Countertops have always been considered disposable items, and few of us have stopped to consider the effects of replacing a countertop on our environment. We at Ecocountertops give the homeowner the opportunity to have a beautiful new countertop using this revolutionary Countertop System to repair and reface existing countertops. This durable product is backed by a 5 year limited warranty.

Here are some of the toxic effects of disposing of an old countertop and manufacturing another one.

Danger 1. Your existing laminate working surface is adhered to a Medium Density Fiberboard, also know as MDF. MDF is made by mixing wood fibers with Urea Formaldehyde Resin. By the time it reaches your home, most of the toxic fumes have flashed off, but when MDF is sent to the landfill, the water breaks down the board and the Urea Formaldehyde Resin ends up polluting our groundwater. If your countertop has water damage, you should call an Ecocountertop technician to assess the damage and to see if it can be repaired. Formaldehyde is very toxic by inhalation, ingestion and through skin absorption. It is listed as a probable human carcinogen, mutagen and is very toxic by inhalation, ingestion and through skin absorption. It is very destructive of mucous membranes, upper respiratory tract, eyes and skin.

Danger 2. The laminate is adhered to the MDF with a solvent based adhesive. The manufacturer claims that it is a necessary tool to use with melamine covered boards, also known as countertops. They claim that the adhesive they are using now has less VOC's, (Volatile Organic Compounds) and HAP's, (Hazardous Air Pollutants) than those they used a few years ago. They have also added filtering systems to capture some of the emission, but many poisons still end up in the atmosphere.

Danger 3. The laminate sheet is made up of three layers. The bottom layer is a brown paper coated with phenolic resin, the second layer of paper has the decorative pattern on it, and the third layer is a clear protective sheet. The second and third layer are coated with melamine resin. Phenolic resin is readily absorbed through the skin, highly toxic by inhalation, and prolonged contact may lead to death. Melamine resin is similar in its hazardous rating to the other resins. The laminate manufacturer takes the waste resins, inks and paper and sends them to be used as substitute fuel to fire rotary kilns at cement plants, creating more HAP's..

GRANITE COUNTERTOPS. Granite and marble have been sold as eco-friendly but more and more people have been finding radiation levels, many times the accepted amount emitting from their stone countertops. This is because some granite is mined in areas that have uranium in the ground as well. There have recently been articles in the NY Times and from Seattle warning of this danger.

MELAMINE PAINT. Some companies have been refacing countertops with epoxy products, melamine paint or water borne epoxy products. These products use isocyanites to harden the epoxy. These products are extremely harmful and were responsible for the death of 20,000 people and the injury to another 120,000 when in 1984, the gas was released into the atmosphere in Bhopal, India. These and many other products will disappear in the coming years as more people and governments realize we need to change the way we live and do business.