Guest guest Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 --- In , " sheraly2001 " <sheraly48@h...> wrote: > We're also thinking about removing our carpet and using laminate > flooring. I found an article at > wen.org.uk/health/Reports/Flooringbriefing.pdf > It mainly talks about allergies. It says that some laminate > flooring gives off formaldehyde at room temp and suggests talking to > the manufacturer. > Sheila I would suggest talking to people who sell non-toxic home products. I would expect to get more and better info that way than from the manufacturer of the toxic stuff. Moria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2010 Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 My experience with laminate flooring has been good. My sister put in the flooring in her entire house and I visited maybe a couple of months after and it was fine. I do react to this kind of stuff so I can't say whether it was good right away or it needed that couple of months of offgassing. > > I've been reading that laminate is BAD for us. If it was put in approx 2 yrs ago, would it have sufficiently offgased by now, or would it always be harmful for MCSrs. > > ....Corky > ... I gotta be me, cause everyone else was taken! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 When we put in laminate floors I had to be out of the house for a couple of years. I could tolerate for a while and then I had to sleep in the camper outside. I got tested for it with NAET, and got treated for it and that helped. I did a lot of research and thought that it would not bother me till just for a few months. But it was not so. Now, 6 years later, it is not a problem. I was told it was compressed and not glued and that is why I went for it. But who knows what else it has in it. I also have air purifiers and that helps too. It is a lot healthier for us right now than carpets though and we like the feel of it and how you can keep it clean. We have a basement floor that we do not know what would work the best to install either. But it seems to me that tiles are the next thing or maybe an untreated cork floor. cathy > > > > I've been reading that laminate is BAD for us. If it was put in approx 2 yrs ago, would it have sufficiently offgased by now, or would it always be harmful for MCSrs. > > > > ....Corky > > ... I gotta be me, cause everyone else was taken! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2010 Report Share Posted April 6, 2010 Laminate flooring is compressed wood fibers. The manufacturing process uses a resin that acts like a glue. Otherwise the wood fibers would eventual come apart. The problem is most resins are formaldehyde based. The amount of formaldehyde out gassing depends on the type of formaldehyde used and can vary across the same piece of product let alone across different pieces and different manufacturing lots of the same product. Testing is the only way to know the concentration in your room/home. Fortunately this is cheap $39 per test using passive ACS badges. This includes the lab analysis. I strongly suggest people test because a report released by The California Air Resources Board's report published December 15, 2009 states: " Nearly all homes (98%) had formaldehyde concentrations that exceeded guidelines for cancer and chronic (respiratory) irritation... " What concentration of formaldehyde is acceptable is debatable. It depends if the exposure is occupational (assumes healthy adult 8 hours/day 40 hours/week) or residential which is consider chronic exposure. California Office of Health Hazard Assessments reduced their recommended ceiling concentration from 27 parts per billion (ppb) to just 7 ppb in November 2008. Studies show decreased lung function in children at 30 ppb and increased asthma at 65 ppb. Most adults have accurate negative effects at 100 ppb. The odor threshold level is 500 ppb. The typical FEMA trailer was 77 ppb. If your test reveals an issue a qualified person with a real time direct reading instrument can identify the sources. The sources can usually be removed or remediated. If the sources are large like laminate flooring or wall insulation the economic solution is often to add a 24x7 fresh air ventilation system. Commerical building are required to have a complete air exchange every hour. Homes with more sources have pollution have no requirement and often take 10 hours to exchange the air one time. I would bring the fresh air in through a HEPA filter to remove pollen, dust, mold spores etc and the circulate it through out the home using a variable speed motor so you can adjust the ventilation rate. Alternatively you can get room sized systems by Panosonic for your bedrooms (you spend 8-hours there) and other rooms that you spend a lot of time in. You will likely need to contact an experienced commercial ventilation contractor because currently residential homes don't require fresh air and residential contractors don't have the experiecne to do it correctly. Roughly the cost per room should be about $1,000 installed and $5,000 for an entire house. I'm in a high cost areas so these figures might be high. Because fresh air is cleaner than indoor air, we all should have fresh air coming into our homes. The lack of fresh air has become significantly more of an issue since 2000 and/or with homes that have had energy retrofits. For example, a family got sick after installing double pane windows. They blamed it on mold in the ventilation system. Only after moving out and bring in experts did they learn that their trendy name brand furniture was raising the room air to 100 to 450 ppb formaldehyde including 250 ppb in the master bedroom above the pillows. They got rid of the furniture added a fresh air to their ventilation system and are happily living in the home again for the first time in over a year. 1a. Re: laminate flooring Posted by: " cahydesmond " cahydesmond@... cahydesmond Date: Mon Apr 5, 2010 6:40 pm ((PDT)) When we put in laminate floors I had to be out of the house for a couple of years. I could tolerate for a while and then I had to sleep in the camper outside. I got tested for it with NAET, and got treated for it and that helped. I did a lot of research and thought that it would not bother me till just for a few months. But it was not so. Now, 6 years later, it is not a problem. I was told it was compressed and not glued and that is why I went for it. But who knows what else it has in it. I also have air purifiers and that helps too. It is a lot healthier for us right now than carpets though and we like the feel of it and how you can keep it clean. We have a basement floor that we do not know what would work the best to install either. But it seems to me that tiles are the next thing or maybe an untreated cork floor. cathy > > > > I've been reading that laminate is BAD for us. If it was put in approx 2 yrs ago, would it have sufficiently offgased by now, or would it always be harmful for MCSrs. > > > > ....Corky > > ... I gotta be me, cause everyone else was taken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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