Is Carpet Safe?
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Lew Migliore (lgmtcs@optilink.us)
The concern and issue of carpet being safe, that is, free from aggravating influences that are harmful to health, is an issue that continues to warrant our attention. Since the news story several years ago that tried to peg the blame on carpet for killing mice in a test environment that was skewed from the start, carpet has had to fight off the belief by many that it is unsafe. One of the arguments that continue to fester is that of carpet aggravating asthma and allergies. The following information will hopefully help dispel any concerns your customers may have about three pervasive myths about carpet. For more information on these subjects you can go to the Carpet and Rug Institute website, www.carpet-rug.org and learn more about this subject matter and what the carpet industry has done about it. One thing you’ll find is that the carpet industry is a model for other industries relative to assuring its products are safe, free from harm to consumers and for being socially and environmentally responsible.
Myth: Carpet Aggravates Asthma and Allergies
There is a belief that allergens are in the carpet and that if someone is exposed to them it will make their conditions worse. In the mid 70’s the Swedes determined that there was link between carpet, asthma and allergies. They got rid of carpet over the next 10 to 15 years and switched to hard surface floors in Sweden because of their belief that carpet was somehow unhealthy. However what happened over that same time period mirroring the decline of carpet was the exponential increase in the incidence of asthma. If carpet was the supposed cause of asthma it should have gone down as its use decreased, however this didn’t happen. Studies were conducted by the carpet industry that actually seeded carpet and hard surface flooring with dust particles and then people walked on both surfaces. What actually happened was that the dust particles became airborne from the surface of hard flooring and stayed put in carpet. The carpet actually traps the particles acting like a filter that doesn’t allow them to become airborne. There were several independent studies done of patients in carpeted hospital rooms compared with those in non-carpeted rooms. To the surprise of the people doing the studies the patients in the carpeted rooms did better – a testament to the fact that carpet does not contribute to aggravating asthma and allergies. These studies have also been conducted in residential environments, schools and other facilities with the same results. A study was also conducted at the University of Georgia to determine dermal transfer of dust or materials from hard service and carpet. 90 to 95% of what was on the hard surface flooring transferred onto skin as opposed to only 3 to 5% for carpet. Study after study concludes the same; carpet does not aggravate asthma and allergies and facts prove just the opposite. Also there is nothing in the make up or construction of carpet that causes asthma or allergies, if that was the case people here in Dalton working in the mills and in our offices and lab would be suffering worse than anyone and that is not the case.
Myth: Carpet is a Perfect Growth Medium for Mold
This myth does not jive with reality. A study done by Dr. Mike Berry at the University of North Carolina where he took carpet, ceiling tiles, drywall, wall studs and all sorts of building materials found in construction and put them in a high humidity chamber with elevated temperatures, both necessary for mold to grow including a food source, and after three days everything in the chamber was covered in mold except for one thing; the carpet – there was no mold on the carpet. Why? Because carpet is a synthetic polymer which mold cannot use as a food source. If mold is found on a carpet there’s a problem; out of control moisture in the building and the building and carpet is dirty. Getting rid of the carpet accomplishes one thing – getting rid of the carpet, you have not solved the mold problem. Carpet that is kept clean and dry will absolutely not grow mold. If the carpet has mold on it you’d better start looking elsewhere to find the source of the big problem you have. Another myth dispelled by proven scientific fact. Remember the evidence never lies, it will always tell you what the problem is if you know how to interpret what its saying. The evidence will also always take you to the truth.
Myth: Gases from Carpet Pollute Indoor Air
Not true. Carpet is one of the lowest emitting sources of VOC’s used in the construction of a space. A study was conducted in two classrooms in a Dalton middle school. The rooms were across the hall from one another. One room had carpet the other hard surface. When the spaces were tested for VOC’s they were the same. To further test, the existing carpet was replaced with new carpet. The VOC’s went up by a miniscule amount and within 48 hours had dissipated completely back to background of the measurements and they are gone forever. So how is carpet the source of VOC’s? To take this further, the school decided to strip and refinish the gymnasium floor when school was out. This area was about 100 yards from the classrooms. The VOC’s in the classrooms after the gym floor was refinished went up 30 fold from background. Other VOC’s go in and out of an air space but it is not from carpet.
All of the science, conducted by independent studies, proves carpet is not the culprit many like to say it is. The fact is, carpet traps dust, soil and other airborne contaminants and holds it in place. Further, the work the carpet industry has done with the vacuum cleaner industry through the Seal of Approval program, has greatly improved the performance of vacuum cleaners. No other segment of the floor covering industry has done more to insure its products are as safe as carpet.
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