Laminate Flooring Health Risks

Many people didn t know that formaldehyde was in laminate flooring until 60 minutes reported on laminate flooring from lumber liquidators.

Laminate flooring health risks.

Laminate flooring products are made using a plasticized picture or image of wood glued to fiberboard and as such cannot be sanded and refinished. The world health organization s international agency for. Recently laminate flooring has been in the spotlight for emitting significant levels of formaldehyde which is in the glues used to bond together the layers of pressed wood laminate and the adhesives used for installation. The laminate flooring emitted formaldehyde levels that were several times higher than california regulations allow.

Studies of workers who breathe in very high levels of formaldehyde over many years have shown a link to rare cancers. Although consumers force the industry toward more safe options still the following toxins are used to manufacture laminate flooring. Formaldehyde melamine cyanuric acid isocyanates and aluminium oxide. Level of formaldehyde in a home or increase cancer risk to adults.

In many cases the health risks associated with wood flooring are caused by other products used in the installation process such as adhesives or moisture barriers. This increased laminate wood flooring health concerns among consumers. Installing wood flooring in your home may increase it s value and add beauty. How do i know if the wood products i m buying are safe.

Under the epa rule the flooring that was the subject of the 60 minutes story must be made with composite wood cores or platforms that are certified as compliant with the formaldehyde emission standards. Choosing non toxic flooring for your home might sound like a simple task but unfortunately many of the flooring options available contain harmful chemicals. Toxic chemicals in flooring can be a significant source of indoor air pollution. Air pollution is now the world s largest single environmental health risk according to estimates.

Will epa s rule address laminate flooring featured in the 60 minutes story. Health risks from formaldehyde in some laminate wood flooring are 3 times higher than initially reported. However some types of natural or engineered wood flooring come with extra health hazards. Formaldehyde exposure from the tested laminate flooring would be much lower and would last for less time than the exposures linked to those cancers.

Consumer product safety commission cpsc tested formaldehyde levels released from specific types of laminate flooring made in china between 2012 and 2014 and sold at lumber liquidators stores in the united states. Cpsc tested the same type of flooring that had some of the. Laminate flooring is toxic because the wood bonding adhesive and top layer contain and emit chemicals which are harmful to our health.