Due to the materials used in the production process of vinyl, it will sometimes emit various levels of VOCs into the air for a short amount of time after installation. That said, the level of VOCs released is related to the quality of material used in production and the amount of time that has passed since the initial installation.
Then make sure to ventilate the space for several days or weeks after install. Nowadays, thanks to an increase in safety regulations and advancements in technology, most vinyl manufacturers have employed techniques to produce vinyl planks and tiles with very low-VOCs and majority of it is now phthalate-free.
Carpet remains one of the most popular flooring choices for most Perth homes. View eco-friendly carpets link to Jupps. Is carpet right for you? View our carpet guide. Out of most floor types, ceramic tiling is generally one of the safest non-toxic flooring options that is very easy to clean and maintain. By Catherine Poslusny Contributor. October 6, Off-gassing vs. VOCs and off-gassing The smell caused by off-gassing can be indicative of a harmful indoor air quality issue.
Off-gassing and your health Exposure to VOCs can have short- and long-term effects on your health. Common sources of household off-gassing VOCs do not only come from obvious sources such as cleaning chemicals and wall paint. Furniture, upholstery and curtains According to the CDC , furniture made from pressed wood, such as particle board and plywood, contains formaldehyde that can be off-gassed in your home.
Cars New cars can be significant sources of off-gassing. Electronics The electronics in your home can be a source of off-gassing as well, especially ones that use triphenyl phosphate to insulate the wires. Other household products Other common household products that may contain VOCs include: Paint Dryer sheets Air fresheners Cleaning products Nail polish remover Cosmetics and personal care products Household cleaners Markers, Sharpies and other art supplies These household products can contain high levels of volatile organic compounds including acetone, ethyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol that can off-gas into your air even when you are not using them.
Will off-gassing from my new purchases make me sick? How to prevent, reduce and speed-up off-gassing The best way to decrease the amount of off-gassing in your home is to look for products, such as paint and cleaning compounds, with reduced VOCs or no VOCs at all. Ask manufacturers to air out items such as furniture, mattresses and carpets before delivering them to your home. If this is not possible, you can unwrap new products in a large, well-ventilated space, or even outdoors.
Buy used furniture. Most pre-owned furniture has already gone through the most severe stages of off-gassing. Increasing the ventilation in your house can reduce the VOCs in the air quickly. You can do this by opening windows and doors, as well as turning on fans and air filtration systems. To decrease off-gassing of paints and cleaning products, only purchase as much as you need for each use.
If you need to keep high-VOC products around, try storing them away from your house, such as in a detached shed or garage. Try out alternatives to your chemical cleaning products, such as baking soda and white vinegar.
Find air-friendly ways to remove musty odors from your home and clothes. Installing the right air purifier for VOCs only a few are designed for this purpose can help remove VOCs that have already made it into your indoor air supply. The Molekule air purifier technology has been tested and confirmed to reduce levels of VOCs like toluene down to undetectable levels see what the science says about the Molekule PECO technology vs.
Written by Catherine Poslusny. Posts you may also like. Air Quality , Health. Air Purifier Technology , Health. One of the best arguments for incorporating vintage pieces in design, apart from saving space in landfills and decreasing carbon emissions, is that they are far safer from an off-gassing perspective.
Recycling building materials for instance, saving the doors during a retrofit helps too. How do I know if my project is safe? Ravi Bajaj is a project manager at Healthy Buildings , a diagnostics firm that conducts two general kinds of air-quality tests: the chamber test when you place an item—say, a whole couch or a laptop—in a sealed lab chamber and collect off-gassing data over hours, days, or weeks and on-site evaluations involving physical checks on things like air filters as well as professional air sampling over time.
Most of his clients are commercial real estate firms collecting air-quality data to protect themselves from lawsuits, but knowing what he knows, Bajaj would like that to change.
That is expensive. Is there a low-cost option? Michelle Amt, sustainability director at VMDO architects in Charlottesville, Virginia a firm specializing in the safe design of schools , recommends a variety of devices that can at least serve as a first sniff test, detecting any major problems in VOCs, CO2 levels, etc. Foobot and Kaiterra offer consumer-grade air sensors as well.
Bajaj and Amt warn that once you begin measuring, you may be shocked…or confused. Amt once saw VOC levels skyrocket one morning in a university classroom and found out later that someone had simply uncapped a whiteboard marker.
Even fragrant body spray can activate some detectors. What can I do about off-gassing going forward? Preventing toxic inhalants from entering a home, school, or office space in the first place is perhaps the first and most important off-gassing strategy for designers today.
VOCs plummet when you are using solid wood instead of composite furniture, sourcing fabrics without chemical stain repellents, and making it a practice to add recycled or vintage pieces which off-gassed long ago to a design plan.
0コメント