Is it possible to live in a foam room. Polystyrene: possible health hazards for materials made from styrene (styrofoam, expanded polystyrene). Conclusion: foam plastics harm nature

Penoplex, as the name of this material implies, is extruded polystyrene foam. The company for the production of this material in Russia appeared in 1998. At that time it was the only enterprise for the production of heat-insulating materials by extrusion. In the future, the company expanded its capacity and range.

Extrusion like technological process, is the extrusion of the melt of the material through the mold (forming hole). Penoplex is obtained from polystyrene with high pressure and temperature. In this case, a fairly homogeneous structure with small pores (on the order of fractions of a millimeter) is obtained.

Penoplex in production is light and durable, it is quite suitable for use not only for warming a house, but even used for warming roads and runways of airfields. It poorly absorbs water and has very good thermal insulation qualities.

On the Internet you can find the most different reviews about this material: is foam plastic harmful to health, flammability and durability of this material. Points of view are very different and often contradict each other.

Specifications

Exist different types penoplex. Some of them are more durable, others are less thermally conductive or less combustible, which is achieved by introducing special additives. (About universal form penoplex read in.)

Here are some technical characteristics of this material (type 31):

density - from 28 to 32 kg/m3;
compression density - 2 kg/cm2;
water absorption per day is no more than 0.004 of the volume;
fire resistance category - G1 (low combustible), others - G3 (normally combustible);
thermal conductivity coefficient - 0.03 W/m˚С;
vapor permeability coefficient - 0.008 mg/m h Pa;
the temperature at which given material it is recommended to use - from -50 to +75 Celsius.

Detailed information about technical specifications penoplex you can learn from.

Take note: Penoplex is a two-phase material, that is, it consists of plastic and air, which makes it an excellent soundproofing material.

Application area

The main field of application of foam plastic in construction is thermal insulation. If you use it outside, then talking about its harm to health would be illogical.

Strength and low water absorption allows the use of penoplex for.

Roofs are also insulated with this material. It's hard to give objective advice on this as there are different points on this (limitation may be due to the fact that the roofs get very hot). There is only one recommendation - to follow the technology of insulation.

The foundation can be insulated from the outside and from the inside. If you insulate from the outside, then do not be surprised that the material will collapse over time. It has nothing to do with its durability. normal conditions, since the existence underground in conditions of climate change is detrimental to this material.

Harmful or not

On this issue, you can find a variety of reviews, but you need to understand that if the material is mounted outside, then there can be no harm from it. Inside similar materials are subjected to additional isolation, so the question of their harmfulness during operation is also irrelevant.

First of all, when they talk about the dangers of a particular material, they mean evaporation during its operation. If the material is protected, then they will not be able to penetrate outside. Penoplex is usually subjected to additional finishing. For example, to protect against ultraviolet rays it is covered with siding, and after plastering the walls, it is covered with paint.

Consider the question of the dangers of penoplex during a fire. It turns out that people often die not from fire, but from harmful fumes, so it is recommended to mount it outside.

If you are concerned about the question of whether mice gnaw penoplex, then the best remedy from them than a cat, just not. Mice gnaw on anything, even concrete.

Is penoplex harmful and answers to some others contentious issues You will learn about this material from the video:

AT modern conditions The requirements for buildings under construction have changed significantly and are seriously different from those that were imposed on objects a few decades ago. If earlier it was quite common to erect buildings without thermal insulation, then at present, in the process of constructing objects without thermal insulation, the object is not handed over. Everyone understands that the house or industrial premises, which has good insulation, allow up to minimum values reduce heat loss, which makes it possible to save energy for heating.

When the task arises to insulate a particular building, each owner is faced with the problem of choice. If he starts such an operation for the first time, then it is difficult for him to decide on the material for insulation. If you turn to Russian market, then there you can find big choice various materials. Their use makes it possible to high performance buildings in terms of thermal insulation.

Many people know about such material as mineral wool. It is most often used in the insulation of buildings. However, there are other materials besides them. One of them is penoplex. It is used not only for the insulation of buildings. It is also used in solving problems of thermal insulation of the balcony. However, before making a choice in his favor, you need to get to know him. positive qualities. It is also worth learning about the negative aspects associated with its use for insulation. Unfortunately, he also has them, like any other material. The main disadvantages of such a heater as penoplex will be discussed later in this material.

Starting listing the cons of this material, it should be noted as the main thing that this heat-insulating material has a low resistance to fire. Experts consider this minus to be one of the main ones. In general, a rather ambiguous situation develops with foam-based materials. varying degrees flammability have heaters included in this group, depending on its modification.

Insulation in its pure form is a material that is prone to easy ignition. From an open flame, it quickly ignites. Therefore, this material without additives in the construction industry is used in rare cases. Knowing about this disadvantage, manufacturers seek to minimize it. Therefore, during the production of this insulation, special additives. They are called flame retardants. They should be understood as substances due to which the combustibility of the material for insulation is reduced. Insulators based on foam plastic with flame retardants are classified by experts as self-extinguishing.

The combustion process of such a heater is accompanied by the formation of black smoke, which contains a large amount of toxic substances that are harmful to human health. It should be understood that the material with flame retardants is quite expensive. In addition, it must be borne in mind that toxic substances are present in the composition of certain types of flame retardants that manufacturers use in the production of materials.

Another disadvantage that presses for foam plastic is its short service life.. Many consumers, when choosing a material, among the main requirements put forward such as a long service life. It must be practical and have a significant period of operation of the facility.

In our country, the standards stipulate that any insulation must have a service life of at least 25 years. If we push away from the information manufacturers of heat-insulating materials based on expanded polystyrene, then their products fulfill this requirement. Note that certain types of insulation can have a service life of 50 years or even more.

Using foam for insulation, one should not forget that it is a vapor-permeable material. However, this parameter has a low value. All this translates into the fact that he is not able to remove steam from wooden structures. The consequence of this is the formation of fungi on their surface. They render on designs from natural material permissive impact, leading to a reduction in the service life of the building itself. It is also necessary to know that although polystyrene foam does not act as an optimal environment for the development of fungi. However, they easily appear on it and can multiply in large colonies. Especially if the insulation is in contact with a structure that is made of wood.

Another disadvantage of this insulation is its low safety and rather low properties in terms of environmental friendliness. If you take a heater in its pure form, then it is not harmful to health. However, it is quite rare to find it on the supplement market. Basically, manufacturers offer products that have already been supplemented. And they contain substances that are toxic to a certain extent. This means that they affect human health. Negative influence. And besides this, not the most in the best way impact on the environment.

Styrofoam is a special artificial material, consisting of a cellular polymer mass, the voids of which are filled with gas. Due to this, foam sheets are very light, as they have a low density and are able to retain heat well. Styrofoam is very common as a heater, not only due to its excellent heat-insulating properties - this material does not deform, has great durability, is soundproof, easy to use, does not absorb moisture, unlike many other heaters, and most importantly, it is very cheap. There are only three rather significant drawbacks that make you think about its use: it is combustibility, and susceptibility to damage by rodents.

Although some manufacturers produce boards with a fire-resistant material in their composition, as a result, the insulation does not support combustion.

Insulation of the house from the inside

In some cases, external insulation of the house is not possible, so it is necessary to use thermal insulation materials inside residential areas. It's over difficult task, since the wall itself begins to freeze more strongly, and the dew point is transferred to its inner surface. Therefore, a heater with high vapor permeability and moisture absorption, no joints is needed - as a result, options such as mineral wool, liquid ceramics, warm plaster, and foam plastic or other similar materials remain - polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam.

Experts recommend insulating the house from the inside only in the most extreme cases, when there really is no possibility of outdoor work, since the quality of the insulation is reduced.

Styrofoam damage

When burning, the foam releases substances harmful to the human body, which can cause death from poisoning. Residents of houses insulated with polystyrene foam risk dying from suffocation in a fire. Also, with leaky insulation from the inside, due to a shift in the dew point, mold appears on the material, which is also harmful to health. If sanitary conditions are not observed, rodents can start, which worsens unsanitary conditions in the house.

There is no official data on the health hazards of polystyrene: this material is even used for packaging food products. Manufacturers claim that for decades of use, not a single case of illness has been registered associated with living in a house insulated with foam, or working with this insulation. But rumors about the dangers of this material continue to spread, opponents of polystyrene say that it gradually releases a number of substances that threaten human health: styrene, carbon monoxide, ammonia, benzene. On the one hand, the market building materials indeed, you can find products from unscrupulous manufacturers that can threaten people's health, but on the other hand, there is no data on the dangers of modern high-quality polystyrene manufactured according to all standards. Perhaps information about its toxicity is distributed by companies that manufacture other heaters.

You can make foam plastic at home. But this process is still not safe, so it’s better to do it in a workshop, and stock up on all the necessary equipment in advance.

You will need

Polystyrene (balls), special equipment.

Instruction

To glue polystyrene balls together, they need to be heated very hot. Heating is carried out until the polystyrene beads begin to swell. As the balloons inflate, they release gas which pushes the balloons towards each other. After that, they stick together and take the form of the container in which they are located.

After cooling the resulting mass, the foam can be cooked. However, the quality of such homemade foam will be quite low (if you have anything at all). For the production of real polystyrene, special equipment is needed that can provide the entire technological cycle. In addition, experiments at home with such high temperatures are simply dangerous both for health and for the home itself.

To make carbamide foam, you need to follow these steps. Prepare a solution to start.

For this in the water room temperature the curing catalyst (CO) and the foaming agent (PO) are diluted. Run the installation. Then pour resin and foaming solution into appropriate containers. Submit to the input of the installation compressed air. Turn on pumps supplying foam solution and resin. Open the taps RESIN and SOLUTION. Pour the foam mass coming from the sleeve into special, collapsible forms. Cut and dry the resulting foam. Carbamide foam is cut with a fishing line or string. Drying time is from 1 to 3 days.

General characteristics of the material

Styrofoam is a white porous substance that consists of many individual grains. It is obtained by foaming plastic mass, and the main volume of this material is given by gas, due to which its density is lower than the density of the original polymer. This explains the high thermal insulation properties and good sound insulation.

Depending on the composition of the feedstock and the method of its processing, a material with different density, resistance to mechanical influences and for different purposes. Depending on these factors, building materials are selected for a particular purpose.

Advantages of foam

Styrofoam has a lot of positive aspects, which allows it to remain the most popular insulation for many years:

The porous structure of this building material significantly reduces thermal conductivity..
This material keeps its shape perfectly, which is not typical of heaters from this price group.
It is almost all air, so it does not burn well.
For the manufacture of this insulation, a minimum of substances from the styrene group is used, which indicates relative environmental friendliness.
The service life of the material is more than 50 years which is confirmed by quality certificates. At correct installation its characteristics do not change throughout the entire period of operation.

To positive aspects can also be attributed to the low price and ease of installation. For laying foam on the walls, it is not necessary to have special skills, especially when it comes to a private house or the first floor of a high-rise building.

Styrofoam can absorb water, while its characteristics are gradually lost. To prevent this from happening, the insulation must be protected from the harmful effects of the environment.

What harmful substances does foam plastic emit?

Apartment owners often insulate their homes with polystyrene or polystyrene, and if the inhabitants of the lower floors insulate the apartments from the outside, then those living on the upper floors mount the foam inside the building.

To understand how harmful polystyrene is to human health, you need to figure out what substances it contains. The composition of the building material contains the following substances:

Styrene is a dangerous substance for humans. It is released into the atmosphere for about 20 years after the insulation is fixed. Particular harm from it is felt if the air temperature is above +25 degrees.
Phenol - chemical compound in foam plastic, which is thrown into the air under the influence of direct sunlight or at temperatures above +20 degrees.
Formaldehyde - gaseous substance which is quite toxic. Released at elevated temperatures.

It must be remembered that all the substances that are released by the foam plastic tend to accumulate in the body and thereby worsen the health of residents.

Before choosing a heater, it is worth weighing all the advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, ease of installation, low price and ease of finishing are on the scales, and on the other hand, the health of residents.

So is there any harm from polystyrene

When burning polystyrene, harmful smoke is released, which is a great danger to people.. For residents of houses that are insulated with foam, the risk of fatal poisoning by toxins in a fire increases. If the foam installation technology was not followed, then the dew point shifts, which as a result leads to the formation of mold on the walls. It is not safe for anyone, regardless of age. If a sanitary conditions are not observed in the dwelling, then this threatens with rodents, which reproduce well and live in a heater.

There are no officially published data on the dangers of polystyrene for humans; this material is successfully used even for food packaging. Manufacturers of such building materials unanimously claim that for several decades that a person has been using polystyrene foam as a wall insulation, not a single case of diseases that have been provoked by this substance has been recorded.

However, despite the lack of evidence of cases of poisoning, rumors continue to circulate among consumers that polystyrene has a detrimental effect on human health, constantly emitting in small volumes harmful substances. It may well be that on the building goods market there are products of unscrupulous manufacturers who do not adhere to technology when releasing the material. Such foam really poses a threat to human health.

Expanded polystyrene, which is manufactured in accordance with all norms and rules, is not harmful to human health. Most likely, rumors of high toxicity are spread by competitors who produce other types of insulation.

How to minimize damage from foam

Many people, especially the older generation, believe any information presented in the media. mass media. Sometimes it is not easy to convince your parents that there is practically no harm from polystyrene. In this case, rather, for your own peace of mind, you should adhere to the following rules:

Do not use building material to insulate walls inside an apartment or house.
When insulating a home, install insulation only on the outer walls, while ventilation must be done.
To insulate the ceiling, it is advisable to lay a layer of polystyrene from the side of the attic, but only on condition that it is non-residential. On the balcony, it is also better not to insulate the surface with foam, but to give preference mineral wool or innovative material penoplex.
Do not be fooled by too low a material price. It may well be that such foam was produced somewhere in the backyard, without observing the technology. All sellers must have a certificate of quality, which they present to the buyer upon request.
This material can only be used for its intended purpose, that is, for external insulation of houses and apartments. It is forbidden to make children's playhouses from polystyrene.

Often the question arises, is this material harmful to animals? Polystyrene is often used to insulate chicken coops, but chickens love to peck at it. There is almost no danger in this, since the age of chickens is short and harmful substances simply do not have time to accumulate in the body.

If you want to qualitatively insulate your home, then you should not save. It is worth buying materials at specialized points of sale.

Can Styrofoam Poison You?

Anyone can get poisoned, even foods familiar to humans. It's hard to imagine an adult or a child choking, but there is foam. Poisoning in this case can be by inhalation of harmful smoke, which is formed during high temperatures. High-quality polystyrene belongs to self-extinguishing materials, however, other substances that burn well are often next to it, so foam plastic melting is inevitable, with the release of harmful substances.

Remove the victim from the area of burning building materials.
Unfasten and remove all squeezing clothing - belts, ties and shirts.
Take the patient outside or provide oxygen to the room.

If the victim is not breathing or the work of the heart is disturbed, then resuscitation should be carried out. After providing first aid, be sure to call an ambulance team that will pick up the patient for further treatment to the hospital.

Styrofoam, the cost of which makes it one of the most widely used thermal insulators by International Building Code (IRC) standards, is an environmentally friendly material. Therefore, it is considered safe for human health to use it as a heat insulator.

Extruded polystyrene foam, according to research, is a very energy-efficient and safe material for human health.

Styrofoam is very energy efficient. This is also confirmed research work conducted by specialists in the USA, who came to a certain result, consisting in the fact that this material is completely safe, and it also has all the necessary thermal insulation qualities.

Expanded polystyrene extruded: harm or environmental friendliness

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Advantages of thermal insulation material

The superiority of expanded polystyrene is its cost, which will take not the last place when deciding on the choice of material. Compared to many other heat insulators, it is the most advantageous when used from an economic point of view. Especially if you compare its undeniable advantages and compare them with its price. At the same time, expanded polystyrene is a durable and elastic material, which greatly simplifies the installation process. So, the heat insulator is given any shape when cutting it without the help of special tools. For this, it is sufficient to apply simple saw or an ordinary knife.

This material is non-radioactive and non-toxic. It does not contain toxic fibers. For these reasons, working with it does not pose a certain danger to human health. Expanded polystyrene during its transportation, installation, operation and dismantling can be handled without the use of additional protective equipment. touch to this species building material is not capable of causing irritation. The material is safe for the eyes and respiratory tract of humans or animals.

In the process of working with the material, it is not necessary to use any protective equipment, that is, gloves, special goggles, special clothing, masks that provide oxygen. The heat insulator is widely used in transport, civil and industrial construction. During the entire period of operation of the material, it has undergone various changes in its composition and structure. Wherein beneficial features heat insulators were improved, and unnecessary ones were already absent.

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What are the disadvantages of using a heat insulator?

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Expanded polystyrene heat insulator: benefit or harm

Extruded polystyrene foam, like any other material, has its own pros and cons, which you need to know about those who opt for this insulation. It must be emphasized that not only positive, but also negative aspects of any building material are based solely on its properties.

Extruded polystyrene foam consists of granules that are glued together at very high temperatures. The granules contain air. In this case, the structure contains the main quality of the material. The air contained in the cells is maximally capable of retaining heat, therefore, among all natural materials he will be one of the best.

The high level of performance of expanded polystyrene is combined with its high protective characteristics, which allow you to protect your home from cold, insects, bacteria, and moisture. For insects, this material is of no interest, since it is inedible.

The cellular structure has given the material almost everything, but it is worth highlighting the main thing - the material perfectly performs the main task, while solving at the same time the difficulties that arise associated with protection in conditions high humidity or an obstacle to destruction wooden elements houses from pests.

There are also certain aspects in the use of the material that you need to be aware of, as it is not natural and prevents the surface of the structure from "breathing". With normal ventilation, it is very easy to organize the necessary movement of air flows in the room, but the walls themselves will not “breathe”. Here they play first. important role properties of a heat insulator that do not allow it to pass air, which excludes its circulation.

Some believe that when burning, the material is capable of emitting dark smoke. Although without a source of fire, this heat insulator will not burn, forming smoke, which can only appear when prolonged burning polystyrene foam. Usually firefighters arrive much sooner than complete combustion of the material occurs. Most building materials can ignite much faster than polystyrene foam.

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Conclusions on the environmental damage of Styrofoam

We can conclude that extruded polystyrene foam should not be afraid, because it is a modern, high-quality and harmless material.

Expanded polystyrene and all its varieties are quite popular. Is this material as safe when used for the purpose of thermal insulation of a house as it is presented by manufacturers?

It has been established that this material does not immediately have a harmful effect, but after a long period of time.

The normal temperature level causes the material to break apart vigorously. In this case, a large amount of poisons and carcinogens are released, which are unsafe for human health. In particular, expanded polystyrene is unsafe in case of fires, since the smoke that is released contains a large amount of hazardous organic compounds.

Scientists have recognized expanded polystyrene as an extremely unsafe material when it burns, which has led to conflicting judgments from manufacturers who seek to market the material according to low prices. In the event of a fire, a person can get poisoned by poisonous smoke along with volatile substances from the combustion of foam.

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