[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Fiberglass manufacturing process.

[Lawrence Lile]

My understanding is that vinyl is really bad news, as far as it's effects on workers and the environment during processing. It causes a rare form of cancer in workers and people exposed around manufacturing plants.  After it is processed, it is a wonderful, amazing, flexible building material.  And then?  It can't be recycled. Vinyl is the least Green plastic, IMHO.  I use it, but sparingly if I can find an alternative. 
 
Fiberglass  isn't too great either, and can't be recycled to my knowledge. It has a somewhat better reputation than vinyl, IMHO, but I can't really get behind recommending it.   
 
 
Your windows will be on your house for 100 years if you install good ones.  Look into wood if you can afford it.  
 
>I think I smell FUD, but am not sure.
 
What's FUD?  Lemme guess:  1.  A cartoon character from Bugs Bunny  2. An acronym for Fouled Up Deal.  
 
--Lawrence Lile 

________________________________

From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org on behalf of Steve Tripp
Sent: Wed 1/17/2007 3:08 PM
To: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
Subject: [BULK] [Greenbuilding] Fiberglass manufacturing process.



My wife and I are looking into fiberglass (rather than wood or vinyl)
windows for our home remodel.  A representative for a different brand of
windows mentioned that the pollution from the fiberglass manufacturing
process was much worse than that of the vinyl manufacturing process and that
was why a major fiberglass window manufacturer was in Canada (because the US
has stricter limitations on pollution from manufacturers).

I think I smell FUD, but am not sure.  I Wiki'ed and Googled, but didn't get
a direct comparison.  I'm sure neither of the manufacturing processes are
green, but could one be considered worse than the other?  Treehugger had a
couple of articles on vinyl windows, but I've not seen one on fiberglass.

TIA
Steve Tripp


--
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
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