IAQ IQ

Also, the fact that no stripping or waxing is required for maintenance means that the airborne chemical off-gassing from these cleaning processes is fully avoided, not to mention the chemical-filled wastewater sent to the sewers and streams.

Putting this into perspective, Ashkin estimates the emissions from cleaning and maintaining most flooring surfaces as 10 times greater than emissions coming from the flooring material itself, as most products release more than 95 percent of its emissions within its first few months following installation.

“Furthermore, rubber flooring provides a dense homogeneous surface that can actually prevent the penetration of bacteria as long as the floor is maintained regularly with appropriate disinfectants,” notes White.

Boosting this quality even further, some companies offer rubber flooring with antimicrobial properties for both cleaner floors and better IAQ, and some manufacturers such as ECORE have incorporated a “green sealing” option as part of the production process for selected products, making them even more impervious to dirt and stains, according to Bo Barber, vice president of sales and marketing for ECORE in Lancaster, Pa.

Along these lines, Capo and McLaughlin also point out that when rubber flooring systems are seamlessly installed, this further prevents bacteria growth, offering a big advantage in certain environments such as healthcare.

To help specifiers stay on top of things, there are a number of IAQ-related product certification programs providing the necessary transparency when it comes to air quality.

For example, a few manufacturers including Johnsonite have tested their rubber flooring systems to strict California based IAQ emission requirements in order to receive FloorScore certification from the Resilient Floor Covering Institute. Also, in Johnsonite’s case, its rubber products have also been tested to CA01350 as it pertains to schools and offices.

Related to FloorScore, Joe Visintin, product manager, Johnsonite, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, explains that NSF/ANSI 332 Sustainability Assessment Standard for Resilient Floor Coverings offers a method of tracking incremental changes to a products’ sustainability profile which is something that FloorScore looks at.

“As a part of this process, total volatile organic compounds are measured and must show equal or better results than the previous year,” he says.

Yet another certification program which Johnsonite embraces is the Cradle-to- Cradle (C2C) process for its traditional rubber tiles and treads. C2C evaluates the chemical components of a product’s ingredients and assesses their effect on human and environmental health, as well as their ability to be recycled or composted.

The well-known GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality program offers a regular certification and a certification for children and schools for products which meet the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute’s strict emission levels and ongoing testing requirements.

As such, nora floorcoverings carry these certifications in addition to the Blue Angel eco-label. Originating from Germany, the Blue Angel is the world’s oldest eco-label and includes strict emission requirements as part of its respected certification criteria.

Yet another well-known IAQ-related standard is the stringent criteria established by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, as well as the State of Washington, which carries the highest state standards nationwide. ECORE’s recycled rubber flooring meets the criteria for both of these.

Although rubber flooring products generally have a very good reputation when it comes to low-VOC off-gassing, the California Public Health Institute did perform a study in 2010 which found that some manufacturer claims may be too good to be true. In particular, the Tire- Derived Rubber Flooring Chemical Emissions study revealed that both tire-derived rubber and new rubber flooring products do emit a number of VOCs-which ranges between different products-and includes xylene, butylated hydroxytoluene, ethylbenzene, toluene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. From this list, benzene and carbon disulfide were found to be above the health threshold in one or two samples while other chemicals do not yet have health-based standards, so it’s difficult to assess their health impacts.

Based upon these findings, the institute recommends that exterior products not be used indoors and that ample pre-occupancy “flush out” time be incorporated into the project to clear the air prior to occupancy. In addition, the institute would like to see more refinement and testing of rubberbased flooring products moving forward.

Support and Safety

As a soft and flexible material, rubber is known to offer a higher level of underfoot comfort and support. For example, teachers or medical staff who are on their feet for long periods of time will experience less stress on their feet, legs and back, especially when compared to concrete, ceramic or VCT, says Visintin.

In fact, Witte believes that underfoot comfort-specifically shock absorption and good foot support-are one of rubber flooring’s best features.

Comparing rubber flooring performance to tires on the road, Barber explains, “Tires are flexible, which helps them to bond to irregularities in the surface of a road, providing higher friction, which helps tires grip the road better. This same philosophy holds true for rubber flooring-it’s flexible and has excellent slip-resistant properties.”

Slip resistance itself is measured by determining the coefficient of friction. To give specifiers an idea of how a product measures up, a manufacturer’s specification and/or technical data should provide ASTM F141 comparisons.

“The most commonly used test is the James Test which establishes a minimum value of about 0.5, but not all flooring materials are tested and there is no consistency for testing,” notes Witte.

At the same time, it’s important for specifiers to be aware that such a test should be conducted by an independent lab and require that finishes such as wax be applied prior to testing. Generally speaking, most rubber flooring systems will do well on this test and frequently meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommendations for slip resistance.

In fact, Capo and McLauglin have seen many rubber flooring products offering between .80 and .90 slip resistance, which surpasses ADA recommendations for flat surfaces.

“In addition, rubber flooring is a nonconductive material-giving it notable antistatic and shock absorption properties,” they explain. “Because of this, it could make an ideal solution for rooms with large amounts of static buildup.”

Of interest is the fact that 55 percent of slip-and-fall accidents are caused by flooring conditions, according to the Floor Safety Institute, and falls account for more than eight million hospital emergency room visits, which is the leading cause of trips to the ER at 21.3 percent.

Furthermore, the incidence rate of lost workday injuries from falls in hospitals is 38.2 per 10,000 employees based upon U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even more compelling is the fact that according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, floors and flooring materials directly contribute to more than two million fall injuries every year.

Obviously, the upshot of all these statistics is the fact that slip prevention is of major importance.

Incidentally, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also report that the frequency of fall incidents in hospitals is actually greater than all other private industries combined, at 20.1 per 10,000 employees, making an even stronger case for rubber in healthcare applications.

Offering even more traction, floors can be specified with studs or risers which minimizes the risk of falls even when the floor is wet.

A couple of additional metrics which are used to measure fall protection include compression, which is the extent which the flooring caves under repeated weight impacts, and the flooring’s resistance to head injury, per ASTM 1292. By applying Maximum Deceleration, known as g-max, and Head Injury Criterion, this testing ascertains whether the flooring passes or fails to cushion and absorb the impact, to a certain extent, of a dropped object or a person falling down and hitting their head.