From a whole planet perspective, of course, epoxies contain and emit
some nasty stuff. Nothing is perfect. Use as little epoxy as possible
(minimize size of space for necessary functions); take good care of it
(avoid damaging the surface by abrasion when moving in heavy lab equipment,
for example); make sure the building and the laboratory space is necessary
in the first place (is there some lab space already available that could be
used?), and hold your nose while it's drying.
Local environment perspective: In terms of photochemical smog, the
mass is not large compared to industrial sources of ozone precursors, but
every little bit counts. Don't install it during Portland's smog season - I
would guess, during the hot spells in the late summer and early fall.
Hal
At 02:08 PM 3/22/97 PST, Mike O'Brien wrote:
>Hello, Fred--
>
>Thanks for your reply. Let me try to clarify--I am technical support rep
>for our local electric utility's environmental building program. Yesterday,
>I spoke with the architects for a local college science building, who are
>very open and interested in healthier IAQ and green building measures (as
>are the college and the building donors). They are striving for a very high
>quality building. In discussing the lab floors, the concerns expressed by
>the architects about flooring options were related to IAQ and durability.
>They described the challenge of finding a floor that could survive students
>dropping everything from acids to zoology specimens (formaldehyde). In
>their view, epoxy was the only option.
>
>I would appreciate any experience or advice you have about installing epoxy
>floors; I know almost nothing about them. Especially; how is the concrete
>prepped for the epoxy? And the epoxy laid? How are workers protected? Do
>the epoxy emissions disperse quickly? Any chance of them being absorbed by
>other building materials? What's the cure time? Ventilation
>recommendations? Are there epoxy materials you would recommend? Can color
>be incorporated? How is epoxy maintained after its cured? Are there
>chemicals that would damage it after it has cured? Are there any disposal
>issues around the epoxy containers?
>
>I couldn't think of any more benign concrete floor finishes or coverings
>that would stack up to the epoxy--if you know of others, I'd be interested.
>
>Thanks!
>
>Mike O'Brien
>>
>>Epoxy floor finishes for chemical resistance seem to be the preferred
>>solution in current practice here on long island, albeit I don't think they
>>could be considered
>>an earth friendly solution.
>>
>>I have had some experience selecting and supervising epoxy floor
>>installations in industrial buildings--- one in a 15,000 sf chemical storage
>>area that had to meet county regulations for chemical containment, and one in
>>a 10,000 sf food processing plant. I may be able to be of some assistance,
>>but I'm not certain what you are looking for... alternatives, or things to
>>watch-out for, as there are an awful lot of poorly done installations. Please
>>clarify.
>>
>>yours,
>>Fred Michelman
>>Harbor Custom Building, Inc.
>>516-472-4802
>
>
>O'Brien & Associates
>Environmental Building Consultants
>Portland General Electric Earth Smart program
>obrien@hevanet.com
>
>
>__________________________________________________________________
>This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by Oikos (www.oikos.com)
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>__________________________________________________________________
>.-
>
>
Hal Levin <hlevin@cruzio.com>
__________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by Oikos (www.oikos.com)
and Environmental Building News (www.ebuild.com). For instructions
send e-mail to greenbuilding-request@crest.org.
__________________________________________________________________