the typical American home can be harmful. Fabrics that are labeled “wrinkle-resistant” are usually treated with a formaldehyde resin. These include no-iron sheets and bedding, curtains, sleep wear – any woven fabric, but especially polyester/cotton blends, marketed as “permanent press” or “easy care.” More modern furniture that is made of pressed wood products emits formaldehyde and other chemicals.
Carpeting is usually made of synthetic fibers that have been treated with pesticides and fungicide. Many office carpets emit a chemical called 4-phenylcyclohexene, an inadvertent additive to the latex backing used in most commercial and home carpets, which is thought to be one of the chemicals responsible for “sick” office buildings.
An increasing number of physicians have found objective evidence of chemical injury in patients who have symptoms attributed to carpet exposure. “At least 120 doctors and other health-care professionals from a variety of medical disciplines have signed a letter stating that they are seeing a large number of carpet-related health problems and other chemical injury problems in their patients,” said Anthony Pollina, aide to Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT). The doctors submitted the letter to Congressman Sanders, who forwarded it to Carol Browner, head of the EPA. Pollina stated the doctors are especially requesting that a uniform diagnostic test protocol or battery of objective tests be established.
“The doctors’ letter is important because it confirms that yes, doctors involved in clinical practice are seeing these problems,” said Pollina. “It certainly brings us past the point, we feel, of simply debating the animal tests, which were valid as well, but we always felt a real serious discussion of this issue needed to involve medical doctors who are seeing the patients.”
Gunnar Heuser, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P., immunotoxicologist and neurotoxicologist, has found consistent and objective evidence of injury in patients exposed to new carpet. “A full workup shows abnormalities that are consistent with other types of chemical injury, including abnormal neuropsychiatric exam consistent with what is typically found in head injury patients, altered natural killer cell function, increased TA1 cells of the immune system, autoimmunity [meaning that the body's immune system has mistakenly identified its own tissues or cellular components as foreign and directed antibodies against them] including autoantibodies to thyroid, myelin of the
nervous system, and anti-nuclear antibodies,” Heuser said.
People who react to carpet and other consumer products have frequently reported problems with concentration and memory. Heuser stated the single-photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) scan is a well-established test that provides objective evidence of brain abnormalities correlating well with those symptoms. “We have seen hundreds of patients who say low level exposure to the types of volatile organic compounds found in carpets and other products is making them ill,” he said. “When we have conducted SPECT scans on these people, they have consistently shown that not enough blood flow is going into certain parts of the brain, and especially the part that has to do with concentration and memory.”
Internal medicine and psychosomatic medicine specialist Stephen Schacher, M.D., of Seattle, Washington, said he is also finding abnormal SPECT scans on patients who attribute their symptoms to new carpet, as well as other toxic exposure victims. Schacher said the scans have evidenced brain injuries, especially in the parietal lobe, the deep temporal lobe, and the posterior inferior frontal lobe.
This finding is consistent with the SPECT scan abnormalities found by environmental and occupational toxicology specialist Thomas Callender, M.D. of Lafayette, Louisiana, and neurologist Richard Nelson, M.D. of Billings, Montana. Both have found abnormalities in the frontal lobes, temporal lobes, basal ganglia, and thalamus of the brain. Another related test, which studies metabolism in the brain, the positron emission tomography (PET) scan, has also consistently shown abnormalities, according to Nelson and Callender.
Heuser believes the problem is widespread. “If you take all the cases I have seen over the years, of people who say that new carpet either at work or at home makes them feel sick, it would come to a few hundred,” he said. The worst case Heuser evaluated involved two children who spent much of their time playing directly on new carpeting. The children developed epileptic seizures verified by electroencephalogram (EEG) tracings. The seizures stopped when the children were no longer exposed to the carpet.
“We believe it was the carpet because while the entire family became ill with headaches, the adults and the two children who did not play on the carpet did not develop seizures and were overall much less ill than the children who did come into close, direct contact with the carpet,” noted Heuser.
Part of the problem is the large number of chemicals involved in the manufacture of carpets. At least 1,000 chemicals are used, according to a toxicologist within the carpet industry. “I believe this is a toxicity problem,” stated Heuser. “Carpet and other consumer products are a complex mixture of chemicals. Very little research
has been conducted to look at the synergistic and additive effects of chemical combinations. Also, when you combine chemicals, new unknown compounds can
be formed that can be more toxic than the single chemicals.”
Simply inhaling fumes from a small carpet sample in a jar caused severe brain function abnormalities in a patient who was objectively assessed in a challenge EEG test measuring cognitive evoked potentials. The pre-exposure baseline reading was normal. After inhaling the low-level fumes for only 15 minutes, the patient’s brain
function was significantly altered.
If the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) continues to promote all carpeting as a safe product while downplaying all evidence to the contrary, a number of researchers have
expressed concern for the most unsuspecting victims, the children. “I think one of the dangerous things about carpet is that children crawl and play on it, so they have a much greater breathing and dermal exposure than adults,” stated Ziem. “And I am deeply concerned about the common practice of redecorating nurseries with toxic products and putting in new carpet before babies are born. That is the baby’s 24-hour environment. It is a very dangerous risk to take.”
“Little children are lying on carpet in day-care centers while they are playing and learning to read,” said Mark Goldman, manager of Anderson Laboratories. “There is enough evidence about not just the chemical hazards but also the biological contaminants and the maintenance cost and problems of carpeting in schools to be able to say that schools are much better off without it. We have heard too many tragic stories and have seen too many devastating health problems from carpeting not to be profoundly concerned.”
Congressman Sanders’ office still plans to keep as much pressure on the carpet and rug industry as possible. “We know a number of the chemicals that off gas from carpet are in fact dangerous, and they do create health problems for people,” said Pollina. “We want to see some serious research conducted to look at the specific health effects of the chemicals coming off of carpet. We want to see the manufacturers implement the kind of quality control that is necessary, and any new manufacturing methods that are necessary to see to it that they produce a safe product. Industry is supposed to come back to us with a research plan for testing both individual chemicals and combinations of chemicals. And we will hold them to it.”
But until then, what will you do?
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