Floor Varnish Fumes Health

Green building council ranks varnish and lacquer as the worst offenders in terms of voc off gassing.

Floor varnish fumes health.

If your floor is being finished by a professional and it s possible for you to leave the home it s best to stay away long enough for the finish to cure and the odor to disperse which usually takes about 48 hours. Breathing in the fumes for a long period is also harmful. Today the ingredients of wood stains are more complicated. Federal law requires varnishes to contain less than 450 grams of vocs per liter with.

Wood stains have 3 main components including pigment or dye binders and solvents. Moreover the vocs that many paint products contain can. Lacquer is dangerous to swallow. However exposure to paint and its fumes has the potential to cause irritation of the skin eyes and throat.

Many common products used to refinish wood flooring contain harmful chemicals known as volatile organic compounds or vocs. Prevention eco friendly options are always the most ideal treatment for hardwood floors but polyurethane exposure can also be limited by allowing proper curing before re entering the affected area. Lacquer is a clear or colored coating called a varnish that is often used to give wooden surfaces a glossy look. Do not use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure.

Dyes can penetrate the wood and pigments sit on top of the wood like paints. To minimize the dangers of polyurethane vapors always apply the finishes in a well ventilated space wear a face mask and eye protection and don t smoke. And wet or drying paint particularly oil based paints tend to emit a lot of vocs says clifford weisel a professor at the environmental and occupational health sciences institute of rutgers. Is polyurethane coating on wood floors toxic.

While these health hazards are definitely troubling remember that these are only the known health risks of polyurethane fumes in the home. The off gassing from these chemicals pose a variety of long term and short term health effects from headaches and nausea to damage to the liver kidneys and the central nervous. Avoid living in your home if you or family members experience headaches brain fog lethargy wheezing eye nose or throat irritation until proper diagnosing of the air quality regarding potentially toxic chemicals and lung damaging particulates. The fumes and odors left behind after restoring wood flooring can be a headache literally.

Adverse health symptoms when exposed to toxic floor finish. Although polyurethane gives natural wood floors a beautiful long lasting sheen it is also a toxic chemical and should be used with caution. However they also include toxic chemicals that pose harm to human health.