Mouse-Killing Carpets

By exposing mice to fumes from samples of carpet, scientists at Anderson Laboratories, Inc., have demonstrated significant toxicological effects. In the most severe sample tests, four out of four mice exposed to the fumes died. Of samples purchased at random off-the-shelf, 25% showed some effect, according to Mark Goldman, General Manager for Anderson Labs. When individuals began sending in samples of carpet they suspected might be making them sick, the positive results increased substantially. Of the approximately 200 suspicious samples tested to date, 90% to 95% of the complaints were corroborated in the lab.

The Carpet and Rug Institute, anxious to discredit Anderson’s results, commissioned its own studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Researchers there found the same effects. The EPA is currently working closely with Anderson Labs and other groups in attempts to identify the offending chemicals. While initial releases of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a problem, they cannot be blamed for many of the health effects found, as some of the samples were up to twelve years old. Goldman reports that preliminary results point to the chronic breakdown of the styrene butadiene