Are Carpets Healthy?
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People (exhalation, body odors, diseases) Activities (work such as cleaning, using correction fluids, carbon less paper, pest control products, and personal activities such as wear fragrances and smoking) Technology (photocopiers and laser printers) Furnishings (furniture, draperies, floor coverings) Finishes (paint, varnish, vinyl wall coverings) Building materials (caulking compounds, adhesives, wood laminates) Outdoor air quality Inadequate or contaminated air handling units Inadequate cleaning practices |
Today, indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important environmental consideration. Because
we spend approximately 90 percent of our time indoors, we must do everything
possible to improve the air we breathe. During the energy crisis of the '70s,
Americans began to tightly close their workplace's and homes in order to conserve
energy resources. Currently, many families have both parents working, with less
cleaning time in the home. Ventilation and cleanliness play important parts in
maintaining good air quality; although, the indoor environment is impacted by many
factors.
Among the factors that may impact the quality of the indoor air in your home is the air
drawn from outside. Other factors may be tobacco smoke, radon, and cooking odors,
as well as renovating and redecorating products, such as wallpaper, furniture and
cabinetry, carpet, paints, varnishes, particle board, wood finishes, caulking, and
adhesives. Interior products in the home have the potential to impact the indoor air
because they emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. The quality of
indoor air also involves cleaning materials, building materials, ducts transmitting heat
and air conditioning, activities in the building, people, pets, and furnishings.
One must look at the whole picture. Cleaning products used in the home, as well as
interior furnishings, should be low VOC emitters, with emissions, sometimes
improperly called off-gassing, that dissipate quickly. Scientific studies have
demonstrated that new carpet is one of the lowest emitters of VOCs into the indoor
environment and that these emissions dissipate very quickly. The low-level VOC
emissions and the harmless odor from new carpet dissipate within the first 48 to 72
hours after installation. Carpet has not posed any health problems for millions of
satisfied customers. Carpet is made primarily of the same innocuous materials found
in clothing and other everyday fabrics; i.e., polyester, nylon, and olefin fibers, latex
(synthetic rubber), and polypropylene (olefin) fabric backing.
THIS IS NOT JUST OPINIONS THESE ARE FACTS!
| Common Factors That Affect Indoor Air Quality: |
| More on Indoor Air Quality: |
