We’ve got an important update on
our blog post about Lumber Liquidators. Last month, the CDC released a report (then updated it several weeks later when it was determined that they goofed on their math) detailing the risks of the formaldehyde emitted by Chinese-made laminate flooring mislabelled and illegally sold by Lumber Liquidators.
The CDC’s report puts the risk of cancer caused by the flooring at six to 30 cases per 100,000 people exposed and recommends that the customers who have the flooring take steps to reduce exposure to the substance. Other effects of the toxin in the home are increased respiratory and asthma symptoms. While we knew the flooring was toxic and dangerous to buyers’ health after last years’ 60 Minutes segment, the report puts concrete figures on the risk.
Lumber Liquidators is no longer selling the flooring and says on their website that they’ve “formalized our expectations regarding supplier labor and health and safety policies.” In addition, they are providing indoor air quality testing to qualified customers and say they “will conduct an in-depth evaluation of air quality and potential formaldehyde sources for any customer whose results are inconclusive or above established thresholds. “
Even though testing the air quality is not the same as actually testing for formaldehyde in the flooring, it is one way to determine what toxins and at what level are in your home, so we highly recommend starting there. While you’re waiting to hear the results, what should you do? Ventilating with open windows and fans, staying out of the room where the flooring is, and keeping humidity levels low are important steps. Toxin levels will go down over time, and the more ventilation, the faster that off-gassing will occur. While we can’t say exactly when, according to many experts the risk should be much lower after 1 to 2 years.
If it turns out that formaldehyde is off-gassing into the room, you may want to consider replacing the flooring, especially if it’s a room you need to use often or if you have small children. Lumber Liquidators isn’t saying exactly what they’ll do once their evaluation finds formaldehyde fumes in a customer’s home.
The fallout for Lumber Liquidators has been devastating. The release of the CDC report pushed their stock price even lower (it’s down nearly 80% over the past year), sales have fallen, and the company faces a number of lawsuits.
At WWYW we hope that other home furnishing companies have learned several valuable lessons from Lumber Liquidators mistakes: that they need to be proactive in their sourcing and that saving money in the short term isn’t worth the long term costs. Most important lesson? That consumers care about what goes into their home.
