This “Kars” “Oak Meno” flooring sample from Green Building Supply (pictured here, sent to me in December of 2019) had the following readings when tested with an XRF Instrument:
Front surface of panel:
- Niobium (Nb): 1,438 +/- 33 ppm
- Bromine (Br): 28 +/- 3 ppm
- Palladium (Pd): 14 +/- 3 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 147 +/- 35 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 62 +/- 28 ppm
- Indium (In): 39 +/ 7 ppm
Back surface of panel:
- Niobium (Nb): 1,512 +/- 36 ppm
- Palladium (Pd): 17 +/- 3 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 136 +/- 38 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 30 +/- 14 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 73 +/- 31 ppm
- Indium (In): 48 +/ 7 ppm
“Tell me more about XRF testing, Tamara…”
Tests results are science-based and replicable. All tests are done for a minimum of 60 seconds unless otherwise noted. Tests are repeated multiple times to confirm the results, using a freshly calibrated XRF instrument testing in consumer goods mode. To learn more about the specifics for the testing reported here on this blog, click here.
This product seems like a nice solid-wood product (it has three layers but each layer appears to be solid wood – check out the image below) and is something I might choose for my own home if I were to go the “wooden floor” route the next time around (I am planning on concrete floors for the eventual new rebuild of my kitchen – but who knows, I may change my mind!)
For those interested in additional reading:
- Additional products from Green Building Supply that I have tested.
- Additional flooring products that I have tested.
- Additional wood products I have tested.
- The short tutorial video I made that shows you how to most efficiently search the 2,700+ pages of information available for free here on the Lead Safe Mama website.
As always, thank you for reading and for sharing my posts. Please let me me have any questions! I will do my best to answer them personally – although this may take a while given the sheer volume of traffic here on the Lead Safe Mama blog recently!
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Side view of the plank:
We replaced the carpet in our house in 2002. In the kitchen/family room combination we used natural slate. Didn’t know anything about toxicity then, and chose it because that was the path from our swimming pool to the bathroom and I wanted something that could tolerate water but was non-slip. I don’t know for sure but suspect it was probably a good choice for these reasons too!
For other areas we chose wood. Downstairs I put in Junckers wood, a snap-together solid wood flooring that was compatible with our concrete slab base and didn’t have glues that could off gas. Given general quality of safety standards in that part of the world I’m hopeful it’s at least better than local, common options in other ways too.
Thank you for commenting!
– Tamara
Story of my hunt for wood flooring that wouldn’t off gas because of glues and additives that says it ALL.
In Home Depot with their flooring department discussing choices. They won’t provide any guarantees of solid wood installations on my slab foundation because it tends to develop problems.
They want me to use engineered wood, which is real wood glued in thin layers. But I didn’t want the off gassing!, and we went round in circles trying to find something for me.
I said, pretty much all the houses in this area have slab!, what do people do to avoid off gassing?
Classic, says it ALL reply. “Well, most people don’t know.”
No I didn’t buy from there or anywhere similar. I started doing my own research instead! Chose Junckers (pronounced “Yonkers”- it’s Danish, not English)
Love it and highly recommend it! Tamara, please comment if there are toxins in it I don’t know about.
I am not familiar with it.
t