Best Practice Committee
Recommendation
Adopted by the MIAQC Board of
Directors on
Floor Covering Systems
Choosing the right floor covering system for a given
application is a complex decision involving several factors; not just comfort,
appearance and installation cost. Floor
coverings provide a potential source of unhealthy pollutant
exposure in indoor environments.
Decisions regarding the selection, maintenance, and removal of floor
coverings should be based on the general guiding principles for achieving a
healthy and productive indoor environment embodied in the Maine Indoor Air
Quality Council’s (MIAQC’s) General (Policy) Statement on Indoor Air Quality:
maintaining a clean, dry, well ventilated, and pollutant and pest free building
space. In particular, primary attention
should be placed on source control (i.e., employing principles of
pollution prevention and on the minimal use of toxic or irritating substances),
while ensuring adequate ventilation.
Since pollutant exposure risks are associated with any
floor covering or floor covering system (note: a floor covering system refers
to all the materials and layers associated with a given floor covering
installation), the Council recommends an approach that compares the
risks and benefits of flooring options, rather than one that endorses or
discourages any specific option.
Source control efforts should encompass:
Ø
Pollutants
associated with any installation:
o
Solvents,
glues, etc.
Ø
Pollutants
directly emitted from the floor covering system:
o
Volatile
organic compounds like formaldehyde
Ø Pollutants collected on the
surface of the floor covering:
o
Dust,
dander, etc.
Ø
Pollutants
associated with water damage:
o
Mold
and other microbiological contaminants
Ø
Pollutants
associated with cleaning and maintenance practices:
o
Floor
strippers, burnishing, finishes, etc.
Ø
Pollutants
associated with removal:
o
Asbestos
Ø
Pollutants
associated with unintended uses of the building space and the ability of
building management to control these unintended uses:
o
Converting
unventilated storage closets into small offices
The Council recommends that the decision making process
be guided by the following:
1)
Is
the floor covering choice appropriate for the intended use of the building space?
2)
Have
you considered the health impact of your floor covering choice as it affects
your business, productivity and/or the population it serves? (consideration of
special needs for children; consideration of
individuals with compromised health or allergic sensitivities;
consideration of increased absenteeism or loss of productivity)
3)
Did
you consider the total life cycle cost implications (preparation, purchase,
installation, maintenance, cleaning, frequency of replacement, appearance,
disposal, environmental impact, energy use, performance, etc.) of the selected
option to include lost time (absences/illnesses)?
4)
Can
you afford to (and will you be able to) follow the manufacturer’s
specifications including installation, care and maintenance?
Since there are a wide variety of different floor
covering options and varying levels of quality within each option, arriving at
a decision that is right for you and the health of your building occupants will
be a real challenge. Combining these
options with a plethora of different spaces and building uses can become
complicated very quickly. A decision
matrix similar to the following could be very helpful.
Life Cycle Cost Table
Type of Application:
_______________________________________
|
Floor
Covering |
Prepar-ation |
Purch-ase |
Installa-tion |
Equip-ment |
Train-ing |
Mainten-ance |
Clean-ing |
Dispos-al |
Replace-ment Frequency |
Comments |
|
Vinyl |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carpet |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ceramic |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Synthetic |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Linoleum |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Engineered wood |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Solid wood |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Laminate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bamboo |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Concrete |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epoxy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marble |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Terrazzo |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Painted |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Using the Table: The type of application refers to the space and its
function. There are a number of
different types and levels of quality within the broad categories listed under
floor coverings above so you might want to add them to your list before you
fill-in the rest of the matrix. The life
cycle cost of the carpet includes manufacturing (environmental impact),
preparation, purchase, installation (also, an environmental impact), equipment,
training, maintenance, cleaning, frequency of replacement, recycling, and/or
disposal. The comments column is
reserved for scoring, concerns or other intangibles worthy of consideration,
most notably potential health impacts.
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS:
Application:
The selected floor covering system must be appropriate
for the intended use of the space. For
example, vinyl or other “hard” surface would be appropriate for wet/dirty
spaces such as kitchens, restrooms/bathrooms, break rooms, industrial shops,
science labs, art rooms, etc. and carpet or other “soft” surface would be
appropriate where you know food products are restricted and noise control is
desired such as libraries, elementary school classrooms, offices, etc. Purchases should be based on the quality of
materials and life cycle cost not lower first cost and availability. The life cycle cost should consider
environmental and productivity impacts associated with the product and its
installation.
Removal:
Before you install the selected product or material, you
must prepare the existing surface to accept the product or material. This may involve removing subflooring,
adhesives and/or any of the floor covering materials noted above. If the vinyl composition tile and/or linoleum
contain asbestos or you find the same under “newer” carpet or tile, you will
need to secure and restrict access to the impacted area. Then, hire a licensed asbestos abatement
contractor to remove the product or material.
If the subflooring or carpet is wet, you will likely encounter mold. Though there are no federal standards
regarding mold exposure or remediation, you are strongly encouraged to follow
the
Installation:
The installation of the floor covering system may involve
the use of adhesives and other chemicals that may contain toxic or irritating
substances. Any potentially hazardous
product or material should have a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
available. The MSDS will clearly
identify the product; its hazardous “ingredient(s)”; physical characteristics;
fire, explosion and health hazard potential; reactivity concerns; spill or leak
procedures; protection and precaution information; and other regulatory
concerns. Review this information very
carefully and take appropriate actions to ensure a safe and healthy indoor environment. In most cases, additional ventilation is
strongly encouraged to dissipate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other
pollutants and mitigate the risk to health and safety of building occupants. Additionally, follow the manufacturer’s
specifications to secure warranty/guarantee arrangement. It may be helpful, as well as healthful, to
have the carpet unrolled and aired out elsewhere prior to on-site delivery and
subsequent installation.
Maintenance and Cleaning:
Every floor covering system should have a manufacturer’s
recommended maintenance and cleaning plan.
Before you purchase and install the selected floor covering system, you
should have the resources (staff, time, materials, equipment and dollars) to
properly care for the floor covering system.
You should develop a schedule to execute the plan that has the least
impact on building occupants. The
maintenance and cleaning methods should minimize the amount of pollutant
exposure (for example, dust from vacuuming and dry mopping; water extraction of
carpets; and burnishing and waxing tiled surfaces) to both the workers and
building occupants. In addition, this
work should be done when occupancies are at their lowest (preferably vacant)
and potential mold contamination can be easily controlled. Furthermore,
there should be policies in place that assure wet building materials are dried
promptly (within 24-48 hours of sustaining water damage) or removed.
Changes in Use:
When selecting the floor covering system that is right
for you, always consider the potential long term uses of the space. Today’s playroom may be tomorrow’s third
bedroom. Today’s third grade classroom
could be tomorrow’s art room. And,
today’s storage closet could be tomorrow’s office. You need to be concerned because designers
look at these spaces very differently and you are making a 20-plus year
investment when you buy quality floor covering systems and do not want to redo
it in the near term. But, most
importantly, you want to provide that clean, dry, well ventilated, pest and
pollution free environment for all building occupants and a change in use could
compromise the effectiveness of same.
Conclusion:
Why is the selection of the right floor covering system
so important? Floor covering systems
constitute a large volume/mass of building material and, therefore, represent a
significant potential source of pollutants.
Due to gravity, dust and other contaminants generated in the course of
building operations tend to settle to the floor. Some systems (i.e., tile) require various
chemicals for proper cleaning and maintenance.
Many of these chemicals are irritants which can aggravate asthma and
cause discomfort in sensitive populations.
In addition, floor covering systems can absorb moisture from spills,
leaks, condensation, and capillary action.
Obtaining the right material for the application will significantly
improve the livability of the space and aid you in maintaining a clean, dry,
well-ventilated, and pollution and pest free indoor environment.
References:
1.
Maryland
State Department of Education Technical Bulletin, Building Ecology &
School Design, November 1995.
2.
New
York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Environmental
& Occupational Disease Epidemiology, Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation
of Fungi in Indoor Environments, (April 2000) January 2002.
3.
United
States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation, Indoor
Environments Division, Mold Remediation in Schools and
4.