In the bedroom, in the bathrooms, in the living room. Carpets are very present in our homes but a new study has revealed that in some types sold in Europe there are toxic chemicals including phthalates, bisphenol A and PFAS
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIn the bedroom, in the bathrooms, in the living room. Carpets are very present in our homes but a new study has revealed that some types sold in Europe contain toxic chemicals including phthalates, bisphenol A and PFAS.
The report entitled "Testing for Toxics: How chemicals in European carpets are harming health and hindering the circular economy”Was based on research from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), the Ecological Center (UC) and the University of Notre Dame (USA). The tests were conducted on carpet samples from the 7 largest EU manufacturers, including Milliken, Forbo, Interface, Tarkett and Associated Weavers.
Lo study conducted by the nonprofit Health and Environment Alliance (Heal), he found phthalates in 3 rugs, 2 in those produced by Forbo and 1 in a rug produced by Associated Weavers. Among them was the DEHP, an endocrine disruptor banned in the EU since 2015, but still allowed in recycled PVC. You also find traces of BPA.
Two carpets manufactured by Milliken contained TDCPP, a flame retardant classified by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as a suspected carcinogen. A Milliken carpet also contained a number of fluorinated chemicals (PFAS), including one that is potentially carcinogenic and another that could be an endocrine disruptor.
The report builds on previous research that had warned of the possible presence of beyond 50 toxic substances in European carpets and which had exposed the gaps in Community legislation.
The new findings reveal the real impacts that these gaps could have on vulnerable groups, such as infants and young children. For example, some hazardous substances, such as halogenated flame retardants, are strictly regulated by the Toy Safety Directive, but are permitted and have been detected in the carpet samples tested by this report.
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“These results are yet another confirmation that EU law is leaving loopholes for the search for toxic materials in our everyday products. Chemicals that can harm our health - and particularly the health of vulnerable groups such as children - shouldn't be part of carpet design in the first place. If the EU is serious about anon-toxic circular economy, should not allow carcinogens or endocrine disruptors to remain in the production cycle, and should push the carpet industry to remove toxins altogether, ”said Génon Jensen., Executive Director of the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).
Sascha Marschang, acting director of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) added:
"The need to move towards a circular economy is evident, but we cannot allow chemicals that pose risks to human health to circulate."
We therefore need a regulatory framework capable of satisfying both health and environmental objectives. According to the study authors, manufacturers need to ensure that their products are designed for a healthy, circular economy. For its part, the EU and national governments must extend the ban on the use of hazardous chemicals, eliminating any loopholes.
To read the study click here
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Francesca Mancuso
