made-drywall-emerges-as-potential-danger
http://debralynndadd.com/q-a/how-safe-is-sheetrock/
"I called up Home Depot – where we had just bought drywall yesterday, and
the manager checked with his supplier. *All the California Home Depots use
natural gypsum mined in Mexico, and their drywall is Greenguard certified.
He said he thought it was the East Coast that used the synthetic stuff*."

This is all just based on 15 minutes of googling - if someone else has more
time to investigate, that would be greatly appreciated!

Patrik
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