Toxic Carpeting Important Points to Remember Negative Health Affects ----------------------- 1. Lack of acute reactions to toxic carpeting are common, but the chemicals may be causing serious damage nonetheless. The ASTM E981 tests on carpeting are *short-term* exposure which tests for respiratory and neurological reactions. It is of note that some carpeting was so toxic that short-term exposure to animals caused serious reactions, including death. The ASTM E981 test *does not* measure immunological problems caused by carpet exposure according to Mark Goldman of Anderson laboratories. The mouse would not be the best model for testing immunological repsonse. Nor does the test measure health effects from long-term exposure to toxic carpeting. Therefore, the lack of acute adverse reactions (e.g., headaches, breathing difficulties, seizures, etc.) does not mean that the chemicals coming off of the toxic carpet is not causing slow, silent damage. One can see from the health affects suffered by carpet installers that the carpeting can and does cause serious adverse effects from long-term exposure -- from neurological problems to possibly contributing to or causing cancer. Many people are developing disorders such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, psychological illnesses, etc. None of these people *expected* to get their illness. I believe that carpeting will make a person much more susceptible to getting a chronic illness in the future. Therefore, whether or not you are one of the many who have adverse to reactions to carpet immediately, you are setting yourself up for future problems by dosing yourself with dangerous chemicals on a regular basis with carpeting. Please pay attention to this warning. Sucking down toxic chemicals may seem okay now, but you may pay a very heavy price in the future. 2. Health Problems Linked to Carpeting -- What To Do? If you think that your health problems may be caused or contributed to by toxic carpeting, first contact the Citizens for Safe Carpet (P.O. Box 39344, Cincinnati, OH 45239, 513/385-1111). They can help walk you through the steps you need to take. In addition, your may want to contact the Environmental Access Research Network (EARN) (P.O. Box 1089, Minot, North Dakota 58702-1089, 701/837-0161). You will need to contact your healthcare practitioner immediately. You will also need to be tested to see if the carpeting is the cause of the problem. Contact the groups mentioned above so that you don't forget any important steps. Whatever you do, *do not* contact the Carpet and Rug Institute to have them send out a team to "help" you with the problem. They are not there to help you, only to put the blame on everything but the carpet. Of course, looking at other possible causitive factors is important, but the CRI will never admit the carpet causes a serious problem. Do not contact the EPA or Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) with the expectation of getting help with the problem. While they may do good work on other issues, they are in bed with the industry on this issue, so do not trust anything they say. If you or your family has suffered serious adverse effects from toxic carpeting, you may want to consider being part of a class action lawsuit. While I am not a big fan of lawsuits, this appears to be the only leverage we have in protecting the public, as the agencies sworn to protect the public are doing more to help the industry poison the public than they are to protect the public as far as the carpeting issue is concerned. In addition, many people deserve compensation for the damage that the carpeting has caused. Testing ------- 1. Testing carpet emissions *does not* necessarily help assure lack of toxicity. As mentioned earlier, there are thousands of chemicals used in the manufacture of carpeting. Many of them stop offgassing after a few days or a few months. Other *dangerous* chemicals often continue to offgas for years (despite what some "industry experts" say). While one can test for common chemicals that come off of carpeting, it is impossible to know what chemicals might be coming off the carpet that can cause health problems over time. They may be chemicals used in the manufacture of the carpeting, or they may be chemicals that are formed through chemical reaction. Testing for chemical emissions are probably not that helpful in the sense of showing lack of toxicity. So what if one does not find formaldehyde or toluene! There can be an endless number of chemicals that can cause problems. Testing for chemical emission may help provide clues as to what is causing a health problem caused by toxic carpeting -- if one can guess correctly as to what chemicals to test for. Terminology ----------- 1. "Non-toxic" or "low-toxicity" carpeting refers to the carpeting mentioned in the resources section of Part One of Cindy Duehring's article. 2. "Toxic Carpeting" refers to the carpet sold in most carpeting stores. Please get this terminology correct -- it's "toxic carpeting," not "carpeting." Of course, the toxicity varies between carpet rolls, but how is one to know how toxic the carpeting is? The ASTM E981 test can help, but only in the case of short-term, neurological and respiratory problems caused by carpeting. Things To Be Expected From the Carpet Industry (e.g., Monsanto, CRI, etc.) ---------------------------------------------- 1. They will probably flood the scientific community with flawed studies "proving" the safety of carpeting. Some of these companies have down similar things with other toxic products. (See the Aspartame Review at: http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/ for a good example of the abuse of science in the name of protecting a toxic product.) They may fund studies which are flawed or their researcher may obtain public funding for flawed studies. Remember, it has already been proven that animals can suffer from severe neurological and respiratory problems from exposure to carpeting. In addition, these tests do not even begin to address the dangers of long-term exposure to these toxic chemicals. Anytime you read in the news that "such and such" university or team of "researchers" has proven that toxic carpeting or "new" toxic carpeting or "new, low-emission" toxic carpeting (or whatever their PR department decides to call it) does not cause health problems, it is probably a typical, flawed industry study. Contact E.A.R.N. or Citizens for Safe Carpet or Anderson Laboratories for an *honest* evaluation of this new research. 2. They will probably come out with new "non-toxic", or "low-emission" products. In all liklihood, this will probably be more of a creation of their PR departments than a quality product. The real low-toxicity products were listed in Part One of the article by Cindy Duehring. Reducing the number of chemicals used in the carpeting industry from 1,000s to 100s or even to just a few is a possible improvement, but it is also very possible that these carpets are still quite toxic. Don't be conned by their marketing terms. Look into *real* non-toxic carpeting or flooring (using low-toxicity glues or tacking down the carpet). If Monsanto actually comes out with completely non-toxic carpeting, I'll be happy to congradulate them and recommend their product for those who have to have carpeting. Until then, see the resources in Part One of Cindy Duehring's article for non-toxic solutions. 3. They may send out inaccurate information to the retailers. I strongly recommend not putting any faith in information provided by the retailers as it comes directed from the manufacturers of these toxic products or from the CRI. If you want to read a fairy tale, go to a good children's book store. Now the retailer may very well think that they are getting accurate information from the manufacturer, so they are not necessarily to blame. 4. The industry may agree to a large warning label on the toxic carpet. Even if the label contains a strong warning, detailed recommendations, a list of doctors (worldwide) who are experienced in dealing with the effects of toxic carpeting, and the Encyclopedia Britanica, you are still left with *toxic carpeting*. Of course, a decent information label is useful, but the label *will not* protect you or your family unless it covers the whole carpet and doubles as a heavy-duty air filter. Therefore, if you hear news about the "great new carpet label," please realize that it's still a toxic carpet with a "great new carpet label." 5. The industry may try to discredit certain individuals in order to get the public to ignore the serious warning that they are presenting. Their memorandum and the vicous attacks on Dr. Anderson's credibility are examples of this. Even if they do discredit an individual's reputation, the message is still valid and the health problems caused by toxic carpeting are still occuring. 6. The industry will probably continue to enhance their apparent close ties to the EPA policymakers and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Therefore, anytime you see the industry quoting the EPA or CPSC, it is probably extremely biased information *if* it is accurate at all. 7. My experience tracking how industry helps protect their toxic products is by giving money to the campaigns of key senators and representatives. In this way, hearings can be blocked, bills can get stalled in Committees or gutted so that they are meaningless. This is what happens when extremely powerful lobbying groups decide they want something. Money comes before public health in some cases unless the public puts alot of pressure on their Congressional Representatives. To understand how PR techniques are sometimes used to by Monsanto, Dupont and others to con the general public, please purchase and read the excellent new book: Toxic Sludge is Good For You! (Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton Common Courage Press, Monroe, Maine (USA), c1995 ISBN 1-56751-061-2 or ISBN 1-56751-060-4 (pbk.) This book will help you understand what tricks to expect from Monsanto, Dupont, and others as scientists and the general population recognizes the dangers from exposure to toxic carpeting. Things To Be Expected From the EPA and the CPSC ----------------------------------------------- 1. In my opinion, as public pressure mounts, they will try to create the appearance of protecting the public, but still do what they can to protect industry. I would strongly recommend that you take any statement from these organizations on the carpeting issue as if it came from the carpeting industry even if it appears they are comprimising. Please contact the reputable organizations mentioned earlier for an honest review of any new information. Things You Can Do ----------------- 1. If your employer or children's school or daycare are planning on getting a toxic carpet, be very firm with them that you insist upon *NO* toxic carpeting. Give a copy of the articles to all of the employees or parents so that everyone is aware of the dangers. 2. While toxic carpeting may be one of the biggest sources of indoor air pollution, there are other sources. Please become aware of products that are toxic even in small amounts and those products developed by *consciencious* manufacturers which are *non-toxic*. What follows is a list of books that can be very helpful. "The Healthy Home: An Attic-To_Basement Guide to Toxin-Free Living" by Linda Mason Hunter Pocket Books, c1989 ISBN 0-671-70819-8 Very good reference to have on hand for avoiding toxic substances in the home. Contains a resources chapter for nontoxic products. "The Nontoxic Home" by Debra Lynn Dadd Jeremey P. Tarcher, Inc., c1986 ISBN 0-87477-401-2 A classic book by Debra Lynn Dadd on how to avoid toxic chemicals in the home. "The Nontoxic Home & Office" by Debra Lynn Dadd Jeremey P. Tarcher, Inc., c1992 ISBN 0-87477-676-7 A classic book by Debra Lynn Dadd on how to avoid toxic chemicals in both the home and the office. Very helpful for persons trying to avoid "sick building syndrome" at the office. "Nontoxic, Natural, & Earthwise" by Debra Lynn Dadd Jeremey P. Tarcher, Inc., c1990 ISBN 0-87477-584-1 This book does not contain as much discussion as her other books, but does contain an enormous list of resources for nontoxic products. I highly recommend all of her books, especially this one. "Clean & Green" by Annie Berthold-Bond Ceres Press, Woodstock, NY, c1990 ISBN 0-9606138-3-8 One of the best books available for nontoxic and environmentally safe housekeeping products. The resources section of this book is outstanding. It contains the following sections: - Manufacturers and Distributors - Mail Order Suppliers - Organizations Geared Toward the Development of Healthy, Practical and Earth-Safe Practices in the Home - Consultations on Environmentally Safe Cleaning For Industry, Business and the Home - Scientific Testing Devices - Consultations for Nontoxic and Environmentally Safe Building - Pesticide Alternative Resources - Pet Care Resources - Clean Water Organizations - Alternative to Chemicals Brought Into the House - Information on Chemicals in Our Foods - Information on Recycling - Education, Seminars, and Correspondence Course on the Construction of Healthy Homes and Workspaces Final Note ---------- I find it reprehensible that the carpet companies such as Monsanto, the Carpet and Rug Instute (CRI), the U.S. Environmental "Protection" Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) would all be so immoral and heartless that they would continue to let so many people suffer serious damage to their health (including children) simply so the industry can make more money and avoid lawsuits. These groups are abusing the scientific processes and they are abusing the population. I sincerely hope people will, unlike the organizations mentioned above, look out for each other by passing this information along to people who are interested in flooring. Best regards, - Mark mgold@holisticmed.com http://www.holisticmed.com/ (Web articles on Food & Nutrition, Yoga, aspartame, sweetener resources, stevia, toxic carpeting, rBGH. Lots of links to medical and holistic healing sites.)