The first topic is interesting in that the carpet in these offices has been installed for years. I’ll share this communication with you.
The Question:
The carpet is over 10 years old and in some offices it’s turning light green. Most offices do have windows but there are a few interior offices that are having the same reaction. We recently had several offices professionally cleaned, soon after we started seeing carpet fibers/particles all over the chair mats and chairs even after nightly vacuuming. My questions are, why are some offices turning green and others appear to be fine, why are the fibers continually breaking away and are the fibers in anyway harmful to the occupants. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
The Answer:
The light green color indicates the carpet is losing the red dye component from UV light, which can come from outdoor sunlight or indoor lighting. All carpet color is comprised of the three primary colors – red, blue and yellow. If the red dye is compromised the residual colors will be on the blue/green side. After 10 years + the carpet has likely experienced enough UV light to influence this change. The particles are degradation of the fiber. The fiber has brittled and lost resiliency which the UV light can also influence. The cleaning may have just exacerbated the condition with the introduction of a higher ph (alkalinity) which most cleaning agents are. The nylon fiber shards are now like wool fiber as it breaks off of the carpet. This particulate material is heavy and not respirable so it poses no threat. It would have to be micron size to be of concern and it is non-toxic so it’s not harmful. It would cause some one to sneeze if inhaled just like dust but it’s not likely to float around the room. Carpet is actually a “sink” and it will trap most of this particulate. The carpet, at 10 years old, has probably reached it’s optimum performance age as carpet in commercial environments has a normal life expectancy of 7 to 10 years. Certainly this can vary up or down based on a number of factors. Since the carpet is losing color and the fiber degrading I’d say it’s time to seriously consider replacement when possible.
In addition to the answer and without hesitation the best thing to do is replace this carpet. It is exhibiting a condition that certainly warrants replacement. This condition though unusual is not all that uncommon. We know why the problem occurred, what happened and what’s at fault and what final catalyst pushed it over the edge. At fault is the environment. The constant bombardment of UV light on the carpet can ultimately destroy the fiber. The color was the first indication of UV light influence. The cleaning may have been the final straw as the addition of alkalinity from the cleaning agent, which would have likely been at least 9, flipped the switch to the final failure. This certainly is not the cleaners fault either. The carpet condition was more than teetering and it didn’t take much to push it over the edge. It may also be that the cleaning agitated the carpet enough to bring the extent of the failure to light – no pun intended. The vacuuming nightly is blowing the fiber all over the place which also indicates they are not using CRI SOA (Carpet and Rug Institute Seal of Approval) vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters. This is another case of the carpet singing a song as to what’s wrong.
Regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) Lead: Renovation Repair and Painting Program (RRP)
Summary:
The EPA issued a final rule under the authority of section 402 (c) (3) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address lead-based paint hazards created by renovation, repairs, and painting activities that disturb lead-based paint in target housing and child-occupied facilities. Target housing is defined in TSCA as any housing constructed before 1978, except housing for the elderly or persons with disabilities (unless any child under age 6 resides or is expected to reside in such housing) or any 0 – bedroom dwelling. After April 28th a floor covering installer needs to be certified by attending a special seven hour course if he expects to contact and might disturb any material that has lead content, i.e., lead containing painted walls, floors, etc. If you need more information on this we have an article written by an associate or you can contact the EPA directly.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts