air and health

I’ve got a bunch of vinyl sheet products stored in my office that are off-gassing badly.  We’re in a small, poorly ventilated room but I’m not sure we can find alternative closet space.  Do you have 1) Any idea of how unhealthy this is (the smell is overpowering in the morning) and 2) Any suggestions beyond fans or alternative storage space to mitigate?

— J in Detroit

Yikes! Options are limited. Here are my recommended three steps for dealing with this (I’ll cover how unhealthy it is further below):

1. Write the supplier and see if they can use a PEVA, EVA or PVB plastic instead of PVC vinyl. PEVA, for example, is low odor, much less toxic and still inexpensive. Note that “vinyl” often refers to PVC -especially if it’s stinky. But there are other forms of vinyl (like PEVA or PVB) which aren’t nearly as noxious. Here’s a nice overview of the different vinyls.
2. Heat and humidity make PVC outgas faster. SO, if you can temporarily store them somewhere else that is hot and humid (like a boiler room – preferably ventilated), that’ll help them offgas faster. Alternately, keeping your office dry and cool will help keep them from offgassing as much in your space.
3. Add plants. There is decent evidence to suggest that specific houseplants remove common VOCs from the air in buildings. Studies by NASA, University of Georgia and others support the idea, while the EPA remains skeptical. However, I’m now talking with the EPA about this since their skepticism seems largely disproven by this recent study from University of Technology, Sydney. But that last link goes to the actual scientific study for the geeks out there. For the rest of you, here’s a nice overview of that research’s results and specific plant recommendation. In your case, I’d say this may be one of your best bets – but be sure to avoid plastic pots or pesticide-laden plants as they may introduce their own VOCs.

Let me know if it works!

Oh – and as for how bad is it? Well, we’re surrounded by toxins and any single source like this won’t kill you. However, a recent study on PVC shower curtains found:

The level of Total VOCs measured was over 16 times greater than the recommended guidelines for indoor air quality established by the U.S. Green Building Council and Washington State Indoor Air Quality Program.

So it’s safe to assume that if you’re smelling that much stink, then it’s certainly worth addressing. Meanwhile some of these VOCs are considered hazardous air pollutants by the EPA and are suspected carcinogens.