"Green" might be earth-friendly but not necessarily friendly to human
health.
Green architects should design for healthy buildings, as well as energy-efficient and earth-friendly ones.
For example:
Fluorescent lights are energy saving, but the radiation that comes from them can cause health problems. Research has shown changes in brain waves of radiation-sensitive people from exposure to fluorescent lights.
Green building materials may be recycled materials, but chemically sensitive individuals may not be able to tolerate exposure to odors from recycled materials.
How do you educate yourself regarding healthier materials?
No source has "all the answers" in the constantly evolving field of healthy building materials.
Good places to start are the John Bower and Dan Morris books at the start of the
Reading List in the Free Info section.
Request a catalog from the Environmental Home Center, Seattle, 206-682-7332, for an idea of some healthier products. Other companies address the needs of chemically sensitive
individuals, such as the Healthy Home Center in FL, 727-447-4454, and
Environmental Construction Outfitters in NYC, 800-238-5008.
Test all materials first for individual sensitivities. There is no product that suits everyone.
The smaller healthy home centers may not carry the more desirable lines.
For example, some chemically sensitive individuals have found the low-odor Sherwin Williams' paint,
HealthSpec, easier to tolerate than some "healthier" paints. No paint is completely non-toxic to everyone.
One chemically sensitive individual built a healthy house, using paint and other products from a company that
manufactures products for chemically sensitive people. Two years after painting the house, she still cannot live in the house. She tried to sell it to another chemically sensitive person, but five prospective buyers all reported intolerance to the "healthy" paint.
Finding a "green" architect who is also knowledgeable about healthy products may not be so easy. You may have to educate yourself and then link your architect up with a healthy product consultant.