Keep your loved ones safe.
Avoid volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for a healthier home.
Our product, unlike others, is free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is made with environmentally friendly materials - building a healthier home for you, your family and the planet.
“When you think about air pollution, car fumes, smog, and fumes from factories probably spring to mind.
The reality is that air inside your home could be more polluted than the air outside.
“We spend between 75 to 90 percent of our time indoors. The elderly and infants spend up to 90 percent of their time in their homes.
In many New Zealand homes – particularly newer ones – building materials, paint, glues, carpets, and other finishes and furnishings emit chemicals that can be harmful to your health. These chemicals can trigger asthma and a range of other ailments.”
Smarter Homes NZ
VOCs in everyday building materials is an indoor air quality issue in many New Zealand homes.
VOCs contaminate the air we live in, in our homes, by “off-gassing” into the air we breathe for years to come.
A major source of indoor air pollution is the release (off-gassing) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from materials and furnishings*.
“VOCs are chemicals that become airborne and therefore breathable at room temperature. VOCs can have a range of effects on health, including irritated eyes and airways, headaches, nausea and rashes. Some VOCs are more hazardous than others – some have no known health effects, while others are highly toxic and have been linked to serious health effects like organ damage or cancer.” smarterhomes.org.nz
Among the most reported VOCs are formaldehyde, ethylbenzene, benzene, o-, m-, and p-xylenes, styrene, chlorinated solvents, including 1-1-1-trichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, and trichloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, dichlorobenzene, methylene chloride, and chloroform.
In New Zealand, a significant VOC used is formaldehyde, used in the manufacture of particleboard (floors, doors, joinery, and cabinetry). Both surfaces may be sealed, but when cut, the raw edges start to off-gas formaldehyde into your indoor environment.
OSB (Oriented Strand Board) SIP panels and exterior plywood can also contain a formaldehyde-based, waterproof resin called phenol-formaldehyde (PF). VOCs can also be found in glues/adhesives (used in most other SIP panels), timber flooring on concrete, engineered timbers such as plywood, and reconstituted wood products such as MDF and particleboard.
Acute exposure to high levels of many VOCs is associated with irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract. Additionally, many VOCs in our indoor air are proven carcinogens. The concern over chronic health effects of VOCs derives from toxicity studies, although it should be noted that the chronic and acute health effects of VOCs in complex mixtures over a range of concentrations encountered in buildings are not well understood or researched.
Information source: https://www.smarterhomes.org.nz/smart-guides/construction-and-materials/materials-inside-your-home/