| From the President, Sept. 5, 2008: To our BuildCleanTM friends and supporters, It’s been a hectic but tremendously rewarding summer at BuildCleanTM, largely thanks to the active engagement of homeowners, tradespeople, business owners and the media in the issues that affect the indoor environments of our homes and businesses. In June, the New York Times ran an important story questioning whether interior granite emanates radon gas or possibly harmful levels of radiation. The article, titled “What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?,” rapidly became one of the top-three most read stories on Yahoo News and among the most emailed stories of the day on the Times’ own website. Internet users filled blogs with their opinions, and our phones have been ringing off the hook since. Why is this important, and why are we as happy with the calls and blogs which support more research and testing as we are with those which communicate fear, anger and, at times, misinformation? Because BuildCleanTM was formed to ask the questions consumers have a right to have answers to—especially those questions which have been ignored or downplayed as demand for new, fashionable interior products increases and changes rapidly. Whatever the right answer, we strongly believe that almost everyone will agree on one thing: Testing surfaces for radon or learning more about whether gamma ray radiation may be emitted from granite, or understanding which materials are free of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), or even what surfaces are vulnerable to hosting the growth of antibiotic-resistant staph-associated bacteria … is right for everybody, whether you import, distribute, sell, work with, or are otherwise routinely exposed to these products. The great outcome of recent discussions about these issues is that more and more companies are coming forward with voluntary testing programs. In addition, a growing number of health, safety and environmentally conscious consumers are asking questions of their builders, designers and vendors about interior materials prior to making purchasing decisions. Hats off to all of you who are stepping up and asking to be more, not less, transparent, about the products you sell. And hearty kudos to the consuming public, who is brighter, better educated and more resourceful than ever before! All the best, Sara |
