Editing Building material (section)

===Plastics===
{{See also|Microplastics#Construction and renovation|Microplastics and human health}}
[[File:Piping floor penetrations nortown casitas.jpg|thumb|left|Plastic [[pipe (material)|pipes]] penetrating a [[concrete]] floor in a Canadian highrise apartment building]]
The term ''plastics'' covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic [[organic chemistry|organic]] [[condensation reaction|condensation]] or [[polymerization]] products that can be molded or extruded into objects, films, or [[synthetic fiber|fibers]]. Their name is derived from the fact that in their semi-liquid state they are malleable, or have the property of [[plasticity (physics)|plasticity]]. Plastics vary immensely in heat tolerance, hardness, and resiliency. Combined with this adaptability, the general uniformity of composition and lightness of plastics ensures their use in almost all industrial applications today. [[High performance plastics]] such as ETFE have become an ideal building material due to its high abrasion resistance and chemical inertness. Notable buildings that feature it include: the [[Beijing National Aquatics Center]] and the [[Eden Project]] biomes.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.fluorotherm.com/the-advantages-of-etfe-fluoropolymer-tubing/|title = The Advantages of ETFE Fluoropolymer Tubing|date = April 1, 2015|publisher = Fluorotherm}}</ref>

Around twenty percent of all plastics and seventy percent of all [[polyvinyl chloride]] (PVC) produced in the world each year are used by the construction industry.<ref name=rics2023>{{cite web | last=Smethurst | first=Tom | title=Why we must limit use of construction plastics | website=RICS | date=18 May 2023 | url=https://ww3.rics.org/uk/en/journals/built-environment-journal/plastics-construction-materials-health.html | access-date=5 Dec 2024}}</ref><ref name=sage2022>{{cite journal | last1=Hernandez | first1=German | last2=Low | first2=Joanne | last3=Nand | first3=Ashveen | last4=Bu | first4=Alex | last5=Wallis | first5=Shannon L | last6=Kestle | first6=Linda | last7=Berry | first7=Terri-Ann | title=Quantifying and managing plastic waste generated from building construction in Auckland, New Zealand | journal=Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy | publisher=SAGE Publications | volume=41 | issue=1 | date=13 Jun 2022 | issn=0734-242X | doi=10.1177/0734242x221105425 | doi-access=free | pages=205–213| hdl=10652/5874 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> It is predicted that much more will be produced and used in the future.<ref name=rics2023 /> "In Europe, approximately 20% of all plastics produced are used in the construction sector including different classes of plastics, waste and nanomaterials."<ref name=sage2022 /> There are both direct use (construction materials containing plastics) and indirect use (packaging of construction materials) in different parts of the building processes.<ref name=sage2022 />