Wet-Weather Pollution from Commonly-Used Building Materials

Development in sensitive watersheds continues to pose environmental problems for receiving waters. One contributor to the long-term pollution of sensitive waterways is building and construction materials. However, the long-term effect of many building materials on the environment has not been quantified. Prior testing of these materials in the laboratory has indicated that the potential for release (primarily nutrients, lighter hydrocarbons, pesticides, and metals) is significant. Additional testing for metals’ release from aged roofing panels also has shown that the potential for pollutant release still exists after 60 years of exposure to the environment. The data that is missing from a complete evaluation of specific building materials is behavior over the lifespan of the material, including the critical period of initial exposure. This paper provides an overview of the limited literature available on the subject, results from laboratory testing of common building materials and aged roofing panels, and an overview of the next phase of needed research. Ongoing work at campuses in two rainfall/climate zones in the U.S. have been designed fill in the data gap.