CARPETS FOR HEALTHY LIVING

In recent years the media has printed many articles that allege that carpets are unhealthy and the Carpet Foundation has been similarly active in providing a balanced view by promoting the results of scientific work in this field. In 2001 a scientific review “Carpets the Healthy Flooring Option” which contained references to over 30 scientific papers and articles, was produced and the conclusions drawn from this were included in a leaflet which has been available for distribution to carpet manufacturers, retailers and consumers. The scientific review is regularly updated as the results of newer scientific studies are published and now contains 42 references all of which strengthen our argument that carpet poses no danger to health.

Important new research has been jointly undertaken by two German bodies who are concerned with asthma, allergies and the indoor environment goes further, however, and shows that contrary to sensationalist claims in the media, carpet is healthier than a smooth floor. The research work which relied on sophisticated equipment to collect, measure and quantify fine particles in the atmosphere showed that over a smooth floor the average fine dust content of the indoor air was  62.9μg/m3, whilst over a carpeted floor the average was  30.4μg/m3. The accepted European safe limit standard is set at 50μg/m3. 

Although fine dust particles can enter indoor air from the outside environment it is the fine allergen particles which originate indoors, that the media has wrongly associated with carpet in the past. These allergen particles, particularly those of the house dust mite, originate mainly in bedding which provides the warm moist environment which is necessary for the mites to survive.

The study covered 190 rooms in private homes in the Rhine/Westphalia region of Germany of which 64% were found to have smooth floors and 36% to have carpeted floors, reflecting the German national trend.

This research, carried out independently of the floor covering industry, not only confirms that The Carpet Foundation’s  assertion that carpet acts as a sink, trapping allergen and suppressing their recirculation into the atmosphere, is justified but shows that contrary to popular opinion smooth floor coverings are worse for allergy sufferers than carpet.

The graphs below record the results of the measurements made. Teppichboden translates to carpeted floors and Glattboden to smooth floors.