Stretch ceilings today are considered a very popular material for interior decoration. It fits well into almost any interior. In addition, it is a beautiful, modern and inexpensive material. But there are buyers who say that the materials from which the canvas is made have a strong smell, as a result of the release of substances harmful to humans and their bodies into the atmosphere. Expert opinions will help us understand whether suspended ceilings are actually harmful to human health.
Manufacturers of materials for suspended ceilings claim that their products always undergo certification and quality control, and that the materials are in full compliance with modern norms and standards. So why do some consumers claim that suspended ceilings emit harmful substances into the environment? Let's give answers to all questions.
Is stretch ceiling harmful?
What are the ceiling standards?
Whether suspended ceiling materials are harmful or not to human health can only be answered by true professionals. Experts argue that materials for interior decoration must undergo tests according to certain standards and then the products must be certified.
In addition, it is worth noting that in people, due to the structure of the body, the reaction to irritants - this or that substance may differ. That is why for some people it is quite convenient and comfortable to be in a room with a suspended ceiling made of non-natural materials, while others may feel dizzy, have headaches, or even worse - allergic reactions or attacks of breathing-related diseases may begin. That is why it is impossible to say with confidence that certain components are one hundred percent safe and harmless for all people.
Scientists developed general standards and norms taking into account a large number of factors. And all manufacturers must comply with such product requirements. In other words, the norms are ISO international environmental standards. Regulations state that if a product meets all their requirements, then it is not harmful to human health. All commercially available components for installing suspended ceilings must have an environmental certificate. In addition, these documents must be provided upon request before installing suspended ceilings.
What should be considered harmful to health and what are the international safety standards?
All people have their own individual characteristics. Therefore, each person may have a different reaction to the same substance. Some people feel comfortable in a room decorated with artificial materials, while others may suffer from allergy attacks. Today, people's immunity is weakened, and it is more likely to say that there are materials that will be dangerous to humans.
Of course, there are general rules that must be followed. These are ISO international environmental standards. If they are followed, then the health of people living in such premises will not be threatened. Therefore, before installing ceilings of this type, first read the safety certificate. Moreover, the certificate must be not only for the material, but also for the implementation of the work. And even though installation by a professional is not cheaper than installation by non-specialists, you should not skimp on your health.
Damage to PVC (polyvinyl chloride) ceilings
Speaking about the health hazards of suspended ceilings, it is necessary to note the existing types of materials and components. The finishing can be made of fabric or PVC film. Each type of stretch ceiling material has its own characteristics.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film is the most popular material for interior decoration these days. This material is also superior in price to fabric sheets - it is cheaper. In addition, PVC film does not require special care, and it can easily withstand high humidity. And if your neighbors on the floor above have a flood - a pipe breaks and you are flooded, then PVC film can easily withstand a fairly large volume of water without even flooding your apartment.
But there are also disadvantages - such coating is very often counterfeited by unscrupulous manufacturers. In this case, the process of manufacturing material components does not occur according to the technology established by the standards. And it becomes more difficult to talk about the quality of such finishing.
The impact of low-quality materials on people's well-being
Fabric ceilings
Fabric ceilings are the safest material for making ceilings in terms of their impact on health. High-quality fabric ceilings must be certified in accordance with European standards. Whether fabric-based stretch ceilings are harmful depends entirely on the manufacturer. Unscrupulous manufacturers will not be able to provide the appropriate documentation, therefore, this fact should alert the buyer.
This is what a fabric-based stretch ceiling looks like up close
The impact of counterfeit suspended ceilings on health is noticeable almost immediately. After a few weeks, residents will begin to notice that they begin to tire too quickly, weakness, fatigue, drowsiness and poor health in general. It is possible that allergic reactions or poisoning from toxic substances that are released into the air may occur, and you may not even understand why you are so “stormy.” If there is an unpleasant odor in the apartment after installing ceilings, then it is better to abandon them. In any case, any self-respecting company gives a guarantee for its products and it is important to stipulate in the contract the conditions for returning the goods.
Harm from polyvinyl chloride films. Myth or reality
PVC film ceilings are now considered a very controversial option for finishing an apartment. There are a lot of rumors about the dangers of vinyl; they say that polyvinyl chloride can cause cancer in people closely associated with PVC. You should not rely solely on rumors - the harmfulness of PVC stretch ceilings is determined by a certification commission, based on whose research a quality certificate is issued. It must accompany the goods.
So, you can give an example of the video below about the dangers of suspended ceilings. But at the same time, it does not say that the protagonist of the video has already lost several courts, so it is not at all a fact that his assumptions about the dangers of such ceilings are correct.
So why can’t experts come to a common denominator regarding suspended ceilings? It's all about phenol, which is necessarily contained in polyvinyl chloride. Indeed, phenol is harmful to health, but in a certain concentration and not in the composition of any chemical compounds, but in a free volatile form. In the composition of the material for suspended ceilings, phenol is contained in a stable compound, from which the phenolic group is not released over time. And the concentration of this substance in PVC films is negligible and is strictly regulated by European quality standards. Large Russian manufacturers try to adhere to these standards and, moreover, the phenol content in domestic films is even lower than in European analogues. Therefore, buy domestic products.
Don't be afraid of polyvinyl chloride - it surrounds us everywhere, for example, car upholstery, the body of household appliances and kitchen appliances, even toothbrushes and credit cards. These are all also made of PVC, but there have been no disputes about their harmfulness until now. If you still doubt the safety of PVC ceilings, then it is better to abandon it, and at the same time, the comfort of your home, because it will give you peace of mind.
Manufacturers of PVC film
Whether a suspended ceiling is harmful to health becomes clear only after an accurate analysis of the manufacturing features of this material. Nowadays, most products for ceiling finishing are supplied to the domestic market by Chinese manufacturers. And among these companies there are many manufacturing companies that create film according to all standards and rules. And their products meet the requirements of international standards. But, unfortunately, not all Chinese manufacturers can boast of high quality.
Once well-known European manufacturers have now significantly reduced the cost of producing ceiling materials. A few years ago their PVC film looked very smooth and shiny and had no smell. Today, their finished materials have lost their former quality.
In Russia, there are no real French, German and Belgian PVC films on our market. And if the seller says that the finishing materials were made in these countries, this is a fake. This type of film is made in China, but perhaps a European company brings it to our country.
Signs of high-quality PVC film
Whether stretch ceilings are harmful to health will also help determine the opinions of buyers and doctors. They claim that good quality products will not harm the human body. But it is not so easy to determine exactly what quality of PVC film is on sale. There are certain quality characteristics.
After installation, PVC film, which is harmless to health, either has no odor at all, or it is barely noticeable and disappears completely about a few days after installation. After installation, it is advised to thoroughly ventilate the room in which the ceiling was installed. PVC films, according to doctors, do not harm health. But when, after installation, the ceiling emits a strong chemical odor for more than a week, then, apparently, the ceiling was made of a material of average quality. Such a suspended ceiling cannot be installed in a children's room or bedroom. But in principle, such material can be used for the hallway, toilet, kitchen. And when the smell does not go away more than 2 weeks after installation, then such a stretch ceiling is considered harmful to health.
The original or a fake
In most cases, PVC films for suspended ceilings do not have markings, so it is difficult to distinguish a certified product from a low-grade one from underground factories. Certificates can be printed on a printer.
Request a work acceptance certificate with the obligatory leaving of one copy for you. And don’t get involved with fly-by-night companies - look at their history and reviews of their work.
The best film sheets for ceilings are those produced by European companies Pongs and Renolit. Yes, they moved their production to China a long time ago, but at certified factories the quality remains European. There is a marking, it is located along the edge of the canvas (the one that is tucked behind the mounting hardware. You can always view it before installation.
The best fabric ceilings are Descor and Clipso. They are safe even in children's rooms and bedrooms, and have no odor at all. In the article “Rating of suspended ceilings,” we determined which manufacturer guarantees the quality and environmental friendliness of their products.
Harmful components of PVC film
When analyzing the health hazards of stretch ceiling materials, it is necessary to examine the impact on the human body of those components that may be included in low-quality PVC film (the smell of which does not dissipate).
Perhaps the most toxic substance of all that is part of low-grade material is phenol . This substance is strictly prohibited from being added to the composition in many countries of the world. Phenol has a bad effect on the functioning of human organs: liver, heart, kidneys, and nervous system. Pulmonary edema, infertility and even cancer can also develop over time. In addition, phenol does not erode for a long time.
Another component hazardous to health is cadmium . This substance is difficult to remove from the body for decades. Cadmium accumulates in the kidneys, liver, and other organs, and, like phenol, can cause the development of cancer.
Toluene can also be included in the PVC film . It has a toxic effect on the body and can cause headaches and sleep disturbances. This substance is also the cause of fetal development pathologies in pregnant women.
PVC film may also contain chlorine, which, when released into the atmosphere, leads to irritation of the mucous membranes in humans. Chlorine can also cause diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract.
Stretch ceilings and human health
Waterproof stretch ceilings
When examining how harmful suspended ceilings are, it is necessary to carefully consider such an issue as the waterproofness of PVC film. Some buyers say that this negative feature of such ceiling materials has caused the development of fungi and other harmful organisms on the base of the ceilings.
Important: PVC film also does not allow air to pass through.
But in reality, this is not such a bad drawback. If the residents of the house are attentive to arranging good ventilation in the room, then this problem can be circumvented. If there is no natural or artificial ventilation, then even without a PVC ceiling, high humidity will accumulate in such a room, which will lead to the development of fungus. That is why it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room in order to eliminate health problems in the future.
Myths about the dangers of suspended ceilings
It cannot be said that all stretch ceilings without exception are harmful to our health. High-quality fabrics that have certificates of conformity rarely even cause allergic reactions. If after installing the PVC film the room smells like rubber for a couple of days, this does not mean that you have had a low-quality stretch ceiling installed.
Advice! Some experts do not advise installing PVC sheets in rooms where elevated temperatures are often observed, because when the material is heated, some harmful substances can enter the air and be inhaled by humans.
If you still doubt the harmlessness of film stretch ceilings, give preference to fabric canvases. These coatings are allowed to be installed in medical and children's institutions, as well as in homes where people prone to allergic reactions live.
Fabrics
Some buyers are interested in whether fabric stretch ceilings are harmful to health. After all, this kind of material is made of polyester fabric impregnated with polyurethane in order to give the necessary rigidity. A special feature of this material is the ability to pass air through it.
That's why fabric stretch ceilings are more expensive than PVC film. And the quality of this material is much higher. This kind of canvas is always marked, and as a result, it is very difficult to purchase low-quality material. The most popular companies specializing in this material are the French Clipso and the German Descor. The composition of fabric stretch ceilings excludes the presence of substances harmful and hazardous to health. And such ceilings have no smell at all. These canvases can be installed in almost any room. They are harmless and completely safe for both adults and children.
Are fabric stretch ceilings harmful?
Stretch ceilings made of synthetic fabric impregnated with polyurethane are more expensive than PVC finishing materials. They are less often used in modern apartments, not only because of the high cost, but also because of a number of disadvantages. Among them are a small number of color options, soilability, less practicality and low strength of the material. However, it is fabric stretch ceilings that are considered an example of safety and environmental friendliness.
Fabric stretch ceilings are an example of safety and environmental friendliness
Unlike PVC coverings, fabric ceilings:
- do not contain cadmium, toluene, phenol and chlorine;
- are made of “breathable” materials that allow air to pass freely and do not interfere with room ventilation;
- do not emit unpleasant odors;
- less often have inadequate quality.
The note! It is much more difficult to counterfeit a branded stretch ceiling made of fabric than a PVC product, because the manufacturer’s marking is not placed on the packaging, but directly on the material itself and is cut off only before installation.
Before purchasing a fabric ceiling, make sure that the seller has certificates confirming the product’s compliance with European quality standards. The fact is that counterfeit products, which periodically appear on the market, can cause no less harm to health than Chinese PVC ceilings.
The fears of apartment owners are confirmed: suspended ceilings can cause irreparable harm to health . However, only low-quality Chinese products have dangerous properties. If you contact a trusted company and see for yourself that the certificates are available, the risk of buying harmful coating will be significantly reduced.
Doctors' opinion about the ceiling in the bedroom
When examining the opinions of doctors and doctors about whether suspended ceilings are harmful to health, it is necessary to focus on installing such a plan for finishing the room in the nursery and bedroom. It is in these rooms that residents always spend a large amount of time. That is why special requirements are put forward for the quality and composition of the finishing material for the ceiling.
Doctors say that in the nursery and bedroom it is quite possible to install ceilings made of PVC film and fabric. But their quality must remain high. It is necessary to purchase such materials only from trusted sellers and suppliers. There is a practice of falsifying quality certificates. This is why you should not trust unknown installers and companies selling products. In this case, the quality of the ceiling finish may be low.
Expert opinion and advice
When purchasing materials for suspended ceilings, you need to rely on the opinions of experts. They claim that fabric sheets should be installed in the bedroom, living room, office and children's room, since ceilings made from this material are completely harmless. In addition, they have an attractive appearance and have more color options. But materials made from PVC film will be good in wet rooms, for example, a toilet, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Fabrics in such conditions may lose their beautiful appearance. But be sure to remember that poor quality PVC stretch ceilings should not be installed in any room. If ceilings made of this kind of material were installed in a room or apartment, then it should be dismantled immediately. Smart people say that you should not skimp on your health. And if you don’t quickly take appropriate measures to remove harmful material from your home, the consequences can ultimately be the most dire. By examining the opinions of doctors and medical workers about whether stretch ceilings are harmful to health, you can easily select a safe and non-harmful material for finishing indoor ceilings.
