Carpet Toxicity

If you have carpets for bedroom flooring, know that some carpets are definitely more toxic than others. There have been many documented reports of individuals or whole families experiencing mild to severe health problems after installing toxic new bedroom carpeting.

The two main chemicals found in most synthetic carpets and which appear to be the main culprits at causing problems are styrene and butadiene. This forms an adhesive that locks the carpet fibers onto the backing. It creates a by-product called 4-PC (4-phenyl-cyclohexene) and is one cause for the unpleasant “new” carpet smell.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) which is responsible for monitoring these chemicals and issues surrounding them, identified this chemical as one of the problems when individuals suffer from symptoms relating to carpeting.

Some of the symptoms include burning of the nose, throat or eyes, headaches, flu-like symptoms, neurologic problems such as extreme fatigue, inability to concentrate, or speak, sleeping all the time, confusion, or worsening of existing brain problems. Below is just one example of how individuals can be affected. This excerpt was taken from the excellent book, “Is This Your Child’s World?” by Doris J. Rapp, M.D, published by Bantam Books(p.265):

"One mother in Italy wrote to our center to tell us what happened after new carpets were installed in her daughter Rossella’s school. Approximately half of the installation took place during school hours. Shortly after the carpets were laid, Rossella had a recurrence of asthma while other children in the classrooms developed nausea, vomiting, respiratory infections and breathing difficulties. The response of the school officials was similar to many educational facilities in the United States: “It’s just a cold or flu.” They refused to check the school’s ventilation.

Four weeks after the carpet installation was completed, Rosella’s mother sat on the newly carpeted floor with her kindergarten child, and her own eyes stung from the “sickening new carpet smell.”…A local environmental hygienist assured her that Rosella’s neurological and respiratory symptoms were temporary and no serious health problems could arise from the exposure. However, the chemicals in the carpet and/or adhesive were later found to include hexane, toluene, ethyl alcohol, and methyl alcohol. This mother’s concern that continued exposure to the new carpet could possibly hurt Rosella was certainly justified."

Additionally another child experienced daily headaches after new carpeting was installed at her school. This continued and subsided somewhat after she returned home from school. But the headaches increased, and she became more and more fatigued, developed learning problems, and finally became too ill to attend school. She later had to be home-schooled. She later tried to return to school but developed severe symptoms within 30 minutes and had to resume home schooling. Over time, she became sensitized to many chemicals such as perfumes, candles, hairspray, exhaust fumes and reacted with headaches, leg aches, nausea and fatigue. It took several hours before she felt better.

With proper environmental interventions, this child may have some hope of recovering, but once extensive damage has occurred, some of these symptoms may never go away.

And further (p.261):

"Some carpets contain forty or more chemicals that have not been evaluated for safety. In nineteen carpets that have been evaluated by the EPA, a total of sixty-four neurotoxic chemicals have been found."

You may want to have your carpet tested if you suspect it being a problem, or before you purchase any bedroom carpeting.

HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE TOXIC CHEMICALS FOUND IN CARPETS:

These are neurotoxic (very harmful to the brain or nervous system) or toxic in other ways such as causing organ damage, birth defects or cancers:

Acetone, benzene, 12-propylbenzene, caprolactam, diethylene glycol, formaldehyde, hexane, benzene, styrene, toluene, diisocyanate, 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PC), xylene.



Remember too that government agencies set the standards for chemical levels based on what most people seem to be able to tolerate. Yet there are many individuals (and the numbers are rising) who are sensitive and cannot tolerate these supposedly “acceptable levels”.

With continued exposures, sensitive individuals usually get worse and develop more symptoms and health problems unless the offending chemicals are recognized and addressed.




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