Nexus - 0906 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

“highlights fitted carpets as playing a major role in the alarming rise of asthma and allergies". British households have the most carpeting at over 90%, and also the highest rate of asthma and allergies in the world.” Another UK study, conducted in 2001, revealed that, along with undertaking appropriate cleaning mea- sures, removing carpet from infants’ bedrooms reduced asthma and allergies in children at risk.*° The Healthy Flooring Network also reported that the Carpet Foundation in the UK was taken to the Advertising Standards Authority after making false claims in an advertisement. The Carpet Foundation was prevented from making further claims "implying that it was an undisputed scientific fact that there was "57 no link between carpet and asthma" . Scotchgard™ is a product used on carpets as a stain inhibitor. Until 2000, the formula contained the chemical perfluoro-octanyl sulphonate (PFOS). Manufacturer 3M removed PFOS from the formula in 2000, as the toxin had been found in high levels in wildlife tissue samples, particularly in urban areas. The chemi- cal's full effects are unknown but, under testing, high levels caused reproductive problems in rats.“ VOC adsorption (gathering of a substance on a surface in a con- densed layer) can occur on carpet fibres, and the chemicals released at a much later date. For example, curing paint can off- gas VOCs which settle in carpet. This can also be true of house- hold pesticides such as those used in impregnated strips, bombs and foggers, and also substances such as the extremely hazardous formaldehyde offgassed from resins and subflooring materials” as well as pressed wood products and glues.” Toxic deposits can also remain after cleaning with certain products. According to the US EPA, VOCs occur at levels two to five times higher indoors than outdoors and 1,000 times higher when occurrences like renovations are taking place.” Last year, New Scientist reported that studies undertaken on adults in the late 1980s found exposure to toxic pollutants 10 to 50 times higher indoors than outdoors.” Strong associations have been made between gardening pesticides and "hyperactivity, leukaemia and damage to the blood/brain barrier in children, and with birth defects in newborns due to maternal exposure".”’ Dwellings with many soft or textured surfaces were named in a European study as collecting more airborne benzene than homes without these types of surfaces. Airborne benzene is implicated as a cause of leukaemia.” Even small amounts of VOCs can have effects such as headaches, nausea and respiratory problems on allergy suffer- ers, people with lung conditions and the elderly.” Carpet shampoos, containing ammonia and perfumes, can be toxic. The known carcinogen perchloroethylene may be found in carpet cleaner.” Some cleaners contain solvents, often petroleum- based, which emit VOCs.* Other hazardous chemicals such as toluene and benzene have been found in fibre cleaners.” Carpet deodorisers are also cause for concern, as they degrade very slowly. Some contain musk-xylene, which has caused tumours in mice, or musk-ambrette, a neurotoxin to animals.” Pesticides and Volatile Organic Compounds Any chemical walked in on shoes or brought inside on wheels of prams or bicycles and in the paws of animals can become trapped in carpet. Tests on dogs' paws have detected very high levels of pesticide residues.* An alarming statistic from the US EPA states that "80% of most people's exposure to pesticides occurs indoors". Chemicals may also drift in through open win- dows or come in on clothes and be absorbed by carpet.” Pesticides tracked inside will not be broken down, due to lack of sunlight. Vacuum cleaning can "reduce the accumulation of such contaminants, but not even hot-water extraction can eliminate them all".” In the United States, pesticides and VOCs are esti- mated to cause up to 3,000 cases of cancer per year.” Robert Lewis undertook research for the US EPA and discov- ered that plush carpet samples aged between 10 and 33 years con- tained very high levels of chemicals. Numerous carpets had accu- mulated pesticides used in insect sprays. Pesticide levels showed up many times higher than any amount of insect spray that would be applied in a single use.” It is also important to note that when a chemical is outlawed, this doesn't mean it will not be found in home and outdoor envi- ronments any longer. Banned in the US in 1972, DDT was found in 1992 and 1993 in carpets of 90 of 362 homes studied by Jonathan D. Buckley of the University of Southern California and David E. Camann of the Southwest Research Institute.* Endnotes 7. US Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.buildinggreen.com/features/crpt/ 1. Renner, Rebecca, Curse This House, New Technology Transfer Network, Air Toxics web- carpets.htm. Scientist, no. 2289, 5 May 2001, p. 36. site, Ethylbenzene, 19. ibid. 2. US Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor __http://www.epa.gov.ttn/atw/hlthef/ethylben.html, 20. Antibody Assay Laboratories, op. cit. Health Pollution: An Introduction for Health last updated June 14, 2002. 21. Environmental News Network, Piling It On, Professionals, 8. Washington Toxics Coalition, Protecting by Judy Waytiuk, 1997, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/hpguide.html#faq6, Children from Toxic Exposures: Maintain Good _http://www.enn.com/ news/enn-stories/1997/07/ last updated February 19, 2002. Indoor Air Quality, 070997/feature.asp. 3. Antibody Assay Laboratories, Immunologic http://www.watoxics.org/tkiaq.htm. 22. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. Tests in Illness from New Carpet Exposure: A 9. Duehring, op. cit. 23. ibid. Form of Indoor Pollution, 10. ibid. 24. US EPA, Ethylbenzene, op. cit. http://www.aal.xohost.com/capetdoc.htm, 11. ibid. 25. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. last modified November 13, 1997. 12. Washington Toxics Coalition, Protecting 26. ibid. 4. US Environmental Protection Agency, Children..., op. cit. 27. US Environmental Protection Agency, Alphabetical Order List of Extremely Hazardous 13. Duehring, op. cit. Organic Gases (Volatile Organic Compounds — Substances (Section 302 of EPCRA), 14. Citizens for a Safe Learning Environment, VOCs), http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html. http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/ehs/ehsalpha.html, Carpets in Schools?, by K. Robinson, 28. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. last updated February 4, 1999. http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Education/ 29. Pesticides News, Pests in the home fact sheet 5. US Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor | CASLE/carpet.html. — issue no. 11, Carpets — toxic accumulation, no. Air — Formaldehyde, http://www.epa.gov.iaq/ 15. Duehring, op. cit. 50, December 2000. formalde.html, last updated June 13, 2002. 16. ibid. 30. Healthy Flooring Network, Poison 6. Duehring, Cindy, Carpet Concerns — Part 17. ibid. Underfoot, 2001, Two: Carpet Installers Speak Out as the Medical 18. BuildingGreen.com, Environmental http://www.healthyflooring.org/reports.html. Evidence Mounts, Building News, Carpeting, Indoor Air Quality 31. London Hazards Centre, Chemical Hazards http://www. holisticmed.com/carpet/tc2.txt. and the Environment, 2001-2002, Handbook — Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, 42 ¢ NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2002