Healthier Material Choices Free of Harmful Chemicals

Over 80,000 chemicals are widely used in commerce, the vast majority of which haven’t been tested for human safety. For over two decades, we have researched chemical exposures from building materials and products.

An Insider's Guide to the Healthy Buildings Movement

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How PFAS were cleverly rebranded as “Forever Chemicals”

Joseph Allen coined the term “forever chemicals” to describe perfluorinated or polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) that persist in our bodies and never break down.

Read the Washington Post Op-Ed

Harvard Healthier Building Academy (HHBA)

Funded in 2016 in collaboration with the Harvard Office for Sustainability, HHBA aims to identify and reduce harmful chemicals and guide purchasing decisions based on cutting-edge research.

Learn More about the Harvard Healthier Building Academy

Ending the Chemical “Whack-a-Mole”

For decades, our team has advocated for making healthier materials the standard and stopping the replacement of chemicals in products due to unclear regulations.

Learn More on Harvard Health Magazine

Healthier Materials Research


Illustration of a modern, open office space

Choosing healthier furnishings can help lower “forever chemicals” levels without costing a fortune.

Read more about PFA levels in buildings with healthier furnishings


An office work space with a series of graphs overlaid on top

Our study found that office workers are commonly exposed to hormone-disrupting chemical mixtures in the work environment.

Read blog post

Healthier Materials Impact


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Meet the Team Materials


Joseph Allen, DSC, MPH, CIH

Director of the Healthy Buildings Program

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Buildings represent one of the greatest public health opportunities of this century. Help us turn this opportunity into reality and join the Healthy Buildings Movement today! A gift to the Healthy Buildings Program is a gift to improve the lives of all people, in buildings and beyond, everywhere, every day.

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