Lumber Liquidators has agreed not to resume sales of laminate wood flooring imported from China and has also agreed to continue a testing program as part of a recall that affects consumers who have purchased this type of product from the company over the last three years.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the company made this announcement as part of ongoing testing initiatives to determine if the flooring is meeting formaldehyde emissions requirements for the state of California. A 60 Minutes report that aired in March 2015 alleged that some of the flooring the company was selling contained boards that did not meet California Air Resources Board standards for formaldehyde emissions.

On March 25, 2015, CPSC Chairman Elliott F. Kaye announced the agency had begun an investigation into the matter. The CPSC also requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to evaluate testing results for possible effects on humans resulting from formaldehyde emissions from these Chinese-made flooring products. This report found that exposure to formaldehyde in CPSC-tested laminate flooring sold at Lumber Liquidators could cause eye, nose and throat irritation and breathing problems.

“Irritation can happen in anyone, but it is more likely among children, older adults and people with respiratory issues such as asthma or other breathing problems,” the CPSC said. “Very high levels of formaldehyde in homes may also be associated with a small increase in cancer risk.”

The issue is of interest to the furniture industry because the same formaldehyde emissions standards apply to boards – including medium density fiberboard, particleboard and plywood used in residential wood furniture.

The CPSC said that it is not suggesting consumers pull up Chinese-made laminate flooring in their homes. The agency said that could expose them to increased formaldehyde levels. Instead it recommends that consumers contact Lumber Liquidators to participate in its testing program.

The CPSC said that roughly 614,000 consumers purchased Chinese-made laminate wood flooring from Lumber Liquidators from 2011 through May 2015. The company suspended the sale of this type product in May 2015 and announced it would not sell about 22 million board feet of this product. The CPSC said that any future sale, disposal or transfer of remaining inventory would require its approval.

Lumber Liquidators has tested the indoor air quality of some 17,000 households and retailed third-party certified labs to conduct formaldehyde emissions tests of 1,300 of those consumer’s floors. None of those floors have tested above the emissions standards, the CPSC said.

The company will continue its voluntary testing program inside consumers’ homes and has asked consumers that bought the Chinese-made laminate flooring from the company from February 2012 through May 2015 to request a testing kit. There is no cost for these kits.

For those consumers who have found elevated levels of formaldehyde in their homes, the company will contact them for more extensive testing. Based on these results, the company will work with consumers to reduce the emissions levels; if those efforts are unsuccessful, the company could replace and repair flooring in their homes.

(Source: Furniture Today  Author: Thomas Russell)