PVC floor coverings are considered to be quite inexpensive and easy-care “all-rounders” that are available in many variants. However, they are not without their problems and are often contaminated with pollutants. They almost deceptively imitate other floors made of wood, stone and other materials. PVC floors are now less contaminated with harmful substances than was the case decades ago. Nevertheless, PVC floor coverings can contain critical substances that can outgas in the air. Some of these pollutants are considered carcinogenic and are also harmful to the environment.
Properties of PVC flooring
PVC flooring is a type of resilient flooring and now accounts for around 15 percent of all flooring types. PVC flooring or vinyl flooring consists mainly of the chemical compound of the thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC consists of 57% chlorine from common salt and the rest from carbon and hydrogen from petroleum products. As PVC is still hard in its raw state and therefore not bendable, it only becomes a flexible material for floor coverings when plasticizers are added. In addition to these main components, PVC often contains other additives and fillers. They make the plastic resistant to chemicals, corrosion and weathering.
Development of PVC and current use for flooring
PVC was first synthesized in the 19th century and manufactured on a large scale from 1937. PVC flooring is considered robust, easy to lay, waterproof and inexpensive. The material is also easy to dye and is available in many different textures, patterns and colors as sheets, tiles or boards.
Hazardous pollutants in PVC and vinyl flooring
Older PVC floor coverings
Older floor coverings such as vinyl asbestos tiles, which were laid in recent decades, can contain up to 20% asbestos, which is classified as carcinogenic. Old floor adhesives are often contaminated with PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from bituminous or tar-containing adhesives. Phthalates as plasticizers in PVC floor coverings pose a health risk.
Pollutants in modern PVC floor coverings
Plasticizers continue to be added to new PVC floor coverings to make them elastic. However, PVC with plasticizers poses health risks if it contains substances such as phthalates. These are not firmly bound in the plastic and can easily outgas into the room air and thus be inhaled. They can also be absorbed through skin contact or through food, which can lead to liver and fruit damage, blood count and gonadal changes. Other risks include nerve and immune disorders as well as eye and skin irritation. Other contaminants in PVC flooring can include organophosphorus flame retardants or pollutants with organotin stabilizers, as well as UV stabilizers containing heavy metals to prevent ageing caused by exposure to sunlight.
Risks to health and the environment
Through the production, processing, use and disposal of PVC risks to health and the environment. Various pollutants can be released in the process:
- Vinyl chloride (carcinogenic)
- VOC – (volatile organic compounds) – as possible additives in PVC -> trigger, among other things, sick building syndrome with dry mucous membranes
- Plasticizers and flame retardants
- Harmful emissions during disposal
- Dioxins and furans (carcinogenic) when heated or in case of fire
Alternative floor coverings
The use of elastic PVC floor coverings is often discouraged as they can release plasticizers, which can accumulate in house dust and be inhaled. If vinyl flooring is nevertheless chosen, care should be taken when purchasing that it has labels that set stricter limit values for pollutants or prohibit them.
If PVC floor coverings with the “TÜV Rheinland” label, the “Blauer Engel” seal or, for example, the “eco-Institut” have been tested and confirmed as phthalate-free, these should preferably be used. Other labels such as “emission class A+” are an indication of lower-pollutant products. Other confirmations such as those from the “Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik DIBt” (German Institute for Building Technology) can also be an indication that the products in question are rather harmless to health.
Some manufacturers have replaced the plasticizers containing dangerous phthalates with other harmless substitutes in modern vinyl or non-toxic designer flooring. Modern so-called designer floor coverings are made of harmless plastics. They contain the plastics PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene) or PU (polyurethane) as substitutes.
Sources:
Image source: 123rf.com © olegchernyavsky, image no. 125341598
www.baunetzwissen.de/boden/fachwissen/_pvc/allgemeines-zu-pvc-bodenbelaegen-99787
www.bund.net/fileadmin/user_upload_bund/publikationen/chemie/chemie_achtung_plastik_broschuere.pdf
www.de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinylchlorid
www.eggbi.eu/fileadmin/EGGBI/PDF/Moegliche_Schadstoffe_aus_Bodenbelaegen_EGGBI.pdf
www.sanier.de/gesund-sanieren/bodenbelaege-und-kleber
www.umweltanalytik-baubiologie.de/index_htm_files/Haumann naturarzt PVC 12-2006.pdf
www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/gesundheit/umwelteinfluesse-auf-den-menschen/chemische-stoffe/weichmacher/haeufige-fragen-zu-phthalaten-bzw-weichmachern#wie-konnen-sich-verbraucherinnen-und-verbraucher-vor-einer-hohen-dehp-aufnahme-schutzen
www.verbraucherzentrale.nrw/schadstoffe/gebaeude/vinylboden-pvc-gibt-es-pvcfreie-alternativen-43291
www.verbraucherzentrale.nrw/schadstoffe/gebaeude/vinylboden-pvc-werden-daempfe-freigesetzt-43283
www.wohnglueck.de/artikel/designboden-vorteile-nachteile-5914