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This article reports on the outcome of an African regional workshop on generating support for phasing out lead in paint. The workshop recommended a lead limit of 90 ppm. In Nigeria, the 90 ppm lead standard has been in place since 2016 and a roadmap on lead paint elimination and management has been adopted.

This webpage shows which countries around the world have implemented national asbestos bans.

This webpage summarises actions undertaken by the US Environmental Protection Agency to protect the public from exposure to asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). One of EPA’s priorities is to protect the public from adverse health effects of asbestos, a known carcinogen.

Plastics are used in a vast range of building components, such as seals, windows and doors, roofing, internal and external finishes, paints, panels, varnishes, stains, pipes, guttering, cables, floor coverings, membranes, formwork, supporting structures, building skins and insulation. However, their benefits come at a growing cost to the environment and public health.

The construction industry consumes 20% of all plastics and 70% of all polyvinyl chloride (PVC) produced globally each year. Exponentially greater amounts are being produced and used, with 8.3bn tonnes of virgin plastics produced worldwide between 1950 and 2017 and global output predicted to double by 2050.

The transition to sustainable construction will involve fundamental changes in the way buildings are designed, manufactured, built and operated. As society pushes up against established planetary boundaries, professionals working in the built environment need to identify how to change our practice.

UNEP page on flame retardants, covering common types and their uses in different products, including insulation.

Guidance from the Green Science Policy Institute on specifying healthier insulation, including research on flame retardants.