Domain of Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404 Nydalen, N-0403 Oslo, Norway.
SINTEF Building and Infrastructure, Pb 124 Blindern, 0314 Oslo, Norway.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Jan 23;15(2):184. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15020184.
Several earlier studies have shown the presence of more dust and allergens in carpets compared with non-carpeted floors. At the same time, adverse effects of carpeted floors on perceived indoor air quality as well as worsening of symptoms in individuals with asthma and allergies were reported. Avoiding extensive carpet use in offices, schools, kindergartens and bedrooms has therefore been recommended by several health authorities. More recently, carpet producers have argued that former assessments were obsolete and that modern rugs are unproblematic, even for those with asthma and allergies. To investigate whether the recommendation to be cautious with the use of carpets is still valid, or whether there are new data supporting that carpet flooring do not present a problem for indoor air quality and health, we have reviewed the literature on this matter. We have not found updated peer reviewed evidence that carpeted floor is unproblematic for the indoor environment. On the contrary, also more recent data support that carpets may act as a repository for pollutants which may become resuspended upon activity in the carpeted area. Also, the use of carpets is still linked to perception of reduced indoor air quality as well as adverse health effects as previously reported. To our knowledge, there are no publications that report on deposition of pollutants and adverse health outcomes associated with modern rugs. However, due to the three-dimensional structure of carpets, any carpet will to some extent act like a sink. Thus, continued caution should still be exercised when considering the use of wall-to-wall carpeted floors in schools, kindergartens and offices, as well as in children's bedrooms unless special needs indicate that carpets are preferable.
几项早期的研究表明，地毯上的灰尘和过敏原比非地毯地板多。与此同时，有报道称地毯地板对室内空气质量的不良影响以及对哮喘和过敏患者症状的恶化。因此，一些卫生当局建议在办公室、学校、幼儿园和卧室中避免广泛使用地毯。最近，地毯生产商认为，以前的评估已经过时，现代地毯没有问题，即使是对哮喘和过敏的人也没有问题。为了调查谨慎使用地毯的建议是否仍然有效，或者是否有新的数据支持地毯地板不会对室内空气质量和健康造成问题，我们已经审查了关于这一问题的文献。我们没有发现更新的同行评议证据表明地毯地板对室内环境没有问题。相反，最近的数据也支持地毯可能成为污染物的储存库，这些污染物在地毯区域活动时可能会重新悬浮。此外，地毯的使用仍然与室内空气质量降低以及以前报道的不良健康影响有关。据我们所知，没有关于现代地毯上的污染物沉积和与健康不良后果相关的出版物。然而，由于地毯的三维结构，任何地毯都会在某种程度上起到类似集尘器的作用。因此，在考虑在学校、幼儿园和办公室以及儿童卧室中使用满铺地毯地板时，仍应继续保持谨慎，除非特殊需要表明地毯更可取。
