Vinyl Flooring is made of PVC which is toxic and will definitely cause “gassing” in your home which is toxic! PVC is the ingredient used to give flexibility to vinyl, so rolls of vinyl are more toxic than vinyl tiles. Simply put, the softer the vinyl the more toxic it is. There have been suggestions [...]
Flooring
Moving into a new home we had all new flooring and every kind (carpet, hardwood, tile, laminate). We picked by what looked the best, not by what was healthy. Who knew there was such a thing, healthy flooring! The smell from our new carpeting gave me headaches from the beginning. Passed off by my family as that “new house smell”, it now haunts me every day learning the dangers and knowing it could have been the cause of my son’s brain tumor!
Most new flooring contains carcinogens, environmental toxins, particularly formaldehyde. Levels of these chemicals are particularly high in carpet, but can also have dangerous levels in laminate, vinyl and hardwood as well. These toxins can cause a number of problems from asthma to cancer. New or old, your flooring can still be an issue. Older carpet is the keeper of all, especially dust mites, pesticides and other toxins brought in from shoes can be left to linger on carpet for years.
My advice is if you are replacing or building take the time to consider your flooring, not just the color, but the material and your health. Doing your flooring homework is important, and asking questions about the material is vital. Additional information is available below on the following flooring options: carpet, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and tile. Each style of flooring offers advantages and disadvantages, but choosing one that is safe is what is most important.