Is Vinyl Flooring Safe For Health

Vinyl and linoleum flooring.

Is vinyl flooring safe for health.

The burden of proof of safety should not be on consumers to find out the hard way through sickness and even death. Stay informed about the coronavirus. Flooring this organization checks the health environmental and social impacts of all of the products used for all of these flooring types including materials sealants glue etc. This means less flooring in landfills and ultimately lower impact on health and environmental concerns.

Even though it s popular and easy to install vinyl is probably the worst flooring choice in terms of health sustainability and production. Phthalates are used to soften plastic and vinyl and make them more flexible. The fine print about vinyl. Some vinyl is hard but most flooring vinyl is relatively soft and yielding.

Most vinyl flooring contains chemicals called phthalates many of which have been banned from children s products over concerns of negative health effects. Share on pinterest experts say linoleum is a safer alternative than vinyl flooring. Vinyl floors last a long time especially durable vinyl floors with thick wear layers. Because of their durability vinyl flooring can last 2 3 times as long as similar resilient flooring products.

These are toxic substances and they have been linked to reproductive and respiratory health problems in people who have prolonged exposure. This characteristic is achieved by the addition of phthalates to the material mix when the pvc is being manufactured. It is a non renewable material made from petroleum based chemicals. However the act of recycling vinyl to be re used in flooring uses a lot of energy and also means you are running the risks of introducing contaminants into your flooring.

But they re believed to be toxic and have been linked to a laundry list of ailments. Laminate was king of the flooring world. Researchers say vinyl flooring and sofas with flame retardants can present a health risk to children. Manufacturers should prove that their products are safe even before entering the market.

The flooring giant lumber liquidators was accused of selling illegally sourced laminate wood with high levels of formaldehyde a known carcinogen. As well as potentially containing harmful contaminants recycled vinyl flooring breaks down sooner than 100 virgin vinyl and therefore needs replacing sooner. Vinyl and tile floors. Remember when laminate flooring was all the rage in the late 90s.