PVC flooring chemicals linked to asthma may be absorbed into children's bodies.

HealthDay (5/25, Preidt) reports, "Phthalates in PVC flooring materials can be absorbed by children's bodies, a new study shows." According to HealthDay, "these chemicals -- which are suspected to cause asthma, allergies and other chronic diseases in children -- can be ingested with food, by breathing and through the skin, according to the researchers at Karlstad University in Sweden." In a news release from the Swedish Research Council, study leader Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, a professor of public health at Karlstad University, said that "with this study as a basis, we can establish that there are other sources that should be taken into consideration in regard to the uptake of banned chemicals."