How flooring contributes to air quality
According to the Green Science Policy Institute, most of the 80,000-plus chemicals on the U.S. market have not been adequately tested or evaluated to ensure their safe use in everyday products. The Six Classes Approach, recommended by this institute, highlights six categories of known chemicals of concern, commonly used in consumer and building products, to accelerate manufacturers’ adoption of safer chemicals and prevent “regrettable substitutes” in consumer products and building materials. “Regrettable substitutes” refers to the substitution of
a known toxic chemical with another that has similar adverse health effects, for example, the substitution of bisphenol A or BPA with bisphenol S or bisphenol F.7
Building environments involve installing flooring, insulation, and HVAC systems, applying and maintaining paint, and selecting furniture and electronics. Each of these products can contain any number of harmful substances, including ortho-phthalates, VOCs, PFAS, and antimicrobials, among others, that can affect air quality and human health.8
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), source control of these pollutants is the most effective way to control air quality. This means selecting or not selecting a product based on how it contributes to IAQ is a key decision for designers and architects to make. Though ventilation is necessary to support good IAQ, source control may also be a more cost-efficient approach because increasing ventilation can also increase energy costs.9
When it comes to flooring products, there are three main ways to approach source control of indoor pollutants.
- First, consider the health impact of the materials, chemicals, and adhesives used in flooring products. Prioritize flooring manufacturers that make third-party-verified ingredient disclosures available.
- Second, take ease of cleaning and maintenance into account. Consider which floors will help minimize the buildup and removal of allergens with the use of neutral cleaning solutions that do not introduce harmful chemicals or VOCs into the space.
- Finally, select products that are certified to have eliminated materials of concern and to promote good air quality. Independent certification often ensures standards that already take material health and ease of maintenance into account. One prime example is the third-party international asthma & allergy friendly certification program developed by Allergy Standards Limited (ASL).
