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True North Log Homes and VOC's -

All True North Log Home Stain Products Meet California's Low VOC's Standards

We are very proud and pleased to be able to tell all of you that True North Log Homes' stains for the interiors and exteriors of their homes meet California's low VOC (volatile organic compounds) standards. This will be announced in the forth coming months, but we wanted you to know now, as we believe it is of critical importance to anyone seeking to build a log home to know this information.

True North has since its beginning been harvesting its logs from Canadian Government managed forests; the harvesting methods employed ensure sustainable forests. These forests hold the US designation of FSA Certification [Forest Stewardship Certified]   It is interesting to note that True North Log Homes was harvesting logs from these forests long before the FSA standards were created----So being “Green” is nothing new to this company. 

The Asheville, NC area may be the US epicenter for building of Independently Certified LEED and Green HealthyBuilt homes, but California is widely recognized as leading the US in certifying safe products for consumer use.

To show the importance of the standard which True North meets and so that you might truly understand the negative impact VOC's have on your everyday life, we have attached a brief on VOC’s from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Organic Gases (Volatile Organic Compounds - VOCs)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.  VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.

Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing, and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.

EPA's Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) studies found levels of about a dozen common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside, regardless of whether the homes were located in rural or highly industrial areas. Additional TEAM studies indicate that while people are using products containing organic chemicals, they can expose themselves and others to very high pollutant levels, and elevated concentrations can persist in the air long after the activity is completed.

For a more in depth understanding of VOC’s and how they impact your home the following is edited from Wikipedia, [the online free encyclopedia]

Sources of VOCs
The most common VOC is methane, a greenhouse gas………………
Common artificial VOCs include paint thinners, dry cleaning solvents, ……..
Considered a factor in indoor air quality issues such as sick building syndrome, VOCs "are generated by photocopiers, carpets, and furnishings as they are used or when components oxidize.... One irritant, formaldehyde, is often present in hundreds of home components, including wood and laminated furniture, shelving, and wall covers. It also evaporates from paints, varnishes, and chemicals used for sealing and finishing walls." Tobacco smoke can contribute high levels of VOCs.  

Contribution to indoor air pollution
Many VOCs found around the house, such as paint strippers and wood preservatives, contribute to sick building syndrome because of their high vapor pressure. VOC's are often used in paint, carpet backing, plastics, and cosmetics. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found concentrations of VOCs in indoor air to be 2 to 5 times greater than in outdoor air. During certain activities indoor levels of VOCs may reach 1,000 times that of the outside air.

Environmental effects
VOCs are an important outdoor air pollutant. In this field they are often divided into the separate categories of methane ((CH4) and non-methane (NMVOCs). Methane is an extremely efficient greenhouse gas, which contributes to enhance global warming. Other hydrocarbon VOCs are also significant greenhouse gases via their role in creating ozone and in prolonging the life of methane in the atmosphere, although the effect varies depending on local air quality…..are suspected carcinogens and may lead to leukemia through prolonged exposure.