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Research into Carpet's Negative Health Effects A controlled study of 30 female subjects indicated that the neg- ative effects of carpet are very real. The women undertook vari- ous tasks including logical reasoning, typing and addition tests. During one round of testing, a 20-year-old carpet was concealed on racks behind a screen near the subjects. Data revealed that when the carpet was present, test scores were lower. Without the carpet, 6.5% more words were typed with 5% fewer errors. Furthermore, the subjects scored 3-4% higher on the addition and logical reasoning tests. When the carpet was present, headaches were also reported.** A Stanford University study of children at play has implications for carpet, as it brought to light that in a 10-hour period the chil- dren spent six hours in contact with some surface.” Dr Dust believes that phasing out emissions is necessary because infants are not as well equipped as adults to deal with toxins, as their immune systems are not fully developed. He cites the long-term benefit of health cost savings as another incentive for this action.” Lead is a very major concern with carpet acting as a sink. John Roberts (also known as Dr Dust) tested the lead level when his daughter moved house. It was 7,800 micrograms per square metre, while the US EPA's safety threshold is a maximum of 434 micrograms per square metre.* Roberts says that any typical household dust sample would cause concern if tested, as it would contain high concentrations of heavy metals, including lead.” Plush and shag carpets are more problematic than flat carpets, as they are prone to collecting more toxic dust.” The US EPA advises that lead poisoning symptoms in adults include gastrointestinal discomfort, constipation, anorexia, nausea, fatigue, weakness, personality changes, headache, hearing loss, tremor and lack of coordination. In infants and small children, symptoms include irritability, abdominal pain, ataxia (loss of muscle coordination, especially at the extremities), seizures, loss of consciousness, chronic learning deficits, hyperactivity and reduced attention span.*' The Environmental News Network also reported that lead causes "kidney damage, high blood pressure, disrupted blood cell production and reproductive problems".** Petrol/gasoline has been regulated in many countries since the 1980s but lead is still in the soil, especially near roads, and may either come inside onto the carpet via shoes or drift in through windows and doors. The American Academy of Pediatrics esti- mates that "three to four million children in the US under age six have blood lead levels that could cause impaired development, and an additional 400,000 fetuses are at similar risk".* Infants are particularly vulnerable to ingesting contaminated dust in carpet because they spend so much time on the floor. One explanation as to why children and babies are at such a high risk is that they have a higher rate of metabolism than adults and their organs are still developing. Relative to adults, they inhale 23 times as much air.’ Breastfed babies are at an even higher risk, as the toxins come through their mothers' milk, but Roberts emphasises that "the advantages of breastfeeding outweigh the risks from these pollutants".** However, carpet dust from areas where toddlers play has been named as the best indicator of their likely blood lead level.” ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS Environmental concerns related to carpets are plentiful. In the UK, environmental quality standards were exceeded many times in 1997. Water in the North East and Midlands regions was found to have high levels of chemicals used in moth- proofing.” Carpet dyes pollute waterways, and showroom carpet samples and scraps create unwanted waste. Carpet is energy intensive to produce, and old carpets being replaced are generally put into landfills. However, some companies are looking at ways to recy- cle, and trials have been undertaken by Shaw Industries, Inc. on using carpet as a reinforcement in concrete.” The average carpet's life span, whether in commercial or resi- dential use, is eight years. Consequently, in a Canadian study in the early 1990s, carpet was named as the flooring creating the most environmental impact. A Dutch study had the same findings but specified nylon carpet in its results.” The US EPA acknowledges that there are obstacles in carpet recycling, as there is no infrastructure set up to cope with it.” http://www.lhc.org.uk/members/pubs/books/ Emission — Carpets, 1995, Children's Health: How Flooring Decisions Can chem/chebdmaa.htm. http://www.airbrains.org/carpetchemical.htm. Affect Your Home's Indoor Air Quality, 32. US Environmental Protection Agency, 41. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. http://www.watoxics.org/tkcarpet.htm. Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Health 42. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. 55. Healthy Flooring Network, Carpets Can Professionals, 43. Duehring, Part 1, op. cit. Damage. .., op. cit. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/hpguide.html#faq6, 44. Anderson, Rosalind, PhD, Toxic emissions 56. Healthy Flooring Network, Clamour Against last updated February 19, 2002. from carpets, Journal of Nutritional and Carpets Grows Stronger, August 1, 2001, 33. London Hazards Centre, op. cit. Environmental Medicine 1995, 5:375-386. http://www.healthyflooring.org/pressreleases. 34. Chemical Injury Information Network, The 45. Duehring, op. cit. html. Cindy Duehring MCS Research Fund, 46. ibid. 57. ibid. http://www.ciin.org/fund.htm. 47. Roberts, John, Protection from the Toxic 58. Ott, Wayne R. and John W. Roberts, 35. Duehring, Cindy, Carpet Concerns — Part Insult of Dust, Ecobuilding Times, vol. 6, no. 1, Everyday Exposure to Toxic Pollutants, Scientific One: EPA Stalls and Industry Hedges While 1999, http://www.ecobuilding.org/lib/ebt/ American, February 1998, Consumers Remain at Risk, 1999/roberts.htm. http://www.sciam.com/1998/0298issue/ http://www. holisticmed.com/carpet/tc 1 .txt. 48. Airbrains.org, Carpet Toxins, Wall to Wall, 0298ott.html. 36. ibid. http://www.airbrains.org/CARPETtoxins.htm. 59. Pesticides News, op. cit. 37. ibid. 49. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. 60. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. 38. Cornell University, Emissions from 50. Healthy Flooring Network, Carpets Can 61. Ott and Roberts, op. cit. New Carpets are Not a Health Problem, Cornell Damage Your Health, 2000, 62. Renner, op. cit. Study Finds, Science News Media Release, http://www.healthyflooring.org/reports.html. 63. Ott and Roberts, op. cit. March 1995, 51. Healthy Flooring Network, Poison 64. Environmental News Network, Scotchgard http://www.news.cornell.edu/science/Mar95/ Underfoot, op. cit. Sticks in the Environment, Study Finds, by st.carpet.html. 52. BuildingGreen.com, op. cit. Margot Higgins, April 11, 2001, 39. Duehring, Carpet Concerns — Part 2, op. cit. 53. Roberts, op. cit. http://www.enn.com/news/ 40. Anderson, Rosalind, PhD, Carpet Chemical 54, Washington Toxics Coalition, Carpeting and —_enn-stories/2001/04/04112001/pfos_42961.asp. NEXUS ¢ 43 Lead and Other Heavy Metals OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2002 www.nexusmagazine.com