Indoor air quality has gained increasing attention as regulations and building codes expand to include health and safety concerns, and as ‘green’ building initiatives have become the trend when sourcing materials for indoor applications such as furnishings, flooring, trim, baseboards and partitions.
Builders and designers are becoming more educated regarding the types of materials they’re choosing for interior spaces and the impact the materials they are made of may have on things like air quality and the health of building occupants. One of the things to consider is the level of interior VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions.
Most living things emit VOCs. When you smell coffee brewing or detect the scent of a flower, those are VOCs. Car exhaust and industrial smoke are also VOCs. Manmade compounds that contain organic chemicals - paint, wood preservatives, copy machines, printers and permanent markers – are the kinds of materials that contribute to VOC levels in interior environments. Trim, flooring and carpet backing are some of the building components that can contribute to interior VOCs. In enclosed areas, especially in poorly ventilated areas, there is less opportunity for these various VOCs to disperse.
The health concerns around VOCs are mainly due to the number of different materials giving off emissions within enclosed areas. Depending on a person’s tolerance to the chemistry of what’s around them, VOC emissions can become an irritant and cause respiratory issues, headaches, skin rashes, itchy eyes or more serious, chronic ailments.
One way to reduce internal VOC emissions is to use PVC compounds which have been specifically formulated to exhibit low VOC emission levels for the production of building components.
Teknor Apex has addressed VOC concerns by developing low VOC compounds that reduce VOC emissions by up to 90% over standard PVC compound formulations while still maintaining other properties. Low VOC vinyl compounds are ideal for extruded or molded components used in residential and commercial construction, for applications such as interior trim, window treatments, office partitions and flooring. These compounds also meet FloorScore and UL Greenguard certification requirements.
Besides having to comply with local and national building codes, more and more builders and designers are expected to meet the stringent sustainability factors many people are looking for in residential and commercial interior spaces. Using low volatile organic vinyl compounds during the manufacturing of building, construction and industrial products means that when VOC requirements become a concern, these products will not only perform as well as their higher VOC counterparts, but they will also meet the standards for low VOC content.
Contact the Vinyl Division to learn more about Apex low VOC compounds or to discuss any of your custom vinyl compound needs.
