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There are a number of factors to consider when choosing an infrared
sauna, and one of those is the materials with which the infrared
sauna is constructed. Many people are looking for an infrared sauna
for the health benefits and to detoxify the body. Many of the toxins
that enter our bodies are from the air we breath. Both inside our
homes and outside in the city, we are exposed to a multitude of
chemicals used in manufacturing and construction, not to mention
the exhaust from our cars. It is important to understand what's
used inside of infrared saunas, because at high temperatures certain
materials can release chemicals into the air, which is called "off
gassing".
CARBON BASED INFRARED SAUNA HEATERS
As we discussed on our Infrared Heaters page, carbon heaters are
in fact typically composed mostly of fiberglass and epoxy resins
with a thin layer of carbon sandwiched in between. Most of the companies
that sell these types of heaters neglect to mention this in their
marketing. According to advertising, these types of heaters are
typically composed of the following elements:
Fiberglass Cloth: SiO2, PbO, Al203+Fe203/15%,
CaO+MgO/21%, NaO+K20/1%, B203+BaO/10%
Carbon Black: C, SiO2, PbO, Fe203+Al203, Cao,
MgO, ZnO, Other Chemicals
VENEERS AND PLYWOOD'S
A tremendous amount of infrared saunas on the market are made with
plywood's and veneers in the construction of the sauna. These types
of wood are made using formaldehyde and other chemicals that can
potentially off gas when heated up inside the infrared sauna. In
fact, most all materials will off-gas when heated up. A good experiment
to try at home is to place various household materials inside glass
jars and seal the lid. Place the jars outside in the sun for 2-4
hours and then open the lid and smell the air that comes out of
the jar. What you experience is the off-gassing of the material
when exposed to heat. This same process occurs inside of an infrared
sauna, where materials are exposed to a large amount of heat and
higher temperatures.
PESTICIDES
Effective in January, 2007, the USDA requires that all wood products
being manufactured in China must meet or exceed certain specifications
for exportation. Among these, it states, that any exposed wood being
exported must have it's shipping container fumigated with a variety
of pesticides. There are ways to avoid this toxic shower. However,
many exporters do not find this cost effective and are therefore
susceptible to these new requirements. If you have any questions
about the practice of the company you are researching, always request
a copy of the import documents. These are readily
available, and anyone who is operating a legitimate business will
be happy to provide you with these.
GLUES
This is really a non issue with today's infrared sauna construction
as most all companies use non toxic glues in the construction of
the saunas. It is worth mentioning, however, that some infrared
sauna companies will try to use this as a scare tactic by claiming
that other infrared sauna companies perhaps use toxic glues as opposed
to their own methods of using water based, non-toxic glues.
FLOCKED HEATER GUARDS (VELVET COATING)
Many of the import clone saunas as well as some North American
made saunas use a red or black velvet coating on the heater guard
to protect you from touching the hot metal surface. To withstand
these hot temperatures, the velvet flocking contains chemicals in
the material that prevent it from burning. In our experience in
using infrared saunas with this flocking, there is a faint smell
that off-gasses from these heater guards when you put your nose
close to the velvet area inside the infrared sauna. It is unknown
what exactly is used in this chemical process to prevent the velvet
from catching on fire.
WHAT'S NEXT?
In addition to safety considerations, there are also other factors
about electrical wiring that are critical to understanding what
you're getting yourself into, depending on the infrared sauna that
you purchase.
PLEASE NOTE: The information in
this infrared sauna guide is free to print and distribute as long
as it is not modified in any way. Any publishing of this information
on the Internet does require a link placed back to this site.
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