DIYbanter - View Single Post - Offgassing from vinyl floors vs. laminate floors

Michael Halliwell

wrote:

Harry Muscle wrote:

I know vinyl flooring offgasses toxins for quite some time, however, is
it like carpet where it stops after a few years or does it continue
offgassing for it's whole life.

Harry:

Alarmism to the contrary, this won't hurt you. Smells (often coupled
with
worry) *can* give people headaches. New car smell used to give me
those
because I didn't like it. I preferred the 'old car' mixture of
gasoline vapors and
mildew, probably much more toxic if you analyze it. But there is
such a
thing as exposure far below the limits of toxicity, despite what the
pseudoscientists say.

Keep a window open if the smell bothers you.

Cordially yours:
A. P. M. F.

Actually, I've done research in this field as part of my education and
yes, APMF is correct that the values encountered are typically lower
than the occupational limits. Just don't forget, you're typically in
your house a lot longer than the 8 hrs/day or 40hrs/wk of the
occupational guidelines. As you increase time, the allowable
concentration decreases due to chronic exposure. Not to fear monger, be
alarmist or anything like that, but some of the chemicals released
during offgassing may be known carcinogens and may or may not have
threshold values for exposure (i.e. any exposure can be "bad"). Of
course, how "bad" or how much the risk of cancer increases may not be
significant when compared to normal, accepted risks like driving to work.

On the flip side, don't forget the human nose is a surprisingly
sensitive detection device and can pick up some odors at very low
levels. What may be an unpleasant odor may not necessarily be harmful.

Generally speaking, I'd say that if you walk into the house and you
notice it pretty strongly or if you develop headaches on a regular basis
following a major change like new flooring, furniture, carpets or so
forth, you'll probably want to open the windows while the building is
occupied and get some additional air exchange happening just to be safe.

Michael Halliwell