It was also not uncommon to find two to five different pesticides at concentrations of between 10 and 100 milligrams per square metre, or many times the amount applied in a single application, Lewis told last October's meeting. It is not clear what the high levels of pesticides in these carpets portend, says Lewis. Most of the residues were not at the surface of the carpet, but deep among the fibres and the backing, and in the foam padding underneath. The residues can't be vacuumed up, so they are largely unavailable for human exposure. However, as carpets age, their fibres break down and may release some of these pesticide residues back into the air.
Playtime is almost over.
The big kids rush off to the back yard, and Emma's mother begins to get the little ones' supper on the table. All seems well in this healthy family. But in the US, Britain and other developed countries, the incidence of children's diseases that have a significant environmental component, including asthma, allergies and even cancer, continues to rise. And according to Roberts and his colleagues, dirty carpets may be one of the major causes.