RTI International/EPA
September 2010
EPA Contract EP-C-05-060/TO56
NRMRL-RTP-460
Environmental and Sustainable Technology
Evaluation: Mold-Resistant Lonseal Flooring -
Lonseal, Inc., Lonwood Natural
ERTI
INTERNATIONAL
Prepared by
Research Triangle Institute
For
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development- Environmental Technology Verification Program
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RTI International/EPA
September 2010
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RTI International/EPA
September 2010
THE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION PROGRAM
Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluation (ESTE)
INTERNATIONAL
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Institute
ESTE Joint Verification Statement
TECHNOLOGY TYPE: Mold-Resistant Flooring Product
APPLICATION: Flooring
TECHNOLOGY NAME: Lonseal Lonwood Natural
COMPANY: Lonseal, Inc.
ADDRESS: Carson, California
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology
Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved
environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information.
The goal of the ETV Program is to further environmental protection and sustainability by
accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and cost-effective technologies. ETV seeks to
achieve this goal by providing high quality, peer-reviewed data on technology performance to
those involved in the purchase, design, distribution, financing, permitting, and use of
environmental technologies. This verification was conducted under the Environmental and
Sustainable Technology Evaluation (ESTE) element of the ETV Program that was designed to
address agency priorities for technology verification.
This ESTE project involved evaluation of the mold resistance of Lonseal Lonwood Natural
flooring. Tests for emissions of VOCs and formaldehyde were also performed. For this project
Research Triangle Institute (RTI) was the responsible contractor for EPA Office of Research and
Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL).
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RTI International/EPA
September 2010
This verification statement provides a summary of the test results for Lonseal Lonwood Natural
flooring.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
The following description of the product was provided by the vendor and was not verified.
Lonwood Natural flooring is a sheet vinyl product with an embossed wood-grain texture.
Constructed in multiple layers and embossed with distinctive wood grains, it is composed of
resin, plasticizers, fillers, and pigments. The co-calendered wear layer is formulated to provide
maximum resistance to foot traffic in most commercial and health care applications. The middle
layer provides dimensional stability, sound-absorbing properties, and resiliency under foot. The
backing layer provides strength and stability of the flooring and enhances the bonding strength of
the adhesive. Mold resistance is conveyed by the addition of a proprietary chemical as a top layer
formulation that is applied to the surface of the sheet vinyl through a calendering process.
Figures S-l and S-2 show the front and back surfaces of the material.
Figure S-1. Front surface of material Figure S-2. Back surface of material
VERIFICATION TEST DESCRIPTION
Verification testing of the Lonseal Lonwood Natural flooring began on December 9, 2008 at the
microbiology laboratories of RTI International and was completed on March 3, 2009. All tests
were performed according to the ETV Program's "Test/QA Plan for Mold-Resistant Building
Material Testing." Mold resistance testing was performed following the guidelines outlined in
ASTM 6329. ASTM 6329 provides a quantitative endpoint for growth in a well-controlled, static
chamber environment. The method has been successfully used to evaluate fungal resistance on a
variety of materials including ceiling tiles and HVAC duct materials.
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RTI International/EPA
September 2010
In overview, the Lonwood Natural flooring sheet was cut aseptically with a razor blade into a
number of small test pieces (at least 4 cm x 4 cm). The material was not autoclaved or sterilized
prior to inoculation. Therefore, in addition to the test organism inocula, any organisms naturally
on both the top and bottom surfaces of the material had the opportunity to grow if conditions
were favorable for growth. The test organisms were inoculated by pipette directly onto the
surface of each test material piece in sufficiently high numbers to provide an adequate challenge,
but at a level that is realistic to quantify. The tests ran for 12 weeks. During the 12 week test
period, data from four test dates, labeled Day 0, Week 1, Week 6, and Week 12, were evaluated.
Day 0 samples provided the baseline inoculum level. A sufficient number of test pieces were
inoculated simultaneously for all four test dates. All pieces for one material and one test
organism were put in the same static chamber. Because Lonseal is a flooring material, the
reference material chosen for comparison was wood.
Two test organisms, Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor were used. The static
chambers were set to 100% equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) for the tests with S. chartarum
and to 85% ERH for A. versicolor. On each test date (including Day 0), five replicates of the test
material pieces were removed from the chamber, each was placed separately in a container with
sterile buffer, and extracted by shaking. The resulting suspension of eluted organisms was plated
and microbial growth on materials was quantified by manually enumerating colony-forming
units (CPU).
The numbers of CPU eluted on test dates Weeks 1, 6, and 12 were compared to the baseline at
Day 0. The numbers of CPU were expressed as logio. The results are reported as the logio
change in CPUs between Day 0 and Week 1, Day 0 and Week 6, and Day 0 and Week 12. An
extra test date was included to enable the QA review. The review had been scheduled for week 6,
however scheduling difficulties made the review impossible on week 6 so additional samples
were processed on week 7 for the audit.
Additional measurements included VOC and aldehyde emissions; these were performed by RTI
following ASTM D5116-06.
VERIFICATION OF PERFORMANCE
The results for the Mold Resistance tests are presented in the Figures S-3 and S-4. Growth is
measured by sporulation and is defined as at least a 1 logio increase in culturable organism over
the baseline which was determined on Day 0.
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RTI International/EPA
September 2010
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Figure S-3 shows the log
change from the inocula on
Day 0 from A. versicolor and
Figure S-4 shows the log
change in the naturally
occurring fungi that were on
the surface of the material.
Neither the test material nor
the reference material
inoculated with A. versicolor
and incubated at 85% ERH
showed growth during the 12
weeks of the test. It was
important to check that none
of the changes made to the
test material to make it mold
resistant actually enhanced the ability of mold to grow over the reference material.
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Week
12
D Reference Material D Lonsea
Figure S-3. Log change in Aspergillus versicolor
inoculated on the test material over 12 weeks on
reference material and Lonseal.
It was not possible to accurately assess whether or not the test material was resistant to the
growth of S. char tar um. The
growth of a variety of fungal
species (naturally occurring on
the sample) masked any S.
chartarum growth on Lonseal
and on the reference material.
The quality assurance officer
reviewed the test results and
the quality control data and
concluded that the data quality
objectives given in the
approved test/QA plan were
attained.
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Figure S-4. Log change in naturally occurring fungi
over 12 weeks on reference material and Lonseal.
The emissions of VOCs and
formaldehyde test results are
presented in Table S-l.
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RTI International/EPA
September 2010
Table S-l. Test results for VOCs and formaldehyde emissions from Lonseal
VOCs and Formaldehyde Emissions*
Emission Types
Total VOCs
Formaldehyde
Individual VOCs
Minimum emission results
< 0.5 mg/m3
<0.1 ppm
<0.1 TLV
*Individual pollutants must produce an air concentration level no greater than 1/10 the threshold limit
value (TLV) industrial workplace standard (Reference: American Conference of Government Industrial
Hygienists, 6500 Glenway, Building D-7, Cincinnati, OH 45211-4438.
This verification statement discusses two aspects of Mold-Resistant Building Material Testing,
mold resistance and emissions of VOCs and formaldehyde. Users of this technology may wish to
consider other performance parameters such as fire resistance, service life, and cost when
selecting a building material. According to the test/QA plan, this verification statement is valid
for 3 years following the last signature added on the verification statement.
Details of the verification test design, measurement test procedures, and Quality
Assurance/Quality Control Procedures can be found in the Test Plan titled Test/QA Plan for
Mold-Resistant Building Material Testing (RTI 2008). Detailed results of the verification are
presented in the Final Report titled Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluation:
Mold-Resistant Lonseal Flooring - Lonseal, Inc., LonwoodNatural (NRMRL-RTP-460). Both
can be downloaded from the ETV Program website
(http ://www. epa. gov/etv/este.html#mrbmgw).
Original signed by
Sally Gutierrez
NRMRL Laboratory Director
Office of Research and Development
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Original signed by
Karin Foarde
Microbiology Department Director
Research Triangle Institute
NOTICE: ETV verifications are based on an evaluation of technology performance under specific, predetermined
criteria and the appropriate quality assurance procedures. EPA and RTI make no expressed or implied warranties as
to the performance of the technology and do not certify that a technology will always operate as verified. The end
user is solely responsible for complying with any and all applicable federal, state, and local requirements. Mention
of commercial product names does not imply endorsement.
EPA REVIEW NOTICE This report has been peer and administratively reviewed by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not
constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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