- Purchase an office chair that you can sit in comfortably knowing it isn’t toxic to your health. Did you know that chairs can contain flame retardants which can leech from products into the air and then attach to dust, food, and water, which can be ingested. “Some of the most studied flame retardants have been linked to cancer, decreased fertility, hormone disruption, lowered IQs, obesity, hyperactivity, and other serious health issues.” Did you know that you can find desk chairs recommended by ergonomics that meet UC’s sustainable requirements? The campus can also pay half of the cost through EH&S Ergonomics.
- Choose a sustainable desk and shelving. Desks containing harmful chemicals like flame retardants, PVCs, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), VOCs will eventually seep from the furniture into the air and end up in our bloodstreams and pose serious health risks. UCSB has signed a pledge with Center for Environmental Health (CEH) in connection with UC Policy on Sustainable Practices to purchase safer products.
- Spruce up your office with a plant that can not only bring you joy but also improves air quality by “removing volatile organic components (VOC), carbonyl, particulate matter, organic compounds, nitrates, sulfates, ammonia, calcium, ozone, and carbonate," making them a low-cost solution to remove toxic pollutants in your office space.
- Walk comfortably knowing your sustainable carpeting isn’t emitting harmful VOC’s or antimicrobials that can affect your health. Carpeting and flooring can also contain antimicrobials that may have negative impacts on both people and the environment. “Antimicrobial additives can migrate from the products in which they are incorporated, finding their way into wastewater systems and the larger environment with unknown ecological implications, but with reasonable cause for concern.”
For more information on Sustainable furniture check out our easy guide (coming soon!)
Sources
El-Tanbouly, R., Hassan, Z., & El-Messeiry, S. (2021, June 18). The role of indoor plants in air purification and human health in the context of covid-19 pandemic: A proposal for a novel line of inquiry. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2021.709395/full.
Healthy Environments. (n.d.-a). https://healthybuilding.net/uploads/files/Antimicrobial_WhitePaper_PerkinsWill.pdf
Introduction - center for environmental health. (n.d.-b). https://ceh.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Flame_Retardant_EGuide_May_2017.pdf