Advances in the Toxicity of Construction and Building Materials (Woodhead Publishing Series in Civil and Structural Engineering)

Advances in the Toxicity of Construction and Building Materials presents the potential and toxic effects of building materials on human health, along with tactics on how to minimize exposure. Chapters are divided into four sections covering the toxicity of indoor environments, fire toxicity, radioactive materials, and toxicity from plastics, metals, asbestos, nanoparticles and construction wastes. Key chapters focus on the reduction of chemical emissions in houses with eco-labelled building materials and potential risks posed by indoor pollutants that may include volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), radon, NOx, asbestos and nanoparticles. Known illnesses and reactions that can be triggered by these toxic building materials include asthma, itchiness, burning eyes, skin irritations or rashes, nose and throat irritation, nausea, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, reproductive impairment, disruption of the endocrine system, impaired child development and birth defects, immune system suppression, and even cancer. Provides an essential guide to the potential toxic effects of building materials on human health Comprehensively examines materials responsible for formaldehyde and volatile organic compound emissions, as well as semi-volatile organic compounds Presents coverage on fire toxicity and an evaluation of the radioactivity of building materials Includes several cases studies throughout and addresses current international standards Advances in the Toxicity of Construction and Building Materials Copyright Contents List of contributors 1 Introduction to advances in the toxicity of construction and building materials 1.1 COVID-19, the toxicity of construction and building materials and the need for healthy built environments 1.2 Outline of the book References 2 Assessment of hazardous compounds in building materials accumulated by the action of the atmospheric pollution 2.1 Atmospheric pollution and building materials: general knowledge 2.2 Urban-industrial buildings 2.3 Analysis of hazardous pollutant in building materials 2.3.1 Spectroscopic techniques for nondestructive analysis 2.3.2 Quantitative analysis of the accumulated pollutants 2.3.2.1 Ionic chromatography for the soluble salt analysis 2.3.2.2 Heavy metal analysis and the relevance of the sequential extraction methodologies 2.3.2.3 Organic compounds 2.4 Conclusion Acknowledgment References 3 Toxicity of semivolatile organic compounds 3.1 Semivolatile organic compounds in indoor environments 3.2 The emission of semivolatile organic compounds from building materials and consumer products 3.3 Exposure to semivolatile organic compounds emitted from building materials and consumer products 3.4 Health risk from exposure to semivolatile organic compounds 3.4.1 Multiroute and multimedia exposure (that is, aggregate exposure) to semivolatile organic compounds 3.4.2 Multiple exposure (that is, combined exposure) to indoor pollutants and the combined health effects 3.5 Conclusions and recommendations References 4 Volatile organic compound emissions in building materials 4.1 Volatile organic compound emission model of building materials 4.1.1 Single-phase mass transfer model 4.1.2 Porous media mass transfer model 4.2 VOC emission characteristic parameters of building materials 4.2.1 The diffusion coefficient 4.2.2 The partition coefficient 4.2.3 The initial emittable concentration 4.2.4 Multiparameter experimental measurement method 4.3 The control methods of building materials VOC emissions 4.3.1 Air purification 4.3.2 Dilution ventilation 4.3.3 Source control 4.4 Conclusion References Further reading 5 Toxicity of toxic gases emitted during a fire and ventilation 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Toxicity of products emitted during fire and hazard to humans 5.2.1 General information 5.2.2 Parameters for assessing the toxicity of decomposition and combustion products 5.2.3 The impact of toxic gases emitted during a fire on humans 5.3 Impact of ventilation on the toxicity of the fire environment 5.3.1 Theoretical background 5.3.2 Results of fire experiments 5.3.2.1 Experiment no. 1 5.3.2.2 Experiment no. 2 5.3.2.3 Experiment no 3 5.4 Conclusions and final remarks References 6 Flame-retardant wood plastic composites 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Combustion process of wood plastic composites 6.3 Fire retardant chemicals in wood plastic composites 6.3.1 Metal-containing compounds 6.3.2 Phosphorus-containing compounds 6.3.3 Boron-containing compounds 6.3.4 Silicon-containing compounds 6.3.5 Carbon-containing compounds 6.3.6 Other treatments 6.4 Conclusion References 7 Fire behavior of sandwich panels with different cores 7.1 Introduction: construction of sandwich panels 7.1.1 Steel sheets and coating 7.1.2 Core types 7.1.3 Thermal conductivity of sandwich panels 7.2 Thermal stability and flammability of sandwich panels 7.2.1 Thermal stability 7.2.2 Burning behavior of sandwich panel cores 7.3 Flame retardants 7.4 Concluding remarks Acknowledgments References 8 Natural radioactivity in cement 8.1 Natural radioactivity and sources 8.2 Cement 8.2.1 Raw materials and production process 8.2.2 Cement classification 8.3 Natural radioactivity of cement and cement raw materials 8.3.1 Natural radionuclides activity and radiological parameters 8.3.1.1 Radium equivalent activity (Raeq) 8.3.1.2 Absorbed gamma dose rate (Dr) 8.3.1.3 Representative-level index (RLI) 8.3.1.4 Annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) 8.3.1.5 Annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE) 8.3.1.6 Excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) 8.3.1.7 Gamma index (Iγ) 8.3.1.8 Alpha index (Iα) 8.3.1.9 External radiation hazard (Hex) 8.3.1.10 Internal radiation hazard (Hin) 8.3.1.11 Criterion formula (CF) 8.4 Results and discussion 8.4.1 Radionuclides activity and calculated radiological parameters in cement raw materials 8.4.2 Radionuclides activity and radiological parameters in cement types 8.5 Conclusion References Further reading 9 Coal bottom ash natural radioactivity in building materials 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Coal as source of ashes 9.3 Coal bottom ash as constituent of construction materials 9.4 Coal bottom ash as sand replacement in concrete 9.5 Coal bottom ash as pozzolanic addition in Portland cement 9.6 Radioactivity in building materials made with coal bottom ash 9.7 Conclusion References Further reading 10 Recycling of radioactive phosphogypsum wastes 10.1 Introduction: environmental problems of phosphogypsum accumulation 10.2 Composition of phosphogypsum of different genesis and its physical and chemical characteristics 10.2.1 Effect of phosphates on the properties of the binder 10.2.2 Effect of fluorine compounds on the properties of the binder 10.2.3 Effect of radiation contamination of phosphogypsum 10.3 Current trends in phosphogypsum waste management processes 10.4 Visualization of clusters of directions in phosphogypsum waste management References 11 Lead-based construction and building materials: human exposure, risk, and risk control 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Lead exposure 11.3 Lead toxicity 11.4 Methodology for risk assessment of lead exposure 11.4.1 Identification of lead-based construction and building materials 11.4.2 Exposure analysis 11.4.2.1 Ingestion exposure 11.4.2.2 Inhalation exposure 11.4.3 Risk characterization 11.5 Results and discussions 11.5.1 Lead-based construction and building materials 11.5.2 Exposure and risk characterization 11.6 Conclusions Acknowledgments References 12 Demolition waste contaminated with asbestos 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Predemolition audit 12.3 Asbestos material present in the building materials 12.3.1 Asbestos properties 12.3.2 Asbestos-cement materials and products 12.3.3 Methods for detecting of the asbestos 12.4 Risk of asbestos dust during reconstruction and demolition 12.4.1 Health effects and toxicity of asbestos fibers 12.4.2 Monitoring the airborne asbestos concentrations and exposure limit 12.5 Case study 12.5.1 Process of removal the asbestos-cement materials 12.5.2 Characterization of asbestos demolition waste 12.5.3 Monitoring of airborne asbestos particles indoors during deconstruction of ACMs 12.5.3.1 Sampling of airborne asbestos fibers 12.5.3.2 Concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers 12.6 Conclusion References 13 Recycling and reuse of bottom ashes from municipal solid-waste incineration plants in building materials 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Characteristics of ashes from the combustion of municipal solid wastes 13.3 Waste to energy and recovery of valuable metals from municipal solid-waste incineration bottom ashes 13.4 Toxicity of municipal solid-waste incineration bottom ashes 13.5 Recycling and reuse of municipal solid-waste incineration bottom ashes in building materials 13.5.1 Replacement of ordinary Portland cement in mortars and concretes 13.5.2 Production of synthetic and lightweight aggregates 13.5.3 Cement mixes and asphalt concretes for road pavements 13.5.4 3D printable concretes 13.5.5 Filling material for geotextiles 13.5.6 Synthesis of mesoporous silica 13.5.7 Manufacturing of ceramic tiles and glasses 13.5.8 Alkali-activated materials 13.6 Future trends on the use of municipal solid-waste incineration bottom ashes in Europe 13.7 Final remarks References 14 Leaching of concrete with mine tailings 14.1 Introduction 14.1.1 Background 14.2 Overview of mine tailings characteristics 14.3 Overview of leaching mechanisms and leaching test methods 14.3.1 Background on the leaching mechanisms 14.3.2 Leaching test methods 14.3.2.1 Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure test methodology Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure regulatory limits (mg/L) for important heavy metals 14.3.2.2 Synthetic precipitation leaching procedure Synthetic precipitation leaching procedure test methodology Synthetic precipitation leaching procedure versus toxicity characteristic leaching procedure testing 14.3.2.3 Tank leaching test 14.3.2.4 American nuclear society leach test (ANS 16.1) 14.3.2.5 Distilled water leach extraction (CTEU-9) 14.3.2.6 Leaching tests methods for construction products Horizontal dynamic surface leaching test (DSLT) Horizontal up-flow percolation test 14.3.2.7 Challenges and interpretation of test results 14.4 Toxic metal immobilization mechanisms in cement and alkali-activated matrices 14.5 Factors influencing the leaching of toxic metals from cement composites 14.5.1 Matrix microstructure 14.5.2 Exposure environment 14.5.3 Surface-to-volume ratio 14.6 Long-term durability related concerns for mine tailings-blended composites 14.7 Conclusions References Index