inside | flooring and carpeting

Safer and Healthier

When choosing what kind of flooring to install in their facilities, schools and universities typically weigh the advantages and disadvantages that come with each flooring type and consider the function of a particular space and who will be spending time there.

But whether facility managers opt for carpet or resilient flooring, they should be careful to avoid carpet and flooring products that contain potentially harmful substances. To help them do so, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), which works to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, has partnered with Health Care Without Harm to make it easier for managers of education institutions and other facilities to select the safest carpet and resilient flooring.

Here are the CEH’s “10 Reasons to Choose Healthier Carpet and Resilient Flooring.”

1. Some carpet and flooring may be a significant source of exposure to chemicals that are associated with a range of serious health issues, including asthma, cancer, diabetes, immune system disorders, and reproductive and developmental harm. Health problems linked to chemical exposure are on the rise. Our guidelines restrict the use of harmful substances—including vinyl, PFAS, bisphenols and flame-retardant chemicals—associated with these and other conditions.
2. Conventional carpet and flooring products can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have been found to impair cognition. A recent study found that in a setting with average VOC levels, people had significantly diminished cognitive functions compared with working in a setting with increased ventilation and reduced VOC levels. In the improved indoor environment, participants scored substantially higher on cognition tests that measured functions including crisis response, information usage and strategy, among others. Our guidelines restrict VOC emissions and require products to meet the highest standards for indoor air quality.
3. Indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and people in the United States spend about 87% of their time indoors. Crises like COVID-19 and wildfires have forced people to spend more time indoors. The last thing we need are products in our homes, offices and schools that can compromise our immune systems and exacerbate the health effects of these crises.
4. People are demanding safer, healthier, and more sustainable work and living environments. A recent study found that 90% of millennials, who make up the largest share of the workforce, reported that working for a sustainable workplace was important to them. A commitment to healthier products will help organizations attract and retain employees and tenants, and protect the health and wellbeing of those who work in, live in, or visit a space.
5.  Selecting healthier carpet and resilient flooring products can help you earn sustainability credits for building certification programs. Examples of credits that the products on our list contribute to include LEEDv4 (several categories), International WELL Building Institute’s v2 X05 (Enhanced Material Restrictions) and X08 (Materials Optimization), and Living Building Challenge v4 Imperative (Responsible Materials) and Imperative (Red List).
6. Toxic materials in carpet and flooring endanger health across the product life cycle. People involved in the manufacturing, maintenance, and disposal of these products — and those who live in communities where the chemicals are produced and disposed of —are adversely affected, as are air, water, soil, and wildlife. For example, PVC flooring is manufactured with mercury, PFAS, and/or asbestos, and has a significant carbon footprint. If it burns, it releases cancer-causing dioxins and furans.
7. Products on our list typically require less maintenance than conventional products. Some of the products used to clean and maintain carpet and flooring can harm the health of cleaning and maintenance workers, and the environment. The products that meet our specifications don’t require these harmful treatments. For example, the resilient flooring products that meet our criteria don’t require stripping, sealing, waxing, and finishing needed for conventional resilient floors, thereby saving time and money, and protecting health. Many of the healthier products come in tile or plank formats, allowing you to replace pieces that become damaged rather than re-carpeting or flooring the whole area.
8. Buying healthier products diverts harmful waste from landfills. In the United States, about 2 million tons of carpet is sent to landfills every year, where toxic chemicals can leach into the soil and groundwater. Unlike most conventional carpet products, the ones that meet our specifications must have manufacturer-offered take-back programs.
9. Safer, healthier products are available. Resilient flooring and carpet products that meet our criteria can be found on The Greenhealth Approved website (https://greenhealthapproved.org/greenhealth-approved-products).
10. Your purchasing power can help shift the market toward safer products for everyone. By selecting products with better health and safety profiles, you are sending a message to manufacturers that purchasers don’t want hazardous chemicals in their products, thereby growing the market for safer products. Increased demand can lead to wider availability and a broader range of healthier products.