Green flooring doesn't just promote a more environmentally friendly world; it's also a step towards healthier living for you and your family. A number of green floor types are made with significantly fewer pollutants and meet recognized air quality standards.
Why is this important? Side effects of air pollution include allergy irritations, respiratory damage and even increased cancer risk. Most people spend 80-90% of their time indoors, which can be toxic considering the level of indoor air pollution is believed to be 25-65% greater than outdoor pollution. For this reason, experts believe that maintaining indoor air pollution is actually more important than outdoor air pollution.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the percentage of allergy and asthma sufferers has increased dramatically since 1980. This increase is believed to be caused by unsatisfactory indoor air quality and poor ventilation in educational facilities.
Indoor air pollution can be caused by a number of things: tobacco smoke, cooking, household cleaning products, and you guessed it, even flooring. It's important that you know what products to stay away from so as to minimize the number of toxins you're exposed to on a daily basis.
Choosing green flooring is a great way to reduce VOCs and control your indoor air quality (IAQ). Just think: Your floors are the largest surface in your home, capable of collecting dust and debris that circulates through the air. Furthermore, some non-green floors, such as vinyl, are known to out-gas toxic chemicals (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) for years after installation.
Choose a green floor that's also hypoallergenic, such as cork or linoleum. "Hypoallergenic" means that the floor naturally resists common household allergens such as dust, mites and pet dander. Plus, these green flooring types can be made without volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Indoor air quality testing can be conducted with help from the EPA. They offer information on IAQ as well as on radon, a radioactive gas that's currently one of the leading causes of lung cancer. You can test your home yourself, or hire a professional. Radon testing kits can be acquired through the National Safety Council (http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/radon/index.aspx).
