Can Home Carpets Be Healthy for You & the Environment?

>From <www.grist.org>
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2006/02/15/carpet_padding/index.html?source=daily

Carpet Diem
On carpeting
BY UMBRA FISK
15 Feb 2006

Got questions about the environment? Ask Umbra.

Dear Umbra,

Our home is mostly wood floors, but we would like to have a carpeted den. My
gut instinct is that the carpet pad (looks like the foam from the inside of
a car seat all smooshed together with other pieces) is full of chemicals
that will constantly offgas. Am I right? If so, is there an alternative, or
something to do so we can have a safe carpeted area?

Yosh Schulman
Millerton, N.Y.

Dearest Yosh,

Almost all the articles I just read on your behalf started with the reasons
carpet is our nation's No. 1 floor covering: comfort, ease of purchase, low,
low price. These are great reasons to buy something, in my opinion -- so
it's unfortunate that carpet is hella nasty in practice, and should be
avoided.

Go for a rug instead.

Carpet pad provides squishy backing and gives carpet its softness underfoot;
it also protects the carpet backing to a certain extent. Carpets themselves
are usually either woven or tufted material, tied and glued to a backing for
stability. Almost all carpet fabric is petroleum based, with wool the
exception. Turning sheep and oil into fibers is water and chemical
intensive, even before the dyeing process adds millions of gallons of
wastewater to the area surrounding Dalton, Ga. -- carpet capital of the
United States.

The worst part of carpet manufacture, which should make us all care enough
to avoid this stuff, is the volatile organic compounds in the adhesives. You
know, our old friends benzene and toluene. How I tire of their constant
presence. It is they and others that offgas, making some sick and others
worry.

The good news is, there are carpets that are less toxic, and some carpet
companies -- like Interface -- have reportedly worked quite hard to reduce
their environmental impacts over the past decade or so. Recommendations
include buying wool if you can afford it; buying carpet "tiles" instead of a
broadloom piece, as individual tiles can be replaced easily; finding carpet
made with low-VOC adhesives that meets Carpet and Rug Institute indoor-air
quality standards; using tacks instead of adhesive; and looking for recycled
content or reclaimed carpet. When it comes to padding, there are options
made of wool or recycled materials that don't require adhesives, so do look
around.

Still, any way you slice it, carpet as it currently exists is not the No. 1
floor choice for the greater earth environment. I feel my only hope of
dissuading homeowners, however, is to talk about the definite drawbacks of
carpet within the home environment. Sure, VOC offgassing is disputed,
Scotchgard is optional, the anti-fungal yuckies in the carpet might be
avoided if you find the right manufacturer. What you will not be able to
avoid is the mold, dust mites, and collected environmental toxins that you
will drag into the house over time and will not be able to kill, even by
steam heat. Have you ever seen the grime in floor cracks, or found it wedged
in a hard-to-clean corner of the house? That is mashed into your carpet
permanently, along with all the toxins already in the carpet. Avoid.

If you have the financial flexibility, go with large area rugs. They can be
cleaned: vacuumed on both sides, shaken, taken to a professional. And for
all you home décor mavens, they are easier to change with the shifting
fashion winds.

Negatively,
Umbra

Yours is to wonder why, hers is to answer (or try). Please send Umbra any
nagging question pertaining to the environment -- but first check out her
FAQs!