Material health in early childhood learning environments: Furniture and finishes as sources of exposures to chemicals of concern
Lenna A. Harris
Sustainable Interior Environments
About this Item
- Title
- Material health in early childhood learning environments: Furniture and finishes as sources of exposures to chemicals of concern
- Contributor Names
-
Harris, Lenna A. (Author)
-
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Sustainable Interior Environments (Degree granting institution)
-
Campagna, Barbara A. (Thesis advisor)
-
Kaplan, Susan (Thesis advisor)
- Date
- 2016
- Degree Information
- M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York 2016.
- Department: Sustainable Interior Environments.
- Advisors: Campagna, Barbara A.; Kaplan, Susan.
- Abstract
- The impact of exposure to toxic chemicals in the indoor environment has been greatly underestimated. Children are particularly vulnerable to toxic chemical exposure due to their unique physiology and behaviors, and the sensitive nature of human development. Children spend up to 50 hours a week in daycare or school making these environments significant areas for impact. This study investigates the material health of early childhood learning environments. The hypothesis is that typical school finishes and furniture contain chemicals of concern, and that this issue as not been adequately addressed. This research used both primary and secondary data to test the hypothesis. Finish and furniture plans and furniture specifications were solicited from the architecture and design community. "Green" schools were analyzed separately from conventional schools. The data was used to determine typical classroom finishes and furniture. Data gathered in 2015 by Raquel Marichal for her thesis on PVC in schools was also incorporated. The "typicals" determined by this preliminary stage were then studied for their material content using online chemical and material content databases. This inquiry found that furniture and finishes commonly found in early childhood education facilities are likely to contain chemicals of concern, confirming the hypothesis that material health in early childhood learning environments is not sufficiently addressed. Two of the three green schools studied had healthier materials than the typical schools, but the third has the same finishes that the were found to be typical in regular schools. This research also revealed that while architects and designers do have a role to play in improving the material health in schools, finish and especially furniture selection is usually in the hands of school administrators, departments of education and procurement departments. The implications of this discovery, including who the decision-makers are, their knowledge or awareness of material health, and the criteria that drive material selection merit further study as this will be critical to changing the status quo.
- Subject
- Environmental health
- Interior architecture
- Interior decoration
- Furniture
- Sustainability
- Sustainable design
- Sustainable buildings
- Green products
- Green technology
- Early childhood education
- Rights
- In Copyright
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: etd_000019
- pqdiss: 10148369
- ISBN: 9781369035506
- Related Materials
- Also available from ProQuest
- Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 78-04.
- Language
- eng
- Publisher
- Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Citation
Harris, L. A. (2016). Material health in early childhood learning environments: Furniture and finishes as sources of exposures to chemicals of concern [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/148
Harris, Lenna A. Material Health in Early Childhood Learning Environments: Furniture and Finishes As Sources of Exposures to Chemicals of Concern. 2016. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/148
Harris, Lenna A. "Material Health in Early Childhood Learning Environments: Furniture and Finishes As Sources of Exposures to Chemicals of Concern." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2016. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/148