LEED Testing
The Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is an independent certification program that provides voluntary guidelines for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the program awards varying levels of certification to buildings that meet LEED rating standards in five major categories: sustainable site development, water savings,energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
LEED Standards
LEED standards exist for new construction as well as existing buildings and remodeling, and can be applied to homes, commercial facilities and even neighborhood development. Architects, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and facilities managers use LEED in developing new projects. See Chart below for more details on the LEED indoor air quality (IAQ) testing criteria in more detail.
SEE LEED INDOOR AIR QUALITY CHART BELOW:
Contaminant |
Maximum Allowed Concentration |
Sampling / |
Media |
Flow Rate |
Total Volume |
Lab MRL |
Preserve / |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formaldehyde | 50 ppbV 27 ppbV |
EPA TO-11A |
DNPH Silica Gel tube |
200 mL/min |
48L | 1.7ppbV | Keep tubes cold (freezer) before use. Ship samples cold (4°C) overnight to lab/14 days until extraction |
| Particulates (PM10) | 50 µg/m3 |
handheld meter |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
| Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) * | 500 µg/m3 |
EPA TO-17 |
Thermal Desorption tube | 50 mL/min |
12L | 50-100 µg/m3 | Tubes may be stored at room temperature before use. Ship samples cold (4°C) overnight to lab/28 days until analysis |
| 4-Phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH) ** |
6.5 µg/m3 |
EPA TO-17 |
Thermal Desporption tube |
50 mL/min |
12L | 0.83 µg/m3 | Tubes may be stored at room temperature before use. Ship samples cold (4°C) overnight to lab/28 days until analysis |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) | 9 ppmV and no greater than 2 ppmV above outdoor levels |
handheld meter |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
* Other sampling/analytical methods are available for TVOC. Please call the laboratory to discuss benefits and drawbacks of the various available methods.
** This test is only required if carpets and fabrics with styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) latex backing material are installed as part of the building systems.
Please contact us to discuss implementing LEED standards in your construction or renovation project or performing an assessment to demonstrate compliance.