Consumer Reports Vinyl Flooring Phthalates

There are no federal laws or rules prohibiting the group of chemicals known as phthalates from vinyl flooring.

Consumer reports vinyl flooring phthalates.

Mannington is available only through specialty flooring stores. But another concern phthalates in vinyl flooring has also garnered attention since both home depot and lowe s announced that flooring products they sell will be phthalate free by 2016. On the ecofriendly side most is certified to be low voc material that won t contribute to indoor air pollution. Besides checking the composition of the flooring itself the lab also tested to see whether phthalates could be wiped off the vinyl flooring onto your hands or get into the air.

Government regulators around the world are increasing scrutiny and restrictions on the use of some phthalates. Consumer reports top rated options in solid wood engineered wood laminate porcelain tile and vinyl flooring. In a recent test consumer reports conducted on phthalates in vinyl floors from multiple manufacturers we found only very low levels in the air and on wipes we ran across the 17 vinyl samples and. Solid wood engineered wood laminate vinyl linoleum and ceramic tile.

The type of flooring you choose will depend on your needs budget. It is among the top three leading vinyl flooring brands and has a foothold in wood laminate and porcelain tile. The flooring information on the box or brand website will have these details. On the heels of concerns about toxic floors consumer reports assessed the risks posed by phthalates in 17 kinds of vinyl tile and found little to worry about when it comes to harmful health.

Consumer reports ran lab tests on 17 vinyl flooring products testing for 13 types of phthalates. Building materials such as vinyl flooring and other consumer products containing phthalates can result in human exposure through direct contact and use indirectly through leaching into other products or general environmental contamination. Look for vinyl plank flooring certified by floorscore or greenguard two low voc certifications. Most flooring falls into one of the following six types.