Blanket insulation is typically made up of fiberglass, mineral wool, or cotton. Most fiberglass insulation is made primarily from silica spun into glass fibers and contains a phenol-formaldehydeChemical found in many building products; most binders used for manufactured wood products are formaldehyde compounds. Reclassified by the United Nations International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2004 as a “known human carcinogen." (PF) binder— though formaldehyde-free products have been introduced. Most fiberglass insulation today has at least 30% recycled-glass content, with some plants using as much as 40% post-consumer recycled beverage glass as the raw material. Mineral wool insulation is made from either molten slag—a waste product of steel production—or natural rock, such as basalt and diabase.
1337
CSI MF 2004 Number:
072116
