Healthy Flooring Can Make a Difference for Allergy and Asthma Sufferers

Laminate and hardwood flooring are healthy alternatives that are readily available for people who suffer from allergies and asthma or anyone wanting to improve the quality of their home environment.

There is new research that gives even greater evidence that the type of flooring in a home can make a difference in your health. A study supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) shows that a by-product of bacteria, called endotoxin, is found everywhere in the home.

"When we analyzed the dust samples, we found that kitchen and living room floors had the highest concentrations of endotoxin," said Darryl C. Zeldin, M.D., a Senior Investigator at NIEHS. "However, when we looked at where the health impact of the dust was the most significant, we found that the likelihood of having recent asthma symptoms was nearly three times greater among individuals with exposure to high levels of endotoxin in the bedroom."

Perhaps the most offensive flooring in the bedroom is wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpets harbor dust and other pollutants that are not readily cleaned out even with the most powerful vacuum cleaners. Dust mites are quite prevalent in carpeting and bedding and even though they don't bite, they do leave droppings known as mite allergens. Dust mites live up to 3 months and produce up to 300 eggs over this period of time.

Dust mites thrive in warm, dark, moist areas and mattresses and bedding is a breeding ground for allergens. No matter how much one vacuums, the mites remain in the carpet.

Healthy choices in flooring are readily available.

Hard surface flooring is the flooring of choice for most allergy sufferers. Bamboo, cork, hardwood, linoleum and laminate flooring have very little off-gassing because they use mostly if not all natural materials in their production. Hard surface flooring is also much easier to clean and doesn't harbor harmful bacteria and dust mites.

Another benefit of bamboo and cork flooring is that they are made from ecologically sustainable plants, so their harvesting is not harmful to the environment. They are also hypo-allergenic and resistant to pests. In keeping with an eco friendly standard, most manufacturers are using a water-based non-toxic finish.

Linoleum is made from all natural products and has been the flooring of choice for hospitals for over 50 years. Linoleum is anti static, anti-bacterial and hypo-allergenic.

Laminate is a good choice for families looking to reduce allergens in the home, with a little research, many manufacturers are looking at ways to improve the environmentally friendliness of the flooring alternative.