NSF International and the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) are partnering to develop a health-based standard that addresses chemical emissions from products and is designed to help people choose products that minimize air pollutants in indoor environments.

“Building occupants are exposed to thousands of chemicals emitted from products--many of them harmful--and few programs address more than a small percentage of these compounds,” said Henning Bloech, exec director GEI. “I am hopeful that this effort will go beyond existing programs and create a new, health-focused leadership standard that consumers, manufacturers, and building codes and rating systems can adopt to minimize chemical exposure.”

The GEI-NSF standard will be developed under the American National Standard Institute’s (ANSI) Essential Requirements for adoption as an ANSI Standard. A consensus committee made up of government and public health officials, academics, industry leaders, and product users will help develop and vote on the standard, while a group of subject matter experts provides insight and guidance. Subsequent mandatory public comment periods will allow individual stakeholders and organizations to participate in the development process.

“This collaboration was a natural fit for our two organizations, as GEI and NSF both strive to protect public health as part of their mission,” said Jane Wilson, director standards development for NSF International. “Integrating GREENGUARD’s expertise in product emissions and NSF International’s expertise in standards development will help to improve indoor air quality.”