There is always a catch – and it might just be a deadly one.
In March of this year a sensational story was aired on the television program “60 Minutes”. In this program, Anderson Cooper presented an exposé which focused on the well-known retail giant Lumber Liquidators which, on the basis of their own testing, claimed to have uncovered potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde in some of their Chinese-made products. Singled out for critique were their various laminated wood flooring products, in which the program reported finding “startling” levels of the carcinogenic chemical. The levels in question were said to have been high enough to violate the standards of the California Air Resources Board in a grand total of 30 out of 31 total samples tested.
Formaldehyde is found within the glue which is used to hold the various layers of these cheap, laminated flooring products together. This naturally occurring chemical is classified as a human carcinogen, (meaning something that can cause cancer), by both the United States’ National Toxicology Program as well as the IARC of Europe. The risk factor is not so much from physical contact with the disputed flooring products, but rather due to the inhalation of formaldehyde vapors which will naturally seep out of the laminate planks. This is doubly dangerous because some people can’t smell this colorless gas even when it is present in hazardous amounts.
These products are far from the high quality green commercial flooring and commercial wood flooring types of products our customers have come to expect from us. One of our suppliers, Nydree Flooring, had this to say about the growing formaldehyde scandal:
“Many of you may have seen the 60 Minutes segment on Lumber Liquidators last night. The issue at hand was formaldehyde emissions and Lumber Liquidator’s failure to validate the CARB 2 compliance they allegedly specified with their Chinese mill. All Nydree products are CARB 2 compliant as stated on our product spec sheet … and independently verified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). Our lamination glue is formaldehyde free. All of this is validated by our FloorScore Certification we work hard to maintain each year.”
The same sentiment echoes throughout all the products we offer. We are steadfastly devoted to our commitment to provide our clients with nothing but the highest quality green and sustainable products available on the market today. Nowhere in our catalogs will you find any type of product meant for commercial floors that will have the same type of hazardous chemicals, like formaldehyde, inside it in the way that the inferior laminate planks sold by Lumber Liquidators do.
Don’t believe us? We can prove it! On our site right now you can find Health Product Declarations for all of our green commercial flooring options and other products, such as commercial wall coverings, luxury vinyl tile and luxury vinyl planks. These HPD’s will contain all relevant information about any ingredients within a product – and what risk, if any, they might pose to human health. We put this information right where our clients can find it because we are proud of the quality of what we sell!
Green. Sustainable. Safe. We will not offer our clients anything else.
If you would like to learn more about the ingredients and safety of the green commercial flooring or other types of products we sell, and can’t find your answers in the available HPD’s, feel free to give us a call at 617-513-6339 today!
Citations
Forbes: ’60 Minutes’ Is Right To Raise Questions About Lumber Liquidators’ Toxic Floors
CBS News: Lumber Liquidators linked to health and safety violations
CBS News: Lumber Liquidators customers don’t know what to believe