Is there lead in your linoleum?

Yesterday we co-released with Healthystuff.org the results of their latest round of tests- this time on over 3,000 home improvement products. The results showed that many of the products contain dangerous chemicals, and PVC products are the most hazardous of all.  Most vinyl products contained phthalates, a known endocrine disruptor linked to asthma in children, and were also 2-30 times more likely to contain other hazardous chemicals.  However, many home improvement products tested did not contain dangerous substances, proving that safe products can be made. Linoleum, cork, bamboo and hardwood all tested free of lead, cadmium, mercury and other hazardous metal People spend about 90% of their time indoors; so indoor concentrations of hazardous chemicals can be more relevant to human exposure assessment than ambient concentrations.

Ecohaus Seattle was kind enough to host the event, and we were featured in this news piece on KOMO 4 by Connie Thompson, as well as this article on King 5.

Image courtesty of flickr user Avolore