Formaldehyde in Flooring


Lumber Liquidators Pulls Products Because of Formaldehyde in Flooring

On Thursday, one of the largest hardwood flooring retailers in the country, Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc., announced that they had suspending sales of its Chinese-made CARB 2 laminate flooring, because a number of investigations and tests have shown that the flooring potentially contains high levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde; levels that exceed safety standards set by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and even the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to a press release issued yesterday, while the company stopped short of issuing a full voluntary recall, they directed every one of their 356 stores to stop selling the Chinese-made laminate flooring. In addition, they have retained a consulting group to help them initiate a review of their certification and labeling processes.

They also announced that they will continue to provide free air quality testing kits to any of their customers who can prove they purchased the flooring at their stores, a program that was initiated after a 60 Minutes report about the danger of the flooring in March, and several federal investigations of the company in the wake of that report. People whose test kits reveal that the air quality in their homes exceeds safety standards are then asked to fill out a validation survey, to make sure they used the kits as directed. Once confirmed, the company promises to take additional steps, including additional testing.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is currently in the process of investigating the Chinese-made products, and they may issue a recall of their own, although it may take some time.

It’s a good first step on the part of Lumber Liquidators to stop selling this flooring, although it’s a bit troubling that it took them months to take even this moderate step. If you believe you have any of this flooring in your home, take this issue seriously and order a home testing kit and make sure your home is safe.

If you or a loved one has been made sick, and you believe exposure to a defective or unsafe product such as this is the reason, please contact the experienced and knowledgeable Texas Defective Product Lawyer at Hill Law Firm as soon as possible, so that we can get to the bottom of it and make large companies like these take responsibility and protect your rights.

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