Can “Green” Buildings have Negative Health Effects?

The document refutes claims that green buildings are harmful to health, clarifying that an Institute of Medicine report on climate change and indoor environments does not actually discuss "green" buildings. It explains that while tight building envelopes intended for energy efficiency can conflict with ventilation needs, proper engineering and adherence to current standards prevent health issues like "sick building syndrome," which occurred in the 1970s and 80s due to drastically reduced ventilation rates.

• The document clarifies that an Institute of Medicine report focusing on the impact of climate change on human health in indoor environments does not discuss "green" buildings, despite claims to the contrary in some media coverage.
• Energy-efficient buildings with tight envelopes do not automatically have lower ventilation rates than other code-compliant buildings and may actually have higher rates.
• The US Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program requires all homes weatherized after January 1, 2012, to meet the most recent minimum ventilation standards to address potential issues with increased construction tightness.
• Historical instances of "sick building syndrome" in the late 1970s and 1980s were caused by commercial building ventilation rates being reduced to two- to four-times lower than current levels to save energy.
• While energy efficiency and ventilation can be at odds, other green building elements like moisture control and daylighting are well aligned with health objectives, necessitating an integrative design approach.

APA

RMI (2011). Can “Green” Buildings have Negative Health Effects? https://rmi.org/resources/cangreenbuildingsnegativehealtheffects/

Chicago

RMI. Can “Green” Buildings have Negative Health Effects? 2011. https://rmi.org/resources/cangreenbuildingsnegativehealtheffects/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Can “Green” Buildings have Negative Health Effects? |date=15 June 2011 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/cangreenbuildingsnegativehealtheffects/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2011can, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Can “Green” Buildings have Negative Health Effects?}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2011}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/cangreenbuildingsnegativehealtheffects/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }