Implementation of Health and Environmental Criteria in Technical Specifications for Construction Products

According to the Council of European Producers of Materials for Construction (CEPMC), more than 20,000 different products and materials are used in Europe for constructing buildings and infrastructure. This large group of construction products, which represents an essential economic factor within the European economic area, is mostly unknown in terms of the release of dangerous substances and their effect on human health and the environment. Retrospectively it can be established that preventive measures must be taken if harm is to be avoided, such as that caused by the known dangerous substances asbestos, formaldehyde  nd pentachlorophenol (PCP). However, already during the manufacturing stage of the construction products, more knowledge is needed on the products, their manufacturing rocesses, constituents and emission potential than previously existed.