855773667-LEED-v5-O-M-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition-1 - Page 233

Extracted Content

Contaminant (CAS#)Concentration limit (µg/m3)Allowed test methods
(laboratory-based)
EPA TO-15
Formaldehyde 50-00-020 µg/m3 (16 ppb)ISO 16000-3, 4;
EPA TO-11a;
EPA comp. IP-6A;
ASTM D5197-16
Acetaldehyde 75-07-0140 µg/m3140 µg/m3
Benzene 71-43-23 µg/m3ISO 16000-6;
EPA IP-1;
EPA TO-17;
EPA TO-15;
ISO 16017-1, 2;
ASTM D6196-15
Hexane (n-) 110-54-37,000 µg/m37,000 µg/m3
Naphthalene 91-20-39 µg/m39 µg/m3
Phenol 108-95-2200 µg/m3200 µg/m3
Styrene 100-42-5900 µg/m3900 µg/m3
Tetrachloroethylene 127-18-435 µg/m335 µg/m3
Toluene 108-88-3300 µg/m3300 µg/m3
Vinyl acetate 108-05-4200 µg/m3200 µg/m3
Dichlorobenzene (1,4-) 106-46-7800 µg/m3800 µg/m3
Xylenes — total 108-38-3, 95-47-6,
and 106-42-3
700 µg/m3700 µg/m3
REQUIREMENTS EXPLAINED

This credit offers three options to identify opportunities for indoor air quality (IAQ) improvement over time. Airborne contaminants can enter a building from outdoors or be introduced by indoor sources and activities, such as cleaning, cooking, candles, 3D printers, or improperly vented heating appliances. Understanding indoor air quality can help identify contaminants to inform a strategy to provide healthy indoor spaces.

Option 1 encourages continuous monitoring and rewards projects that achieve cleaner indoor air targets while Options 2 and 3 require one-time testing for air quality or individual VOCs. More points are included for Option 1 as continuous monitoring better captures the temporal and seasonal variation of the indoor air quality conditions and likely requires more investment to implement and maintain over time.

Projects can enhance their IAQ performance by combining one-time testing with continuous monitoring. This layered strategy allows for a more nuanced view of IAQ over time. One-time testing can be implemented before or during continuous monitoring setup to establish baseline initial air quality conditions, while continuous monitoring tracks changes and fluctuations over

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Operations and Maintenance, April 2025 Launch Edition 223