The Tile Association, which represents the wall and floor tile industry in the UK, say a recent study by scientists in Sweden, Denmark and the United States confirms their belief that ceramic or natural stone floor tiles are the most healthy and hygienic option for domestic floors.

The study, reported in The Independent on Sunday claims that “Vinyl flooring ‘doubles chances of children being autistic”. The article goes on to say “A possible explanation, they suggest, is that vinyl, or PVC, flooring produces dust full of phthalates, which are then breathed in. Experts who have reviewed the study believe that, if this is the cause, the children may have been most vulnerable when their brains were developing in the womb.

The scientists wrote in the journal Neurotoxicology. “A greater proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder were reported to have PVC as flooring material in the child’s and the parent’s bedroom compared to children without autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, children with autism spectrum disorder were reported to live in homes with more condensation on the inside of the windows, which…may be seen as an indicator for deficient ventilation.”

Children in the study also were twice as likely to have autism if their mothers smoked cigarettes. The autistic children also were more likely to have asthma. The lead investigator was Carl-Gustav Bornehag of Karlstad University in Sweden, who in 2004 found a high rate of asthma and allergies among children living in households with dust containing phthalates.

The scientists reported that they “do not know if asthma and autism are related, or whether phthalates contributed to the risk of autism by some other mechanism, such as disruption of hormones. Phthalates in animal tests interfere with male hormones and sexual development”.

So if you want a durable smooth flooring that is easy to clean, virtually maintenance free and safe choose tile. Ceramic and natural stone tiles are inert and do not give off any toxins. For further information contact The Tile Association on 020 8663 0946 or go to www.tiles.org.uk

SOURCE ARTICLES:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/vinyl-flooring-doubles-chances-of-children-being-autistic-study-shows-1662952.html

http://esciencenews.com/sources/upi/2009/04/02/study.suggests.pvc.linked.autism

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/autism-and-vinyl-flooring

http://www.chej.org/press%20release/Press%20Release%20PVC%20Autism%20Web%20Version%204.02.pdf

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=link-between-autism-and-vinyl

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