Is Vinyl Flooring Safe For Health

Share on pinterest experts say linoleum is a safer alternative than vinyl flooring.

Is vinyl flooring safe for health.

The fine print about vinyl. Vinyl floors last a long time especially durable vinyl floors with thick wear layers. Many consumers are opting for vinyl or linoleum flooring because they are durable versatile and. This means less flooring in landfills and ultimately lower impact on health and environmental concerns.

Vinyl and tile floors. It is a non renewable material made from petroleum based chemicals. Laminate flooring is a synthetic product made to look like real wood. The burden of proof of safety should not be on consumers to find out the hard way through sickness and even death.

Most vinyl flooring contains chemicals called phthalates many of which have been banned from children s products over concerns of negative health effects. This characteristic is achieved by the addition of phthalates to the material mix when the pvc is being manufactured. Researchers say vinyl flooring and sofas with flame retardants can present a health risk to children. Laminate was king of the flooring world.

However the act of recycling vinyl to be re used in flooring uses a lot of energy and also means you are running the risks of introducing contaminants into your flooring. Because of their durability vinyl flooring can last 2 3 times as long as similar resilient flooring products. These are toxic substances and they have been linked to reproductive and respiratory health problems in people who have prolonged exposure. Flooring this organization checks the health environmental and social impacts of all of the products used for all of these flooring types including materials sealants glue etc.

Manufacturers should prove that their products are safe even before entering the market. Phthalates are used to soften plastic and vinyl and make them more flexible. Some vinyl is hard but most flooring vinyl is relatively soft and yielding. The flooring giant lumber liquidators was accused of selling illegally sourced laminate wood with high levels of formaldehyde a known carcinogen.

As well as potentially containing harmful contaminants recycled vinyl flooring breaks down sooner than 100 virgin vinyl and therefore needs replacing sooner. Stay informed about the coronavirus. Remember when laminate flooring was all the rage in the late 90s. Even though it s popular and easy to install vinyl is probably the worst flooring choice in terms of health sustainability and production.