Carpets, paints: indoor air 5 to 10 times more polluted
Carpets, paints: indoor air 5 to 10 times more polluted
Mural painting | © Adie Bush / cultura / Corbis
The news: the air we breathe is 5 to 10 times more polluted inside than outside, according to a study published on August 25 by the UFC-Que Choisir, which analyzed the dangerous substances emitted by glued carpets. The consumer association calls for a ban on the most dangerous substances used in the home.
The context
French people spend an average of 80% of their time in confined spaces. According to the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS), in 2005 they consumed 4,8 million tonnes of carcinogens, mutagens or those dangerous for reproduction.
At the end of July, during the presentation of his Health-Environment Plan, the Minister of Ecology, Jean-Louis Borloo, recognized that indoor air pollution was a "strong axis of progress" in terms of health.
Within the framework of the Grenelle of the environment, the government is committed to putting in place by 2012 measures of prohibition and labeling for construction and decoration materials containing dangerous substances, as well as a advanced study on the composition of interior products and their impact on health.
The challenge
Products dangerous for health
For ten years, UFC-Que Choisir has analyzed numerous consumer products. Paints, vitrifiers, indoor deodorants, chests of chipboard… So many products "whose excessive emissions of certain volatile organic compounds induce a demonstrated harmfulness", according to the association.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that go into the composition of fuels and many consumer products (benzene, acetone, perchlorethylene, etc.).
The conclusions of the UFC-Que Choisir are shared by the Observatory of indoor air quality (OQAI), a study published in June 2008 indicated that the ambient air of approximately 10% of housing in France has between 3 and 8 highly concentrated hazardous substances.
In its latest report, the UFC analyzed the impact of glued carpets on air quality. The glue used to fix them causes the emission of volatile organic compounds in dangerous proportions, for at least 5 of the 8 carpets studied. The association therefore recommends using double-sided tape to fix its carpet, stating, however, that this type of coating stores mites and dust in all cases.
Other factors contribute to poor indoor air quality, such as the absence of a ventilation system in almost a quarter of the dwellings or the heating system used.
What UFC-Que Choisir offers
"We demand the immediate ban of the most dangerous substances and the reduction of the total admissible level of pollution" can be read in the UFC-Que Choisir report.
The association is also asking for "warning labeling" pending the final withdrawal of harmful substances, some of which may be carcinogenic, mutagenic or dangerous for reproduction. A measure provided for in the Grenelle bill, but which will initially only concern construction and decoration materials.
The UFC also proposes to strengthen the European REACH directive. Adopted in 2006, these regulations provide for banning or limiting the use of approximately 30 toxic substances. The UFC, which underlines the existence of at least 000 dangerous substances, denounces "the slowness of its implementation and its too narrow scope".
Finally, the association considers that the government must generalize certain financial measures, including the tax credit, to encourage the French to equip their homes with a double-flow ventilation system, which helps limit heat loss.
It also requires equipping all new housing and public buildings (hospitals, nurseries, etc.) with such a ventilation system. A reform provided for in the Health and environment plan presented at the end of July by the government. An air quality monitoring experiment must notably be carried out at the start of the 2009 academic year and until 2012 in 300 nurseries and French schools.
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