Shop by Room Whole Home About ➜ Product Ratings ➜ Adhesive Rating Guide
How I Rate Adhesives
This guide covers how I rate adhesives for their impact on your health. It explains what all the little symbols mean under items containing adhesives in the Healthy Design Shop.
You can use it as a guide when searching for items containing adhesives anywhere— the same information applies wherever you go.
Read more about why I rate adhesives and materials here.
Unlike many of the materials I rate, adhesives are refreshingly straightforward in terms of their potential impact on your health.
To stay organized and unbiased, I use the Standard Rating Scale to rate adhesives from healthiest to least healthy. Here’s a quick reminder about what each level on the scale means:
Healthiest option available.
Healthy, but doesn’t meet the strict standards of the blue dot.
Minimal health risk. Verified to be healthier than its standard counterpart.
Caution is warranted.
Well-known harmful effect on health and should be avoided whenever possible.
Here are the adhesive-specific requirements for meeting each level on the scale. Read on below for more details about terminology and specific examples.
Click on bolded statements to see links to research.
Third Party Certifications
What are 3rd party certifications and why do they matter so much?
Third-party certification means that an independent group that didn’t make the product, and has no financial ties to the product, has reviewed, tested, and verified the claims that the company making the product has made.
Third party certifications protect you. Just like greenwashing makes products appear better for the Earth than they really are, some companies intentionally make their products seem healthier for people than they really are, too.
No-VOC vs Low-VOC
While not official third-party certifications, these definitions do mean the woods and paints they apply to off-gas less than their standard counterparts. There is no formal set of rules for what qualifies as low VOC, and different companies define it differently.
Typically, low-VOC means there are less than 50 grams of VOCs per liter of stain, finish, or adhesive.
No-VOC means there are less than 5 grams per liter.
Ideally, a company that states their products are no- or low- VOC also has certifications from Green Seal, GreenGuard, or SCS Indoor Advantage verifying their claims are true.
What is GreenGuard GOLD certified?
GreenGuard certification is useful for finding wood products that do not off-gas VOCs excessively.
To meet the standard GreenGuard level, VOCs must be less than 500 ug/m3. To meet the elevated GreenGuard GOLD level, VOCs must be less than 220 ug/m3.
A GreenGuard certification does not mean it is healthy, and it does not mean there are no VOCs off-gassing from the product. Sometimes I see companies say “It’s GreenGuard so it’s healthy!” which is simply not true. There are harmful chemicals in stains, glues, and finishes that don’t off-gas as VOCs.
That said, it is still a useful certification when choosing between a standard wood product and one with GreenGuard certification. It is still a step in the right direction.
Adhesives
What are examples of “water-based glues made with natural materials”?
Cellulose-based glue is water mixed with wood pulp, and can be used for light hobby wood projects.
Flour can be used as a glue when mixed with water, since the gluten in it acts as a binder. Some people use this mixture to hang wallpaper.
Hide glue is water mixed with connective tissue from animal hides. It produces no VOCs and is one of the safest adhesives for human use. It is not commonly used on manufactured or commercial wood furniture that must be extra durable, but it is an option for use at home.
What is “water-based glue made with synthetic materials”?
Most furniture glue is a water-based, synthetic adhesive. This is means water is mixed with polymers. The most common type is PVA, or polyvinyl acetate. This is also known as “wood glue” or “carpenters glue.” These options are much lower in VOCs and other toxic chemicals than solvent-based glues, described below.
What are solvents?
Solvents are chemicals that keep glues in liquid form in the tube. They are used in paints and stains and other liquid-based home products, too, since they help keep substances liquidy and evenly dispersed until application. They evaporate from products as they dry, and inhalation is one of the ways we are exposed. They can also be absorbed through the skin if you come into contact with them.
Why are solvent-based glues toxic?
Solvents are one of the priority chemicals to avoid because of their toxic impacts on the respiratory system, neurological health, and links to cancer. Many of these are made with polyurethane, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene, all harmful VOCs that off-gas strongly.
What kinds of adhesives aren’t glue-based?
Thread, nails, screws, and even joinery are ways of connecting materials together without relying on glue at all. The glue-free options can often be the most natural and healthy choice.
Design with Non-Toxic Adhesives (or No Adhesives At All)
