Stone wool: harm to health. Stone wool: characteristics

At the moment, doctors are alarmed about construction projects in cities, where they use building materials, which sometimes seriously worsen the health of citizens. Among them are asbestos, which has been banned in European countries for a long time. The next terrible material is stone wool, the harm to health that it can inflict, amazes. In the EU countries, its use is significantly limited, and replaced with more environmentally friendly insulation.

Substances that affect health

In the CIS countries, the most common material is mineral wool, it is insulated with walls, ceilings, floors, mansards and loggias. The thing is that fiber itself absorbs the surrounding moisture very much. And to fix this, phenol-formaldehyde resins are used , which impregnate the material to bind it, as well as to repel water. Thanks to these additives, stone wool harms health.

The appearance of facades, which is especially dangerous

But in the cities are very popular ventilated facades, which perfectly insulate the room in winter, and in the summer it is cool. According to the technology, a gap is left between the walls and rock wool so that air can pass through, and moisture evaporates. Because of this, the small particles of dust fly off from the insulation, which penetrate through the windows, doors, ventilation. Often, staying in such a room can cause various lung diseases and even cancer. In addition, rock wool particles can cause eye, mucous and even skin irritation.

Heat insulation stone wool harms your health with your own microparticles, which are needles that get into the lungs when breathing. However, when the exhalation occurs, they are not blown out, but remain inside. Collecting inside the body, they destroy it, which leads to terrible diseases.

Illusion of the purity of the material

When stone wool has just appeared and started to be used for warming buildings, everyone thought that it was an environmentally friendly material that had very good sound insulation qualities, as well as heat-insulating materials. However, after conducting research in 2002, the scientists were shocked. Stone wool harm to health is huge, it was made public, and now scientists are thinking how to limit the amount of this material in order to conserve the health of citizens.

The consequences of improper insulation with rock wool

Different kinds of phenols, dust and dirt cause a devastating blow to the health of people. The body kills useful microorganisms, resulting in a violation of biocenosis, which leads to the formation of various inflammations. As a consequence, about 20% of families remain infertile, 10 to 15% of women have premature births, the number of malformations in newborns is growing rapidly. And all these horrifying figures are increasing rapidly from year to year.

What is the insulation

Now there is a huge number of enterprises that produce stone wool, the price of their products is also diverse, it all depends on how much resin it contains. Soft roll material costs from 400 rubles. But hard mats can rise to 1500 rubles. And even higher. Basalt cotton wool itself is made of rocks. Therefore, it can not burn. But what holds its fibers together is the resin that burns. In their composition, formaldehydes and phenols, the destruction of which due to drafts, precipitation and temperature differences affects the health of the population. And the fiber itself from the same destructive factors becomes very shallow and sharp dust, clogging the lungs.

Types of stiffness of stone wool

The producers of stone wool, the price of which is high, the most rigid. Because of this, it is used where the heater will also have a mechanical load. In general, there are three types of stone wool: soft and stiffer, which are sold in rolls, as well as mats. They are the most durable. They carry out the most common insulation - facade. It allows the material to pass air and drain condensate. Therefore, the insulation remains dry and warms the building better. Its softer types are designed for the insulation of chimneys and pipelines.

Varieties of stone wool

In our country, Rockwool rock wool, which is one of the leaders on the market, was widely spread. Their products are represented by a wide range of products in different types. Stone wool can also be fixed on a material that enhances its various qualities. There is a coating of fiberglass and foil, this material is more expensive, it costs about 1000 to 3000 rubles. The first option is preferable to use where you need to eliminate noise. For example, in places with running units. The foil coating can contain huge temperatures. Such insulation is used near heating furnaces and similar units, whose temperature can lead to a fire.

Leading companies that produce mineral wool

Due to its quality universal products rock wool Rockwool has become so widespread. There are many more companies that also supply their heaters to the CIS countries. Among them the most famous and popular:

• "Technonikol".
• Turkart.
• Nobasil.
• PAROC.

These companies are preferred by the builders of Russia. All these companies have an extensive range, where one type of insulation can be better than another, and vice versa. Among the manufacturers of competition, so do not take everything in one organization. It is better to study building forums where people share their experiences. After all, stone wool is always chosen , the reviews about which are the most positive for a certain type of work. Now the insulation of buildings in their scale and performance is so diverse that the material should be chosen for a specific narrowly focused work.

Another popular among the masters of stone wool is "Technonikol". It is used by both professionals and home craftsmen. There is also a wide range of not only stone, but also glass wool, and other materials for insulation. Their products can be found both in construction shops and in the online store. However, it is worthwhile always remembering what harm this material can cause to health, therefore, it is always necessary to install it correctly so that dust and fumes can not escape. This applies to any insulation materials, regardless, it will be stone wool "Technonikol" or another.

How to check the quality of a mineral wool insulation

Even despite the manufacturer, no matter how good it is, products should always be checked in order to protect themselves. To minimize the damage to health from the use of stone wool, it is worth paying attention to some of its features.

The first thing that needs to be done is to see if the trash warms up from the insulation. If even the smallest particles have fallen, do not buy it. Just picking up the material, you need to pat on its surface - and immediately everything will be visible. Good stone wool is made from long fibers, so they all hold well. In poor-quality material, waste is also used. They are much smaller, so there is a debris. Plates made of stone wool are especially easy to check. It is necessary to test such insulation, because it is made of facades, where there is a gap between the wall and rock wool, which can not be completely hidden.

The second danger is evaporation, they can be released in places where the heater is exposed to maximum heat. You need to choose the material with the least amount of pitches. In addition, it is necessary to check the quality and resistance to temperatures. The seller needs to request the documents, where it is prescribed, from where the stone wool is delivered, the insulation of which is planned to be carried out. There should be temperature in degrees, which is able to withstand the material, as well as its warranty period. Only by studying the nuances, you can find out whether a particular type of stone wool is suitable for achieving the goal. General recommendations on the use of this material can not be, because it is highly specialized, as well as the tasks that are put before it.

Precautions for work

This is a complete description of such a controversial material as mineral or stone wool, its characteristics are quite high, but in inept hands it is capable of destroying human health. It should also be said that it is very neat to transport it and to monitor the safety of the package. Accurate treatment and competent installation of stone wool will make it possible to live in a warm house safely and comfortably.