Stretch ceilings – are they harmful to health
Practical, aesthetic and inexpensive stretch ceilings are in great demand. They are installed in private houses, offices, and other public places, often without thinking about the harm that this interior detail can cause to health.
Why are stretch ceilings harmful?
The new-fashioned ceiling is a PVC film stretched over an aluminum frame. The main construction material is very cheap, beautiful, easy to maintain, but at the same time dangerous. The damage to stretch ceilings can be irreparable to health. The blame for everything is poisonous substances that actively release the material, poisoning the atmosphere of the room.
Stretch ceilings are also harmful because the PVC film contains hazardous volatile substances that can cause severe poisoning or lead to the development of a fatal disease. The list includes:
phenol;
toluene;
cadmium;
chlorine.
Toxic fumes of phenol easily penetrate through the skin and lungs into the internal organs, and the toxicity of the substance does not decrease over time. Phenol poisoning leads to disruption of the kidneys, liver, heart, provokes the development of heart failure, cancer, infertility, pulmonary edema.
Highly toxic toluene causes endocrine and renal disorders, insomnia, memory and hearing loss. The risk of miscarriage or the birth of a child with congenital abnormalities increases.
Cadmium is one of the heavy metals, very toxic, accumulates in the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and other internal organs. Poisoning with its fumes leads to the development of cancer, the formation of kidney stones.
Chlorine is a volatile substance that is dangerous even in low concentrations. Easily penetrates the skin, irritates mucous membranes, causing cough, chest pain, pyrexia, loss of vision, shortness of breath. In chronic poisoning, pulmonary edema, cancer, tuberculosis, and severe respiratory tract damage develop.
How to make sure the ceiling is safe
The information indicated by the manufacturer on the film allows you to say for sure whether stretch ceilings are harmful. The environmental safety of the material is evidenced by the certificate of the international standard ISO. Another thing is that in appearance it is impossible to distinguish a high-quality, safe PVC film from a dangerous counterfeit. It is also difficult to verify the authenticity of documents for the material used in the work.
You can focus on subjective feelings. The fact that the stretch ceilings installed in the apartment are harmful is evidenced primarily by the presence of a characteristic persistent chemical smell in the apartment. Moreover, the chemical smell is stable and does not disappear even after a long time has elapsed, in such cases it is necessary to urgently start dismantling the ceiling.