Omnisports 6.5 mm and 8.3 mm Are the First Indoor Sports Surfaces to be Certified Asthma & Allergy Friendly™ by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Calhoun, GA, March 06, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Together, asthma and allergies are the most prevalent health conditions hindering our population. There are approximately 60 million asthma and allergy suffers currently in the United States, which equates to about one in five Americans*. Asthma and allergies are particularly disruptive in education, causing around 10.5 million school absences per year†.

Since most Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, regulating indoor air quality has become the front-line of mitigating asthma and allergy symptoms‡. The asthma & allergy friendly™ certification was developed to scientifically test and identify products that are healthier for asthma and allergy sufferers. For flooring, this involves:

-A low capacity for allergen retention
-The ability to remove accumulated allergen by the recommended cleaning technique
-A recommended cleaning that will not result in exposure of the operator to airborne allergen
-An installation that does not result in elevated levels of chemicals such as: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other VOCs.

Omnisports 6.5mm and 8.3 mm exceed all of the asthma & allergy friendly™ certification standards with the popular GreenLay™ installation method as well as installation with Tarkett Sports’ Multi-Poxy adhesive. This certification is a result of Tarkett Sports’ Balanced Choice environmental approach, creating “People-Friendly Spaces” that promote health and well-being during product use and maintenance. Brian Oliver, Senior Marketing and Corporate Relations Manager at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, commented that “our organization is excited about the certification of Omnisports and the potential it brings to promote healthier indoor environments in not only homes and offices, but schools and sports venues as well.”

Since indoor sports and physical education are intended to promote physical health, creating a healthy space for these activities is only fitting. Through the new asthma & allergy friendly™ certification of Omnisports, Tarkett Sports intends to bring more awareness of indoor air quality concerns to sports environments such as schools, gymnasiums, churches, community centers, and fitness centers.

*Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42.
†Source: Environmental Protection Agency. www.epa.gov/asthma/school-based.html.
‡Source: BMJ 1998; 316 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.316.7137.1075 (Published 4 April 1998)