By: Jeff Hurley, State Initiatives Manager

Across the country, the places we call home are silently harming us—but not equally. Indoor environments often harbor invisible threats in the form of toxic chemicals embedded in building materials, furnishings, and finishes. While all people are vulnerable to this type of chemical exposure, systemic inequalities have led to people of color bearing a disproportionate burden of these harms. To help call attention to these inequities, Building Clean developed a literature review making the connection between health implications, health hazards, and people of color.

Biomonitoring data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has shown stark racial disparities in chemical exposure. Black Americans have higher levels of lead, mercury, phthalates, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); Hispanic Americans show elevated exposure to arsenic, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); and Asian Americans have higher average levels of arsenic, cadmium, and manganese.

These exposures correlate with higher rates of asthma, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Black and Hispanic American children are particularly affected, suffering more from asthma—a condition often worsened by exposure to indoor pollutants like formaldehyde, styrene, isocyanates, and phthalates, found in paints, sealants, and insulation.

Danger in Plain Sight: Chemicals in Building Products

Many of the most concerning chemicals that disproportionately affect communities of color are found in the everyday materials that make up our indoor environments. Paints and adhesives often contain phthalates, VOCs, and even lead. Sealants may include phthalates, isocyanates, Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), and VOCs, while insulation is frequently manufactured with flame retardants, styrene, and additional VOCs. Flooring and carpets can also be a source of phthalates, VOCs, and isocyanates, all of which can slowly off-gas or degrade, creating continuous exposure over time.

Long-term contact with these chemicals is strongly associated with respiratory illness, hormone disruption, neurological harm, and other chronic health conditions. These dangers are especially severe for families of color, who are disproportionately likely to live in older, under-resourced housing where such materials are prevalent. The health risks from these indoor exposures are further compounded by additional burdens—such as proximity to highways or industrial areas, workplace hazards, and limited access to medical care—creating an unjust and preventable public health crisis rooted in environmental and racial inequity.

Click to access the interactive database.

To help bring these inequities to light, Building Clean created an interactive database documenting peer-reviewed studies and scientific reports published over the past 30 years, with a particular focus on the past decade. This resource details three interconnected areas:

• Disproportionate exposures people of color face to hazardous chemicals
• Chemical-linked health conditions that disproportionately impact these communities
• Clear connections between these health outcomes and the chemicals found in building products

Taken together, these findings underscore how the built environment—specifically the materials used to construct homes, schools, and workplaces—continues to drive racial disparities in health outcomes.

What inequities can the literature review help highlight?

The literature database includes numerous studies showing that Black women face higher exposure to hazardous toxins such as lead, VOCs, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals—many of which are present in products like vinyl flooring, insulation, paints, and sealants. Perhaps most prominently, Black women have been shown to have significantly higher levels of urinary phthalate metabolites compared to white women, and these disparities persist regardless of socioeconomic status. These chemicals disrupt hormone systems critical to pregnancy and fetal development. Research has linked them to shortened pregnancy duration, low birth weight, fetal growth restriction, and even long-term changes in brain development and behavior.

These exposures contribute to persistent disparities in maternal and infant health. Black women are nearly three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes, and Black infants are more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday. While multiple factors are at play, environmental exposures in the built environment remain an underacknowledged but significant contributor.

Phthalates in particular are prevalent in many building products, as these synthetic chemicals are often used as plasticizers in vinyl-based products. While these chemicals make these products pliant and durable, they can also mimic a body’s hormones and impact the way a body functions. Finding substitutes to products that contain phthalates, such as using wood, aluminum, or fiberglass as alternatives to PVC window frames, should meaningfully reduce risk and lead to more equitable outcomes.

For added certainty, consumers should look for products that are Cradle to Cradle Certified or don’t include chemicals on the Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List. GREENGUARD Gold and FloorScore—while not directly prohibiting phthalates—focus on ensuring products emit low levels of VOCs, which may indirectly limit phthalates that are volatile enough to off-gas and impact indoor air quality.

A Path Forward: What actions can be taken?

A multifaceted and collaborative approach is necessary to address racial inequities in exposure to hazardous chemicals in homes and residential environments. Along with engaging communities in decision-making processes, raising awareness through education, and promoting equitable housing policies, green building practices should be prioritized to incorporate energy efficiency and healthy indoor environments.

Additionally, certifications, standards, and ecolabels can identify less hazardous products—ideally those that are verified by an independent third-party that conducts product testing and validates its efficacy. Tools like Building Clean’s product classification system help identify materials that minimize hazardous content. The Living Building Challenge Red List contains the most prevalent harmful chemicals in the building industry, while the GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals allows builders to assess potential hazards to make informed decisions and offers safer alternatives. Building Clean’s database aims to address these issues by highlighting building products that avoid or minimize the presence of potentially harmful chemicals. Combining these efforts with targeted interventions, research, and a focus on addressing systemic inequities can contribute to creating healthier, more equitable living environments for all.