Please help me to make a decision, I'm driving myself mad! I recently ordered some LTV (similar to Karndean) and paid a deposit. Since then, I've spent many hours reading about the potential health concerns around LVT, and I'm worried that exposure to VOCs, PVC and plasticisers now could have an impact on my kids' health in the future, as so much is still unknown about the affect of plastics and the newer phthalate-free plasticers on human health. I'm considering cancelling the order (and probably losing the deposit) to buy Marmoleum (a type of linoleum) instead, as it's made of natural materials and there are no health worries. But I don't like the look of it as much, my husband will not be happy with me for wasting the deposit money. Throwing away thousands of pounds is a big decision. But my kids' health is so important. My husband thinks that there are lots of 'unhealthy' things all around us, so it's pointless worrying about a plastic floor. He also thinks that if you can buy something, then it's safe, but I know it's really not as simple as that, and it can take years for dangers to come to light - especially with chemicals in plastics. It's hard to know how much of a risk there really is. There is a lot of advice online to avoid PVC where possible.
(Side note: because my doors are installed to be flush with the floor for LVT, I can't have tiles or wood/laminate, as they would be too thick, and I also have underfloor heating to consider, so linoleum seems to be the only alternative as it's a few mm thick like LVT.)
So my choice is waste a lot of money, seriously piss-off my husband and the flooring shop, and have a floor I like less but feel is healthier, or go with a floor I like the looks of more and don't lose the money, but will potentially cause worry about my kids' health. I need to make a decision asap and I'm driving myself nuts going round in circles unable to figure out what to do. Any thoughts gratefully appreciated.