What is the foam?
The foam is a special synthetic material consisting of a cellular polymer mass, the void which fills with gas. Due to this, the foam sheets are very light, as they have a low density and is able to keep heat well. The foam is very common as a heater not only because of its wonderful insulating properties, this material does not deform, has high durability, soundproof, easy to use, does not absorb moisture unlike many other heaters, and most importantly, it's very cheap. There are only three significant drawbacks which make you think about using it: it's Flammability, toxicity and susceptibility to damage by rodents.
Although some manufacturers produce plates with fire-resistant material, as a result, the insulation does not support combustion.
House warming from the inside
In some cases, the outer insulation of the house is impossible, it is therefore necessary to use insulating materials inside the premises. This is a more complicated task, since the wall itself begins to freeze, and the dew point is transferred to its inner surface. Therefore, the required insulation with a high vapour resistance and absorption, no joints – as a result of discarded options such as mineral wool, liquid ceramic, thermal insulation plaster, and the remaining foam or other similar materials – polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam.
Specialists recommend a home insulation from the inside only in the most extreme cases, when really there is no way exterior, as the quality of the insulation is reduced.
The dangers of foam
When burning Styrofoam harmful for the human body substances that can cause death from poisoning. Inhabitants of houses insulated with foam in case of fire, at risk to die from suffocation. Also when leaking insulation from the inside because of the displacement of the dew point on material is mildew, which is also injurious to health. Failure to comply with health conditions in the insulation could become infested with rodents, that worsens the sanitary conditions in the house.
Official data on the dangers of Styrofoam for health: this material is used even for food packaging. Manufacturers claim that over decades of use, there was not a single case of illness associated with living in a house insulated with foam, or operation of this heater. But the rumors about the dangers of this material continue to spread, opponents of the foam say that it gradually releases a number of substances that threaten human health: styrene, carbon monoxide, ammonia, phenol, benzene. On the one hand, on the construction materials market you can really find the products of unscrupulous manufacturers that can threaten the health of people, but on the other hand, the data about the dangers of modern high-quality, made according to all standards of foam does not exist. Perhaps information about its toxicity spread firms manufacturing other insulation.