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Chris Watts, MARC USA/Indianapolis Public Relations
Phone:  317.638.9158	Fax:  317.632.0078
E-mail:  cwatts@marcusa.com
OR
Mike Lynam, Knauf Insulation
Phone:  800.825.4434	Fax:  317.398.3675
E-mail: mike.lynam@KnaufUSA.com

Knauf building, metal building and duct wrap insulations earn GREENGUARD for Children and Schools™ certification
Knauf meets tougher standards for school, daycare applications

 

(SHELBYVILLE, Ind., May 10, 2006)  Knauf Insulation and the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute today announced that several Knauf products have earned the new GREENGUARD Children & Schools™ certification.  Knauf’s fiber glass batts, blankets, Jetstream® blowing insulation, Perimeter Plus™ Blow-In-Blanket insulation, duct wrap and metal building insulation all meet the requirements of GREENGUARD for Children & Schools, which establishes extremely strict chemical emissions standards to accommodate the special health needs of children in educational and daycare facilities.

 

“As the first insulation manufacturer to originally earn certification from the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, Knauf has been a pioneer in addressing indoor air quality, an issue of critical—and growing—concern to the construction industry and consumers in general,” said Knauf president Robert Claxton.  “Now, we’re pleased that these Knauf Insulation products also meet the more stringent GREENGUARD Children and Schools Standard.”

 

From a business standpoint, Knauf’s GREENGUARD for Children & Schools certification better positions its customers to pursue projects in the growing educational construction market.  Educational facilities construction established a moderate growth trend in 2005, and spending on the sector grew a dramatic 45% in February 2006 alone, according to McGraw-Hill Construction.

“Insulation saves energy—and in doing so, helps the environment by conserving natural resources and cutting pollution,” finished Claxton.  “Through our work with GREENGUARD, we’re showing that insulation is friendly to the indoor environment as well, and helps keep homes, offices and schools healthy as well as more comfortable and efficient.”

 

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (http://www.greenguard.org/) is the world’s leading third-party authority on low-emitting building materials.  GREENGUARD uses a rigorous series of product and facility tests to provide independent assurance of indoor air quality (IAQ) excellence and compliance with the strictest industry standards on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions, including formaldehyde. 
 
In late 2005, GREENGUARD launched its Children & Schools certification program to combat growing concerns about indoor pollution exposure among children.  Poor IAQ in buildings is ranked as a top-five health threat by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the EPA further estimates that half of U.S. schools have IAQ problems. Children can be especially susceptible to the effects of poor IAQ, which can lead to conditions like asthma, allergies and endocrine disorders. Poor indoor air quality can also contribute to symptoms like headaches, coughing, rashes and eye, nose and throat irritation.  Childhood asthma is on the rise, with 1 in 12 school-aged children suffering from the disease, accounting for more than 14 million missed school days every year. 

GREENGUARD addresses this problem by tightening its already-strict indoor emissions standards for construction products and furnishings. In addition to children having a lower tolerance for many chemical emissions, classrooms also have much greater occupant density than the typical home or office. GREENGUARD for Children & Schools allows no greater than 1/100th of currently-published Threshold Limit Values or no more than ½ of California’s Chronic Reference Exposure Levels for volatile organic compounds, whichever is lower.  The Children & Schools Standard also establishes limits on phthalates, a class of chemicals linked to asthma and developmental toxicity.

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute™ is a global, non-profit organization with a scientific, third party board to establish environmental standards for indoor products and building materials. The Institute’s goal is to improve public health and quality of life by encouraging and helping manufacturers to build better and safer products. GREENGUARD provides the world's only guide to certified low emitting interior products and building materials through independent, indoor air quality laboratory testing.  Learn more at http://www.greenguard.org/.

 

Knauf Insulation is a leading global manufacturer of thermal and acoustical insulations for residential, commercial, industrial, OEM and metal building applications.  For more information about Knauf sales and products, visit http://www.knaufusa.com/, write to Knauf Insulation, One Knauf Drive, Shelbyville, IN  46176 or call 800-825-4434.