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We are aware of insulation products and construction practices which yield far superior insulative value compared to fiberglass. Not all are readily available; some must be aggressively investigated. Many are more expensive up front, but save a lot of money in the long run. Link to FIN

Green Construction Competing Insulation
Activists and Groups Healthy Houses
Indoor Air Quality and Testing Duct Coatings
Attorneys Citizen Action

Green Construction Links

Homes constructed from, and filled with, toxic materials simply cannot be healthy. Fiberglass insulation, resin-bonded wood particle and strand boards, carpeting and other common materials give off toxic gasses, dust, and fibers which weaken our immune system, clog our respiratory system and leave us with an array of symptoms bewildering the best doctors. If this poisoning is allowed to persist, it will ruin the quality of our lives, if not kill us outright.

The sensible thing to do is to construct homes with such materials -- and in such ways -- as to harness the warmth of the sun and the earth, and shield us from hostile elements without consuming fossil fuels or creating other pollution. You can do this without poisoning yourself, you can do it inexpensively, and you can do it with materials which may be considered surplus in your region.

Straw-bale construction

Properly constructed straw-bale homes will not rot, even in moist climates. There are perfectly sound, 100-year-old straw-bale homes in the Plains states. In western North America and other regions where straw bales are a waste product of intensive mechanized grain farming, and where straw burning is no longer permissible, the bales are readily available. Straw-bale home walls can easily achieve an insulative value of R-60 or more; the average fiberglass insulated wall is R-6; R-10 at best.

Straw should not be confused with hay, which is horse food.

If you are planning a new construction in an area where straw bales are available, and you can get approval from your local building department, straw-bale construction is definitely the way to go!  Here are some good resources.  

Rammed Earth,  Adobe and Cob

Another intelligent energy-saving building technique is "rammed-earth" construction which utilizes highly compacted earth mixed with a little cement. This technique is most popular in desert and mountain areas, but could be used in many places, and also features very high thermal resistivity.

Earthships

Are passive solar homes made out of recycled materials.  They are often high-energy efficiency and low cost.  They may feature stunning designs and the use of unusual materials.

Cordwood

A time tested technique using 24-inch logs stacked sideways.

Energy Efficiency and Solar Design

Energy-efficient building is part of the science of "green" building. Central to this concept is harnessing the power of the sun when it is needed, and deflecting surplus solar radiation at other times. Working in harmony with the sun dramatically improves energy efficiency while reducing costs and pollution. Solar power can further be divided as "passive" or photovoltaic.

Passive solar has many faces, including: rooftop solar water heating, large, south-facing windows with hefty overhangs, heat sinks, attached greenhouses, even skylights. Passive solar can be as simple as having a tree which shades your house in the summer, then drops its leaves and lets the sun in during winter.

There are many sites discussing passive solar design and principles.  A few choice ones are:

Photovoltaics use silicon panels to convert sunshine into electricity. Photovoltaic technology is progressing rapidly. Photovoltaic panels and roofing tiles could replace electricity now provided by large coal-, oil- or nuclear-fired polluter power plants.

Safety Gear

We are looking for an affiliate through which to sell respirators, gloves, tyvek coveralls, etc.  Anyone with an on-line store selling these things please contact us.

Healthy Houses

Activists and Groups

IARC and WHO have the clout to organize and fund large medical studies to determine whether substances endanger human health and reproduction. Now that national governments have relinquished this role, very few organizations other than large corporations have this ability. But when corporations fund safety studies on their own products, the results are biased.

FIN supports the concept of a worldwide fund organized by WHO wherein large multi-national manufacturers are required to pay a medical research premium. Use of the fund is completely controlled by WHO, and researchers must maintain the highest ethical standards in order to receive research grants.

Air Quality Testing

People who are concerned their houses are contaminated with fibers may consider testing.  The range of services in this field could include a simple test obtained through the mail, performed by the tester, and mailed back to the lab.  It may also include having a qualified tester come to your home to perform a variety of tasks.  These links are intended to help you find testing companies, though no endorsement of any testing company is made or implied by these links.

General Indoor Air Quality

The internet is rife with these sites.  Here are a few picks.

Duct Coatings

New technologies may spare you from having to rip out all of your fiberglass-lined or fiberglass-contaminated ducts.  You should check with a local IAQ expert to see whether these types of products may help you.

  • Envirotrol:  Makes a ceramic duct coating.
  • Foster 40/20: The maker of this product says it has very strong anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties.

Competing Insulation Products

FIN does not endorse any particular insulation product. We do not certify that all products listed below are entirely safe to install and use under all conditions. We are certain all of them are less toxic than fiberglass. You are responsible to choose the product which is correct for your climate and your application, and to follow safe work and correct installation practices. Boron compounds, used to make many kinds of insulation fire safe, may pose some toxicity problems. Resins used in some foams may off-gas, making some individuals sick.

Cellulose

Cellulose is made from recycled newspapers. It is often treaded with Boron compounds for fire retardancy. Dry cellulose can be dusty, and blown into attics, tends to settle. Wet-pack cellulose typically achieves higher density and much better R-value than dry pack or fiberglass. Wet pack is gaining popularity in open walls when used with reinforced plastic sheeting. Cellulose is readily available almost everywhere in North America, and is priced competitively with fiberglass. FIN recommends you wear a NIOSH-approved respirator when installing cellulose.

Radiant Barriers

Usually made with layers of metal foil and either bubble-pack insulation or kraft paper, radiant barriers reflect heat, either out or in. They seem to be most effective in hot climates, and can be used in conjunction with other insulation. Radiant barriers may lose reflective ability when when dirty, but emit no fibers or dust.

Recycled No. 1 Plastic (PET) batts.

PET is the stuff from which we make soda bottles, carpeting and even clothing. PET batts can be used in the same manner as fiberglass batts: hang, staple or cram them any way or place you like.

The only company we know making insulation batts out of PET is E2 Development Corp., in Canada. Their product is called RTICA.

Natural fibers

  • Wool comes from sheep.  A New Zealand company, Fibre Technology, makes wool insulation and is now mixing wool and hemp in its Woolbloc insulation sheets.  They claim higher R-values and the ability to absorb formaldehyde from the air, rather than release it like many of today's toxic building products.  According to the manufacturer, Woolbloc is now patented in 14 countries, and is certified to New Zealand Building Code standards by independent consultants Opus International, for R-ratings from R1.7 to R3.0, is fire proof and vermin proof, non-toxic and naturally sound absorbent.
  • Cotton comes from a plant. There's usually a lot of scraps after weaving textiles and making clothes, and that is used to make insulation. Cotton is treated for fire retardancy with Boron compounds.  Thanks to the help of Doug Campbell of Campbell Environmental Services, we can help you find Bonded Logic cotton insulation.

Foams and Coatings

Insulation foam can range from rigid 4 x 8-foot plastic-like panels to gooey, styrofoam like stuff pumped into your wall cavities. Both forms are widely available in the U.S. A poor installation job greatly diminishes the efficacy of pumped in foam, by leaving gaps. Foams can have impressive high R-values, but impressive prices, as well

Citizen Action

Tell your elected officials and regulatory honchos about your hideous fiberglass experience. If they hear from enough of you, maybe they'll understand fiberglass hurts real people who live in their district and vote.

  • The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission supposedly protects the American public from dangerous products. If you have been injured by fiberglass in your home, please share your story with the CPSC by completing an incident reporting form.
  • The people of Shasta Lake City, California, are fighting for their air. Knauf, a German-based fiberglass manufacturer, wants to set up a huge new factory in their sleepy town. Jobs are scarce in the rural far northern end of California's central valley, so town boosters have rolled out the red carpet. They're willing to waive basic air quality regulations, which the California Legislature will allow them to do. Flanked on three sides by big mountains, Shasta Lake City residents will be breathing tons of tiny particulates and carcinogenic chemical residues for years to come. And all of that will be raining into California's largest reservoir! But some of the townsfolk are fighting back. Why not visit them and join the fight?
  • To contact either of your two United States Senators, you need only know in what state you reside.
  • Your Congress-person in the United States House represents much fewer people than your senator in all but the smallest states, and may be more likely to listen. If you do not know this person's name, call your county registrar of voters.
  • If you are injured by fiberglass in the workplace, then your problems fall under the purview of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. Many states are authorized by OSHA to operate their own occupational safety programmes; in all others OSHA is supposed to be looking out for worker health.

 

Attorneys

When all else fails, FIN urges fiberglass victims to sue whomever is responsible for your contamination and injury. Insulators won't change their careless ways without that leverage. You probably won't get rich overnight, but the right attorney can win compensation for most or all of your losses.

One day, somebody with a particularly good fiberglass-injury case will take on the fiberglass manufacturers themselves for making an inherently dangerous product. That's a difficult challenge, but the payoff could be big.

Lawinfo can help you find attorneys, expert witnesses and other legal-related professionals near you.

Asbestos News: Informational site reviewing the hazards of asbestos exposure and the various forms of associated cancers it causes. Resources for contacting a lawyer specializing in asbestos exposure are available.

Link Listing Policy

If you know of any other sites which belong on this page, please e-mail us, give a complete URL and an explanation. FIN will investigate the site. FIN will determine whether the site fits the goals of FIN and the interests of FIN's guests. FIN's approval of your link for posting does not require remuneration; however, donations are accepted (link to address page) If your commercial site is receiving hits because of your FIN-Link, a contribution is warranted. FIN may add new links or remove existing links at any times at its sole discretion.