How can I improve air quality in my home?
Breathing clear air helps to keep you healthy. It’s a fundamental right we all have as humans, and part of creating safer, more sustainable cities and communities. When you think of air pollution, you probably think of car exhaust fumes and city smog. But levels of hidden nasties in the indoor air can be two to five times higher than outdoors. And given that we spend 90% of our time indoors, clearing the air in your home is a real priority for your family’s wellbeing.
What impacts indoor air quality?
Indoor air quality can be affected by many things including temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.
What are Volatile Organic Compounds?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases emitted at room temperature by chemicals found in everything from paints, varnishes and glue to everyday cleaning products.
What is particulate matter?
Particles in the air, known as particulate matter, can get into your lungs, causing breathing problems or aggravating asthma. And some of them are tiny. Just one piece of dust can be a fifth of the diameter of a human hair.
What is an allergen?
Allergens are substances that can trigger strong responses in some people, known as allergic reactions. They can include dust mites, mould and various foods. The World Health Organization says that 20% of people globally have allergies, and around 339 million people had asthma in 2016.
What is a safe level and how is Tarkett helping to clear the air?
All these substances are not good for human health, so the lower their levels in your home, the better. VOC emissions from Tarkett flooring are typically 10 (low) to 100 (ultra-low) times lower than the strictest regulations. And today, 98% of our flooring globally has at least low VOC emissions. So you can be confident that your Tarkett flooring contributes to better indoor air quality in your home. Our Starfloor Click 55&55PLUS collection reaches the Platinium ultra-low level with VOCs ≤ 10 µg / m³.* Plus we check our products for potential allergens, and ask independent experts, like Allergy UK, to confirm that our flooring is allergen-free, a seal of approval we’ve achieved for all our ICONIK collections. Finally, our flooring is easy to clean and maintain, so you’ll need fewer cleaning products, which themselves can be sources of VOCs.
*VOCs emitted in a room over 28 days.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1987. The total exposure assessment methodology (TEAM) study: Summary and analysis. EPA/600/6-87/002a. Washington, DC.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1989. Report to Congress on indoor air quality: Volume 2. EPA/400/1-89/001C. Washington, DC.
Prevention of Allergy and Allergic Asthma. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2003