Americans are often exposed to flame retardant chemicals in their daily lives. Using polyurethane indoors can expose you to fumes with a number of potential side effects. I used a big time wood basketball floor company for the maple wood floor. If youre having floor work conducted within your home, youll want to know about the potential dangers of VOCs associated with a material known as polyurethane. These components are what's responsible for their durability as well as their harsh vapors. Stay out of the room that has been painted for 2 to 3 days after you are finished. I was exposed to a lot polyurethane fumes last night. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The only way to remove the odor from a room is to open windows and doors, which may be difficult as you do not want dust or bugs sticking to the floor. Its manufacturing uses less non-renewable resources and air pollutants, so its even better for the environment. Well, for me that is too late since I did come home and saw that the floors were wet and my kids napped upstairs while I relaxed right next to the kitchen ;-( But you are rightpart of my prenancy symptoms is being paranoid about everything but this is a big one or so it seems. Even after 7 days after the polyurethane has been applied, there can be a distinct odor as the polyurethane is still off-gassing. So, if you are worried about the toxic or flammable nature of foam-based baby products, you can use animal wool-based products as alternatives. Follow-up Q: Thanks for getting back with me. Floor looks amazing. Please let me know! We gave you some of our own research into buying beds for your kids. It's common for those around polyurethane for long periods of time to begin having problems breathing properly. Should you be advised to vacate the premises for a few days? Thus, it is important to see how exactly polyurethane is used and understand the impact it has when applied in each of these particular products. 2005-2023Everyday Health, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. I think their windows were closed. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Be careful of the design, though! However, several toxic chemical components go into the manufacture of polyurethane foams. Rinse your eyes with running water for . Polyurethane . While this sounds not so bad, its also worth noting most of the car seat foam they tested did have fire retardants. Probably in Mom or Dads warm embrace). The work was done on a Friday and left to dry over the weekend. The best part? Especially, the foam of polyurethane is toxic to babies and people with respiratory diseases. Foam products contain lots of harmful chemicals. I'm SURE you're fine. I contacted the company (Polo Plaz http://www.poloplaz.com/magnum/ ) that made the sealant, and their website says the cure period is 3 days. In eyes. I am searching for a manufacturer that produces wood floors with no formaldehyde, Low VOC, non-toxic preservatives, using coats like oxide/polyurethane. (It is especially important that women in pregnancy avoid the fumes of such products. No. Oh well, whats done is done. Isocyanates are sensitizing agents, and thus when polyurethane is applied or sprayed onto a surface it is critical that those doing the application process wear the proper PPE (personal protection equipment). Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Babies spend 95% of their time lying down (and in case youre wondering, the other 5%? But the pregnancy hotline woman did say that since Im pregnant I have a keen sense of smell so it may bother me more than my kids or husband. MIL will be sanding, staining soon. Well, it can be attributed to being a cancer-causing agent, so it depends on your definition of toxic and what you choose to believe. Really glad I went with that after reading this post. Is that bad/dangerous? As my husband says now we can pass it down to our children what the hell am I supposed to do with a giant chemically infused cradle?!! A water-based polyurethane is a great option for someone who is concerned about the environment. Try not to worry too much but I don't think you're crazy for spending the night somewhere else. By constantly inhaling these fumes, your risk of coming to struggle with a serious disease increases significantly. However, if you take precautions to mitigate the risk of igniting polyurethane vapors, you will be safe. Exposure to flame retardants is associated with a number of potential adverse outcomes. Best Portable Baby Bed for Travel: 11 Best Travel Cribs for 2023 (Tried, Tested & Researched) + 1 to Avoid, infants are exposed to chemical emissions from crib mattresses, United States Environmental Protection Agency, the communities in which polyurethane manufacturing plants are located, the most common flame retardant chemicals, United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Washing both you and your childs hand frequently, Use a wet mop or vacuum with a HEPA filter. We had already slept in the house. Hope it works!! Take breaks to breathe in fresh air to help reduce your changes of side effects. Polyethylene foam products usually dont stand up to frequent washing. recommendation to hire an experienced pro. Latex foam is easy to maintain since its durable and dust resistant. All finishes dry by the evaporation of some type of solvent. Containing the Messes. When I arrive at a job site I can generally tell even before I look at the floors if they are dry for another coat. This technology is used as the first stage filtration in these air purifiers, along with the second-stage filtration of a HEPA filter for fine particulate removal larger than 0.3 microns in size at a 99.99% efficiency. Flame retardants also cause significant hormone disruptions, not to mention cancer and damage to the DNA. There is an easy solution that requires no special fitting or discomfort. Hyper sensitivity can indicate this is the case. So, polyurethane products contain harmful chemicals such as Benzene, and it is best to avoid using them. The other stuff smells for weeks. When it comes to using polyurethane finishing coats on the wood surfaces in your home, many people will see the vast amount of benefits it offers, which include protecting the wood for damage and providing a shiny, polished look. Youll find that VOCs stands for volatile organic compounds. It is important to ventilate the room where the polyurethane is being applied and to understand that in high enough concentrations, a spark from a light switch would be enough to ignite the fumes from polyurethane and cause an explosion. These fumes could potentially irritate the eyes, throat, and lungs as well as cause allergic reactions for those with chemical sensitivities. And if your OB is fine with it, then hubby doesnt need to know . I stayed the next four nights out of the house with, Q: After refinishing a hardwood floor hallway with coats of polyurethane, there is a white cloudiness on some parts of the floor that will not wipe away or go away. They can inhale as much as 10 times more VOCs! The different chemicals found in these wood items can include adhesives and glues that contain chemical VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that will be emitted into the indoor space of a home after installation. Okay sooo my MIL surprises us tonight with a handmade cradle? Sometimes a small amount of kerosene is also in the mix. We just had our floors redone about a week ago and have been staying at my husband's brothers house. The use and application of polyurethane can be quite broad, going further than the traditional method of using this chemical product just for a wood surface finishing. Q: My husband applied a polyurethane sealant around the windows. This product dries very well. Discover how you can expel toxic polyurethane fumes faster. they sanded on Saturday (I left during the sanding, so was not there as I had heard that it could have lead). It was the weekend, and it didnt quite sink in what was happening until she and everyone else were exposed to the fumes. Contact the maker to find out what they used. Now I am stuck with this thing for LIFE!!! Group Leaders arent expected to spend any additional time in the community, and are not held to a set schedule. Similar Q: I just built an indoor gym at my house, but not attached to my house. 1. However, the introduction of new wood building materials and items in your indoor environment will also allow for the scary entrance of a variety of chemical compounds to begin its reign of terror on your homes indoor air space. This mixture is processed in different ways to make various, regularly used products. It will depend on how many rooms and the size of the rooms that have had polyurethane applied. Its understandable to avoid side effects with VOC exposure associated with polyurethane materials that are commonly used to treat floors. Polyurethane foam is a petroleum byproduct (yup, just like gas for your car!). From carbon, ozone, ionization, and HEPA filtration, each of these will work differently when trying to filter and remove chemical pollutants from the air. I found teragreen.com, but they only sell bamboo. Aside from the dust and fumes, refinishing your hardwood BEFORE the baby is born is a bad idea, IMO. It's soaked into the concrete underneath. Hello, I live in a New York City apartment building. Are they even worse for your babys health? Any advice would be much appreciated! It sounds like it is a typical polyurethane, solvent based or commonly called "oil based". I have been in there also a few times for an hour or so, and I kind of feel like it makes me want to cough, but probably dreaming that up. Whether that be the installation of new wood flooring throughout the main living areas, shiny new wood cabinets hung in the kitchen, or even the delivery of new wood furniture to bestow the living space of your home new wood building materials can be found in abundance throughout many homes. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. with polyurethane foam releasing a greater diversity of VOCs compared to polyester foam." . 5. There are a variety of different air purification devices that are currently available to consumers to select from and they can each contain a different type of technology for pollutant removal. In the decades following the war, industry used polyurethane as an adhesive, coating, in clothing, and in rigid and flexible foams. Finally, it pays to spend just a little extra time reading up on product research and reviews. Polyurethane foam is ubiquitous in our lives, getting us from infancy onwards affordably and comfortably. I had my hard wood floors , doors and baseboards varnished with Minwax semi-gloss oil polyurethane varnished in early May. High exposure to polyurethane fumes can impact your bone marrow. Many flame retardant chemicals can persist in the environment, and studies have shown that some may be hazardous to people and animals. Carbon as Bang suggested would probably be a good idea. Thank you. If it is strong enough to burn your eyes you should not be in there. So sounds like you are saying that in your view, his exposure 7 days after the last coat without him complaining of any symptoms was likely harmless even though there was an obvious smell? Hi, My floors are being done right nowtoo :) DH and I are staying at his parents house.. the floors will be done Friday and the floor guy said give it until monday for the fumes to be cleared so an extra 3 days and he said to leave the heat on 65 with the windows cracked. This off-gassing process takes place because of the conditions present in the environment which make it ideal for the volatile chemicals to turn from a solid/liquid to a gaseous chemical compound in the air. (It was still great when we gave it away and got a bigger table.) So I had to put polyurethane down to seal the floors. Health Effects. A: No. Hi, just posting this even though it's an old thread because I was exposed to really strong, fresh fumes when pregnant (from workers redoing a gym floor in a building where I was working--I was given no warning, and so I was stuck in the middle of the building with no choice but to walk through the horrible, intense fumes to get out!!). He is one of the lucky ones who recovered, but I remember specifically being asked at the time of his diagnosis whether he had previously been exposed to benzene. It needs to off-gas naturally and then vent from the rooms. Always consult your doctor first! You may read that polyurethane is not toxic! We had our hardwood floors in the kitchen professionally redone, sanded and 2 coats of polyurethane put on over the course of 2 days. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Alaina. But there are always new baby products on the market, so heres a checklist of things you can ask: As parents, you want to protect your child from risks. Coconut coir is also fire-retardant, making it one of the safest options for baby cribs. Sleep Texting 3 Steps to Prevent New Sleeping Disorder, Popular Hotels That Have Memory Foam Mattresses. I am 33 weeks. The lab then analyzes submitted samples for seven of the most common chemical flame retardants. There are many old housewives tales of how to remove odors from a room, such as placing bowls of water in a room with sliced onion. People suffering from migraines should keep away from polyurethane fumes. So, if you ever feel that using them may not be safe for your baby or children, here are a few alternatives you can consider. If your son was being irritated by solvents he probably would be exhibiting the symptoms: watering eyes, coughing. 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