The yurt my cousin lives in is completely organic, there is very little if any plastic in it. In fact the insulation between the walls is used denim jeans. All the paint is non-toxic, that kind of stuff.

Which brand of yurt is it?

From my visits to the dome headquarters and research the only thing that could possibly offgas is the polyurethane insulation which is buried beneath 2-3" of the concrete. The concrete is on the inside of the the dome: then the polyurethane insulation: then the outside "bubble" shell made of PVC. Not sure how much offgassing polyurethane experiences.

Standard Disclaimer

Man, I have no idea. I will send her an email. She goes into town fairly often and checks email at the library or a friends house when they do laundry, baths/showers.

In all the yurts I've stayed in, I've not noticed any sort of offgassing. The canvas is impregnated, and the panel windows are poly (which could be done with glass windows if the strucutre was going to be more permanent). I believe there are far less volatiles coming off the Yurt than my wood built home (carpeting, varnish, tile sealant, window sealant, paint, and various cleaning agents are all volatilistic and common in most stick built homes these days).

My canvas wall tent was always chemically smelly, even after repeated uses and washdowns. It was flame resistant and waterproof, so I guess you make compromises.

Also camped in the yurts on the Oregon coast here. They provide a small space heater, table and chairs, overhead light, bunk bed, and futon. Even at the coast with the fog rolling in and the wind blowing that little space heater kept the place a LOT warmer than outside. It wasn't exactly a sauna, but it was comfortable. Definitely worth the experience for anyone interested.

Glad to know someone else has enjoyed those yurts here besides me. I recall one spring we were staying at Beverly Beach in a Yurt and as I was tending fire one night and the girls were entertaining themselves I heard the strangest noise moving towards us in the woods. It sounded like something big was rushing through the trees. Suddenly, as the noise overtook us, the night opened up with pellets of ice so thick it was like a bucket was dumped on my head. We quickly ran into the Yurt, covered with hail, and watched as it literally smothered my fire out and turned the entire campground into a sheet of gray. It made a racket on the roof of the Yurt, and I would be concerned what it might've done to a tent out there. I've never seen hail come down so heavy, despite it being relatively small (polystyrene bead size in this case).

We had so many different adventures along the Oregon coast with the kids when they were growing up. How I long to return there someday and show my grandchildren similar adventures, assuming it lasts that long.