Question from JDC
Hi,
I just discovered that they are rolling out rubber flooring made from recycled tires in some of the classrooms at my kids’ grade school. Standing over them for less than a half an hour gave me chest pains that lasted through the night as well as a slight headache.
The school wants to be both green and cheap in their choices. Most quips I’ve seen about rubber flooring suggest that they smell but don’t off gas toxic chemicals. I saw one mention that rubber flooring made from recycled tires should not be used indoors, but the link was broken. Thanks for posting your link to that article about grubble. Is there any more research you can point me to that might help me to convince people that rubber flooring from recycled tires is not a green choice for an elementary school and could likely end up in diminished health of the students, decreased attendance and/or reduced test scores.
As they are building out the school this summer this is super time sensitive. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Your research on this site has been invaluable to me in the past. Thank you for all of your dedication and hard work.
Thank you.
Debra’s Answer
Tire rubber is a mixture of multiple chemicals, including rubber polymers, carbon blacks, silicas, process and extender oils, vulcanization chemicals, and chemical anti0degradents.
The most comprehensive data on recycling tires into products is at Environment and Human Health: Artificial Turf: Exposures to Ground Up Rubber Tires – Athletic Fields, Playgrounds, Garden Mulch. The full repport is at http://www.ehhi.org/reports/turf/
Here are a couple more reports on the environmental effects of using recycled tires for landscape mulch, which discuss the toxic releases: The Myth of Rubberized Landscapes abd Now You Too Can Kill Your Garden With Rubber Mulch!
