There S Mercury In Urethane Floors

Us epa reports that certain polyurethane flooring materials installed between 1962 and today contain mercury.

There s mercury in urethane floors.

Due to recent attention on mercury containing flooring the university was concerned that the synthetic floor in the gym may contain mercury. History of mercury in gym floors. Because of previous practices mercury contamination can be found in some soils and demolition debris in minnesota. Farbin these materials were used to create gum rubbers rigid foam and elastomers.

Disposal in minnesota. This is an important issue because pcbs have been identified as probable. Wesley newhouse newhouse prophater kolman hogan llc tel. 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.

Mercuric salts are reported to have been used as catalysts in the production of. 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. 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.

Mercury flooring removal in a gym slated for renovation. Before undertaking athletic facility updates it s important for facility managers to understand the history risks and responsibilities related to mercury in gym floors. Mercury is an element that can cause harmful environmental and health effects when disposed of improperly. Pma breaks down and releases odorless colorless mercury vapor.

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. The bioavailability of any mercury from polyurethane floorings in the non vapor form is not known. A polyurethane coating or urethane floor coating is a highly flexible highly abrasion resistant floor coating that is known for its shine and longevity. A university planned to renovate their gym where the flooring was comprised of hardwood on top of an older synthetic rubber floor.

Articles there s mercury in those rubber floors. Urethane flooring may also utilize rapidly renewable agro based materials as well as recycled materials within their formulation. The mercury floor problem and health effects. Athletic flooring installed between 1960 and 1980 often contains mercury that may pose a health risk during renovation activities.

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.