There S Mercury In Urethane Floors

The mercury floor problem and health effects.

There s mercury in urethane floors.

Athletic flooring installed between 1960 and 1980 often contains mercury that may pose a health risk during renovation activities. A university planned to renovate their gym where the flooring was comprised of hardwood on top of an older synthetic rubber floor. Mercury catalyzed polyurethane flooring and mercury contaminated demolition debris and soil. Based on the information available the epa believes that there was potentially widespread use of pcb containing building materials in schools and other buildings built or renovated between about 1950 and 1979.

Farbin these materials were used to create gum rubbers rigid foam and elastomers. Developed in 1937 by i g. Articles there s mercury in those rubber floors. Disposal in minnesota.

This is an important issue because pcbs have been identified as probable. 4 floors with leachate that exceeds the us epa maximum concentration of 0 2 ppm mg l of mercury must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Mercuric salts are reported to have been used as catalysts in the production of. Mercury is an element that can cause harmful environmental and health effects when disposed of improperly.

A polyurethane coating or urethane floor coating is a highly flexible highly abrasion resistant floor coating that is known for its shine and longevity. Unlike many other flooring products poured in place urethane floors are part of a building s structure and do not end up in landfills upon repair or replacement. Us epa reports that certain polyurethane flooring materials installed between 1962 and today contain mercury. Pma breaks down and releases odorless colorless mercury vapor.

There is no information on whether mercury can be rubbed off of the surface of the floorings or if there is mercury in dust on the floors. If mercury in floor levels are greater than one 1 ppm proper floor maintenance adequate ventilation and cooling and initial worst case air sampling should be implemented. The floors and items that have been in contact with. The bioavailability of any mercury from polyurethane floorings in the non vapor form is not known.

Wesley newhouse newhouse prophater kolman hogan llc tel. Due to recent attention on mercury containing flooring the university was concerned that the synthetic floor in the gym may contain mercury. Because of previous practices mercury contamination can be found in some soils and demolition debris in minnesota. Mercury flooring removal in a gym slated for renovation.

Rubber like polyurethane floors using 1 000 to 2 000 parts per million ppm of phenyl cercuric acetate pma catalyst have been installed in schools and elsewhere since the 1960s.