CARPET (HALL, LOBBY, DRESSING ROOMS, OFFICE)
Carpets are not recommended for homes with allergies.  Carpets are generally treated with dangerous flame retardants and stain guards.  PVC carpet backing, foam pads, and adhesives contribute to new carpet smell and they continue to off-gas toxins for many years.  Carpets trap dust and dander, permitting a nice collection of dust mites to develop.  Carpets absorb dangerous chemicals from furniture, pesticides, building materials, and cleaning supplies and then release those chemicals back into the air over time.  Since carpet should be avoided in some of your student's homes it should be avoided at the studio.

Industrial carpet, especially carpet tiles, has more PVC backing than residential carpet and it requires more adhesive during installation.  The carpet in your studio lobby might stop smelling after 6 months but it will damage air quality for many years.  If dancers start a class with irritated lungs they won't likely recover during class just because the door is closed to 'block' the fumes.

CHEMICAL STORAGE
Take an inventory of all the chemicals at the studio.  If it isn't part of the studio's first aid kit and if it isn't the fire extinguisher, it probably should not be stored in the studio.  Hiding studio poisons in shopping bags, bathroom cabinets, back closets, or utility rooms won't keep gases from seeping under doors and into dancer lungs.

Paint, cleaners, air and toilet fresheners, laundry supplies, craft supplies, cosmetics, printer supplies (toner, ink), printed materials, floor treatments, glass cleaner, bleach, ammonia and detergents can pollute your air even when tightly capped.  Small amounts of material spilled on the sides of the bottles or on the cap can create asthma triggering clouds that send your best dancer home or keep the new student from returning.  Don't expect a dancer to use medication just so you can keep polluting her air.  Store your chemicals away from the studio.

We can show you an old studio in Fort Worth Texas that uses tiny dressing rooms to store several pails of paint and thinner.  Messy, ancient, drippy cans are piled under a bench, 6 feet from the dance floor, with only a curtain to hide the chaos.  With these and other problems could this be our very own dancing SuperFund site?  If you have asthma it might feel like it.

CLEANING / JANITORIAL SUPPLIES
Use as few chemicals and cleaning supplies as possible, never during business hours, and ventilate the studio during and after use.  All products should be low VOC, non toxic and allergy safe.  Products containing bleach, ammonia, Lysol, pine, phenol, formaldehyde and alcohols should be avoided because of general risk of lung damage or specific likely allergies in your dance population.

COSTUMES
Costumes are part of the fun and much of the money in the dance industry.  We don't wish to rain on the parade but it does seem that scant attention is placed on the safety of the products.

For example, many parents believe that dance costumes are covered by the same safety regulations that cover Halloween costumes or children's sleepwear.  That isn't usually the case and those regulations mostly focus on flammability.  And it isn't entirely clear that adding toxic flame resistance to clothing is a move in the right direction.  However, it is apparent that PBDE flame treatments are viewed as health hazards.

While many dance costumes are made by firms in the USA, much of the fabric is sourced from overseas locations like China.  With reports such as the one below indicating that seriously dangerous fabric makes it into Wal-Mart, we all need to ask if dance is also impacted.  Are parents asking the right questions of studio owners about the safety of the costumes and fabrics they buy?  Are studio owners, parents, or the government holding costume companies accountable for the chemical safety of the end product worn by dancers of all ages?

Dangerous Chinese Children's Clothing
AGENCIES, BEIJING
Thursday, Jun 01, 2006

Nearly half of all children's clothes in southern China examined during a three-month spot check failed to meet safety standards and 10 percent contained a cancer-causing dye, state media reported yesterday.

High levels of aromatic amine, a carcinogen found in some dyes, were found in 10 percent of the 91 batches of clothes checked between January and March by the Administration of Industry and Commerce in Guangdong Province, the China Daily newspaper said. In some cases, the levels of aromatic amine were 10 times above acceptable levels, it said.

The newspaper cited an administration official as saying the substance could cause bladder or urethral cancer if left in contact with the skin for a long period of time. Overall, some 49.4 percent of children's clothes checked failed to meet safety requirements and had unacceptable levels of formaldehyde, improper PH levels or inaccurate labels, it said.

The clothes were found on sale at 22 supermarkets in six cities in Guangdong, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, it said. The administration released a list of 51 clothing brands that failed the tests, including Bettyboop, e.baby and Mina, it said. The national study also examined toys, failing 83.3 percent of cloth toys and 37 percent of toys overall, the China Daily said. It did not elaborate.

US retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc said yesterday it had taken several brands of children's clothes off its shelves in China.

Wal-Mart stores in Guangdong Province were selling nine Chinese brands of children's clothes that contained a dye that could decompose into toxic aromatic amine compounds, the Beijing News reported.

Wal-Mart acknowledged yesterday that children's clothes containing the harmful dye were sold at those shops and said the company had suspended selling them while an investigation took place.
 

Let us take it as a truism that costume manufacturers will seek to obtain the lowest prices on fabrics.  We need to also understand that international companies are dumping toxic products and raw materials on the US market when other countries reject it.  Does this make costume companies less likely to utilize safe fabrics and less likely dwell on the toxic risks of exotic or flashy fabrics?

Can you name a single costume company that tests toxicity in any or all of the fabric they buy?  Is any costume company certifying the safety of the products in current catalogs?  Are the chemical levels of each shipment measured and are they low enough to not cause cancer, asthma or other harms?  Are there procedures in place to inform studios and parents about costumes and fabrics that are recalled due to health concerns?  Or does China have us beat on this safety issue?

When pressed, the costume companies will tell us that costumes are not intended to be sleepwear or playwear.  They will say that the risk to our dancers from a few hours of wear is very very low.  But what people overlook is that costumes spend most of the time on hangers in the studio or in the dancer's closet and that isn't risk free.  There is a good chance that many costumes you have are emitting a lung damaging toxic cloud that you can't see or smell.  Dry cleaning can add even more chemicals to the problem.  You can hire a professional to come do air quality tests if you want to know for sure.

Life is splendid in ignorance but we seek informed consumers and alert suppliers.  DanceArt.com will offer free advertising exposure to any costume company that clearly demonstrates real corporate awareness, procedures, and a customer education campaign designed to reduce dancer health risks related to these products. 

Until we find sources for costumes certified as non-toxic and until the dance industry creates a policy of monitoring the fabrics, dyes and treatments they use, our suggestions are as follows:

• Assume it is toxic unless the garment is certified as safe.
• Reuse costumes.  Each time you unwrap a new product it is especially smelly and dangerous.  If you keep spending thousands on freshly toxic costumes you'll never motivate the suppliers to change and you'll never get the studio air cleaned up. 
• Don't send costumes home.  It isn't a good idea to send costumes home to hang in the dancer's closet for weeks or months if you have no idea if it the material, dyes, or treatments are safe or not. 
• Don't sell toxic costumes to dancers.  Loan them out and store them safely.  Limit your liability and dancer exposure.
• Simplify.  Leotards and tights will put the focus back on the technique and help keep lungs clear. 
• Purge.  Get rid of the stuff you aren't using.  Contact the manufacturer for safe disposal instructions.  Let them know why.
• Store off-site.  Don't store costumes or clothing in the studio.
• Don't unwrap new clothing at the studio without heavy ventilation.  Let this gassy stuff hang in a clean storage facility until you need it.
• Make your own from safe fabrics.

Keep the clutter out of the studio and the toxins and the allergens out of your dancer's lungs.  Don't ask dancers to breathe when you have racks of costumes in the studio unless you are willing to keep the studio heavily ventilated to the outdoors at all times.  The air flow should blow over the costumes and immediately out of the studio.  Don't pull good air in over the costumes and spread it around the studio.
 

HEATING AND COOLING, OZONE AND HUMIDITY

"Another approach to lowering the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home is to increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors. ... It is particularly important ... while you are involved in short-term activities that can generate high levels of pollutants - for example, painting ... and hobby activities.... You might also choose to do some of these activities outdoors, if you can and if weather permits."  Source:  EPA's Introduction to Improving Indoor Air Quality

"Most HVAC system designers understand that increased amounts of outdoor air supply are generally better for IAQ. Yet there are concerns over the implications that this added amount of outdoor air supply has on the first cost and operating cost of the HVAC system, as well as moisture control for the school (too wet or too dry). As a result, school designers often try to reduce the amount of outdoor air.

Costs and moisture control do not have to be at odds with good IAQ. Energy recovery ventilation equipment can make the negative implications of 15 cfm per person of outdoor air behave like 5 cfm, while retaining the IAQ advantage of 15 cfm. This approach has been proven in many schools in various regions east of the Rockies, where advanced HVAC systems cost roughly the same as conventional systems, yet provide significant operating cost savings and IAQ advantages."
Full Text: U.S. EPS:  Indoor Air - IAQ Design Tools for Schools

It is impossible to over emphasize the need for a professional HVAC system that is well maintained and designed to control humidity and designed to limit carbon dioxide levels in your studio.  Add a few carbon dioxide sensors to each studio and have them wired up to the HVAC to create a Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) system. 

The typical studio has thermostats in each room, with teachers and students in full control of the temperature settings.  Dancers tend to like the room warm and some teachers like it uncomfortably hot as a weight loss tool or as an attempt to build dancer endurance and strength.  The problem with this situation is that the ventilation system can be shut off by users for hours or days at a time, which creates humidity, IAQ and carbon dioxide problems.  This then hurts dancer performance and health, encourages mold growth, and odor buildup.

The studio ventilation system must be configured to manage carbon dioxide levels in such a way that it can not be overridden by the thermostat or users.  Your heating and cooling contractor and your local school IAQ standards will provide guidelines on how much ventilation (in cubic feet per minute) should be available for each occupant and guidelines on carbon dioxide levels to avoid.  As an added bonus the DCV system will reduce studio utility bills because it limits outside air exchange when the studio is less active.  Some states have programs that might pay for your DCV sensors so it doesn't hurt to ask about it.

Ozone deserves special attention, as you saw in the chemicals grid above.  You do not want to create ozone in your studio with ionizer air cleaners or office equipment.  And you also want to filter out ozone from the smog outside.  In polluted cities it could be better to pull outside air in through the HVAC filter than to ventilate the space by opening doors and windows.  But you need to be absolutely sure that the studio HVAC has a ventilation feature, a working damper, new filters, and hopefully a DCV system.

It might well be worth considering adding an active or solar passive ultraviolet (UV) air decontamination system to the HVAC.  This uses UV light to kill flu bugs and other hazards in the air circulating in your studio.  Just be sure that the UV system does not also release ozone.

LOGOWEAR AND PRINTED Ts
Even Disney, one of the most trusted children's brands, has significant trouble producing safe clothing with printed images and logos.  This helps confirm that our local college's dance dress code is a great idea.  They prohibit clothing featuring printed images or words.  Screen printing inks that contain PVC, paints, and vinyl transfers should not be under the noses of dancers that need to breathe well.
 

MIRROR ADHESIVES
Finding better adhesives for the studio mirrors could be very difficult but you should ask your glazier for low VOC adhesives.  The typical formula resembles asphalt and includes naphtha, touluene, hexane, and xylene.  These solvents can cause permanent brain, nervous system, liver, kidney damage and death.  Here is a typical adhesive with a very complete Material Safety Data Sheet:  Nail Power Mirror Mastic Adhesive MSDS.  New studios and new mirror installations should be aggressively ventilated to the outdoors.
 

MOLD
There are molds that can grow on just about anything in your studio.  And there are a few molds that are scary dangerous.  We aren't going to obsess over any of these.  You should not tolerate water leaks of any kind in your studio.  Any leak that does appear should be taken care of within 48 hours or mold can take root.  Get professional help for mold problems and insist on non-toxic solutions and aggressive ventilation.  Be sure to keep humidity levels at 50% or lower to prevent mold growth.

We will state that many people have mold allergies and mold triggered asthma.  Some folks are allergic to just about every mold they encounter.  People that are truly allergic to mold will often react to the dust, fragments, and spores of dead mold - so it isn't good enough to just kill mold, it must be removed and the room cleaned from top to bottom.

PROPS & SCENERY
Props and scenery are typically a bad mix of cheap plywood and particle board, cheap paints, foam and foam core, vinyl, tape, and adhesives.  Paint solvents, formaldehyde resins in the wood, petrochemicals, chlorine, phthalates and more are emitted and are very dangerous to dancer lungs.

The suggestions are very simple.  Don't build or paint stuff inside the studio.  Use low VOC products and let it dry and air out completely.  And most important: store it off-site.

 
PESTICIDES
Researchers have found that pesticide exposure can induce a poisoning effect linked to asthma:

• Beyond Pesticides
• PBS - Pesticides in Schools
• US EPA - Integrated Pest Management in Schools
• Mount Sinai School of Medicine - Protecting Children from Pesticide Exposure in Schools

Pesticides can linger in carpet, walls, and flooring for years after application.  It is best to completely avoid sprays and powders and to use non-toxic bait traps only when absolutely necessary.

VINYL (MARLEY) FLOORING
We have three simple words about the greatest dance invention on the planet: JUST SAY NO.  Flooring is a major investment, but done wrong it is a major source of toxic gases in your studio each and every year the studio operates.  We just say no to Harlequin Cascade and Allegro.  If your favorite pro company uses the flooring then assume that those pros are exposed.  This type of flooring is widely regarded as unnecessarily toxic.  Just say no to Rosco Adagio and Cabriole.  Just say no to any vinyl PVC based flooring product and tape.  Say no to any foam backed flooring, which adds other dangerous chemicals to the studio.  Continued regular use of these PVC based products is not only dangerous for your dancers with allergies, it should, in our opinion, be soundly criticized.  Here is why.

PVC stands for PolyVINYL Chloride.  It doesn't seem like the same stuff that the white plumping pipe is made from, but it is basically the same.  The flooring is more toxic and less stable because special plastic softeners have been added.  PVC (recycle code 3) is plastic that you need to learn to hate due to environmental damage during production, disposal, and toxic effects during use.  PVC is rarely recycled, is deadly in fires, and is banned in some more astute countries.

If you think Harlequin is looking out for your best interests, take a look at their Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the Cascade PVC dance flooring.  In this opportunity to protect your health they focus on style rather than substance, limiting the composition disclosure to: "Harlequin Cascade comprises Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) resins, plasticizer, filler and pigments."  Those unspecified plasticizers and pigments suggest an attempt to hide even more hazardous chemicals.  Real product safety information would tell you and your local fire department about the components and the deadly fumes emitted during use and during a fire.

This is the information the flooring industry doesn't want us to focus on:

Plasticizers are chemical compounds used to soften rigid materials. Phthalates are widely used plasticizers for polyvinyl (PVC) plastic and cosmetics.... Phthalate exposure also results from ... carpet backing, fragrances (such as air freshener), mattress covers and protectors, office supplies (e.g., media storage sleeves, report covers, sheet protectors, etc.), PVC (vinyl) coated ceiling tiles, PVC resilient flooring, PVC upholstery, PVC wall coverings and wallpaper, shower curtains, and vinyl blinds...

Some more recent studies, however, have found that residential exposure to PVC flooring and wall surfaces were associated with bronchial obstruction and asthma symptoms in children.  The authors state that DEHP may constitute up to 40% by weight of the PVC in a particular product. Although some have argued that these studies were limited because they did not directly measure phthalates, a more recent study found an association between the prevalence of asthma in children and levels of phthalates, specifically DEHP, measured in samples of residential dust.  Although this study was not able to control for the presence of other risk factors for asthma, it does add to the weight of the evidence that DEHP may be associated with asthma in children. Earlier evidence has also demonstrated that preterm infants exposed to DEHP from respiratory tubing systems had a higher risk of asthma. Animal studies have additionally provided evidence that DEHP induces bronchial hyperreactivity, and have suggested possible pathologic mechanisms.

And:

Phthalates can leach out of PVC products into air, water, and soil because they are not covalently (strongly) bound to the PVC polymer. Humans inhale phthalates in air, ingest them through food, water, or contaminated dust... Indoor air is generally the second highest source of exposure to DEHP, after food. Documented indoor DEHP concentrations in the range of 10 to 100 ng/m are typical, and exposure to phthalates via inhalation indoors is higher in environments in which there is extensive use of PVC products. Conditions favoring the release of phthalates from building materials into the indoor environment are not fully understood. Studies have found that moisture or dampness can contribute to chemical emission rates from building materials, including PVC flooring....The scientific literature on the effect of plasticizers on asthma is small, but growing. To date there is some indication that DEHP may be associated with asthma, especially in young children. Given this evidence, health care facilities should evaluate whether DEHP is in products where infants and children could be exposed... phthalates may be in fragrant cleaners, air fresheners, and resilient floor finishes used by janitorial staff. Many resilient floor finishes also contain dibutyl phthalate. Using fragrance-free products and specifying phthalate-free floor finish can reduce the potential for exposure from these types of products.

We'll probably get heated letters from cool flooring manufacturers claiming that the special plasticizers they use are different, are closely held industry secrets, and are completely safe.  If true they'd probably have 'green' certification in hand supporting use of the floor for children and schools since that would have a significant market advantage. 

PVC is bad news without the help of plasticizers.  Toxic releases of substances like vinyl chloride are widely regarded as more dangerous than phthalates.  Floor cleaners, sunlight, heat, ozone, cosmetics, body oils and humidity all noticeably change the surface of vinyl and encourage the floor to age and off-gas.  Have you ever noticed that the vinyl is more easily damaged as it ages and that some objects will stick to the floor if left for a few days?  These are all clues that the material isn't stable, isn't safe, and you are breathing what it pumps into the air even if you smell nothing.

If you are unfortunate enough to get sick from PVC or allergic to it your first clue might be that you start to detect an annoying odor from it.  The dance floor will smell, some carpets will smell, as will shrink wrap, shower curtains, computer and audio cables, window shades, kitchen tools, and the dash of your car.  Yes those things already have an odor but when that changes due to illness it becomes very unpleasant.  The strong odor will likely signal that other exposure related symptoms will follow like cough, asthma, headache, and balance problems.  This can end your career, make it impossible to find a good class, and can make it impossible to stay employed.

Alternatives we like?  'Old school' unvarnished hardwood floors - not the laminated panels from Home Depot that is full of adhesives.  The real deal linoleum is much safer than vinyl and it is recommended for use in populations with allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities.  Potential allergenic components in linoleum include flaxseed / linseed oil and tree rosin but the material remains the resilient floor covering of choice for allergies for schools and hospitals.  Give Rosco's Classic Roscoleum a look as well as the Forbo Marmoleum product line.  After that, look for low toxic options on GreenGuard.org.

Be sure to pay special attention to any adhesive and tapes you use on your new healthier floor.  Old glue, a nasty smelling new glue or tape can easily ruin your investment in clean air.  Again you want to avoid PVC products and avoid anything that isn't clearly identified as NO VOC or LOW VOC and avoid anything that lacks a MSDS with all components indicated.  The NO VOC stuff might smell when wet but it is supposed to be a big improvement once dry.

MORE ON VINYL:

• Health Care System Moving Away From Hazardous PVC
   
• The Blue Vinyl movie and PVC education campaign
   
• A study by the California Air Resources Board measured forty target compounds off-gassing from PVC flooring. Another study found the degradation of plasticizers from PVC flooring was likely responsible for an increase in adult asthma as well as eye and skin symptoms in workers. The prevalence of these symptoms decreased when the PVC flooring was removed: noharm.org
   
• Breathing in air and dust containing phthalates that have escaped from vinyl flooring also adds to the amount of phthalates in our systems. Again, this is particularly worrisome for children since they spend a lot of time indoors breathing close to the floor. In fact, an initial study conducted in Norway reported a higher incidence of bronchial obstruction in children living in houses with vinyl, as opposed to wooden, floors. Phthalates being released into the air may be the link between these two observations.  Chemical Body Burden
   
• Pediatric Exposure and Potential Toxicity of Phthalate Plasticizers: American Academy of Pediatrics
   
• Vinyl Flooring not a "Green" Building Material: mindfully.org
   
• The Association between Asthma and Allergic Symptoms in Children and Phthalates in House Dust: A Nested Case-Control Study:  Environmental Health Perspectives
   
• San Francisco: First US City to Ban Toxic Toys
   
• Healthy Building Network: PVC Plastic

VINYL FOG & DISTRACTIONS
These organizations exist to protect vinyl industry profits and probably are not a good source of health information.  Some even sound very 'green' oriented and they offer various certifications that can be useful for smart shoppers.  But at the end of the day they are still promoting vinyl products and they seem very afraid of losing your business.  As they should be:  NY State discourages use of PVC flooring.

• Green Building Solutions
• VinylToys.com
• Vinyl.org
• Plastics Resources
• Vinyl News Service
• Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI)  
• RFCI Backs Down from NY PVC Fight

WALL PAINTS
Non-toxic painting is easy today, with many low and no VOC products to select from.  This list is from greenfeet.net and you should select 'no VOC' if at all possible.

• AFM (American Formulating and Manufacturing) www.afmsafecoat.com
• Benjamin Moore & Co. (Pristine® Eco-Spec® ) www.benjaminmoore.com
• BioShield Paints www.bioshieldpaint.com
• Devoe Paint www.devoe.com
• Duron Paints and Wallcoverings (Genesis Odor-Free products) www.duron.comm
• ICI Dulux Paints www.iciduluxpaints.com
• Kelly Moore www.kellymoore.com
• Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company www.milkpaint.com
• Sherwin-Williams (HealthSpec® paints) www.sherwin.com

WOOD FLOORING / SUBFLOORS
Dance floors are typically made from one or more layers of wood and are occasionally topped off with a layer of hardwood.  The 'old school' method of using solid woods like pine or maple on every layer is just about as holistic and healthy as you will find.  Of course we then need to be careful with stains, sealants, preservatives, and adhesives.

More common are floors with one or more layers of plywood.  Plywood is usually either the urea-formaldehyde resin (indoor grade) or phenol-formaldehyde resin (outdoor grade) type.  Tap floors might be covered with another type of engineered wood called Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF).  In terms of IAQ issues, MDF boards are the worst to have indoors because of the large amount of resin in them and they water damage very easily.

If you must use plywood in the dance floor, shop for new zero or low formaldehyde brands.  There aren't many companies selling construction grade formaldehyde-free plywood but look up Panel Source International or Columbia as a possible source.

In general it is much better to use exterior grade phenol-formaldehyde plywood inside your studio than the urea-formaldehyde type.  The reason for this is the phenol-formaldehyde resin is more stable and releases less formaldehyde.

How bad could the formaldehyde issue be in a studio?  Pretty darn bad.  Lets say the floor is 40 foot by 20 foot, made with three layers of urea-formaldehyde plywood.  That is a remarkable amount of surface area that will be releasing formaldehyde - more than 40 x 20 x 6 (front and back of three layers) = 4800 square feet, not counting the edges of the boards.  The floor will have an air space under it, it won't be sealed to the walls, and each time the floor flexes under the dancer it works a bit like an air pump, driving air between the boards, around the edges and into the room.

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