Toxic substances found in carpets: Report
by sadia_badhon | January 21, 2019 5:04 pm
[1]Photo © www.bigstockphoto.com
A new report[2] reveals the presence of toxic substances in most of the carpets manufactured in the country. Toxic chemicals detected have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, respiratory disease, heart attacks, strokes, asthma, and immune and developmental health problems in children.
The report by Ecology Center[3] (EC), Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives[4] (GAIA), and Changing Markets Foundation[5] (CM) also outlines strategies to better protect human health and the environment by designing healthier carpet, increasing product transparency, and enabling safer carpet recycling.
“Toxics in carpets make our homes, offices, and schools less healthy places to live, work, study, and play,” said Jeff Gearhart, research director of EC. “Further, when carpet materials burn, as they did in California’s recent fires, the combustion of hazardous chemicals increases the toxicity of the air people breathe. By designing carpets without toxic substances, we can better protect human health and the environment, while making it possible to recycle them into new, safer carpet.”
The report builds on a recent Healthy Building Network [6](HBN) study that highlighted the possible presence of 44 toxic substances in American carpets. The study recommends the immediate phase-out of toxic substances in carpets.
- [Image]: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Opener-26.jpg
- new report: http://no-burn.org/detoxingcarpets
- Ecology Center: https://www.ecocenter.org/
- Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives: http://www.no-burn.org/
- Changing Markets Foundation: https://changingmarkets.org/
- Healthy Building Network : https://s3.amazonaws.com/hbnweb.dev/uploads/files/eliminating-toxics-in-carpet-lessons-for-the-future-of-recycling.pdf
Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/toxic-substances-found-in-carpets-report/