Lumber Liquidators Laminate Flooring Worse Than Previously Thought

http://fortune.com/2016/03/23/lumber-liquidators-laminate-increased-risk/


http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/laminateflooring/docs/laminate-flooring-report-3-22-2016_508.pdf


The levels of formaldehyde in some of the flooring could cause irritation and breathing problems as well as a higher lifetime cancer risk for anyone who is exposed, not just sensitive groups, according to a revised report by the National Center for Environmental Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.


The report previously said that the laminate wood could cause issues for only higher-risk groups, but after re-looking at the data, the report found that the effects of formaldehyde in the product are actually worse than thought. The CDC revised the lifetime cancer risk associated with living full-time with the flooring from two to nine extra cases for every 100,000 people to now between six and 30 additional cancer cases per 100,000 people.


http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/lumber-liquidators-pays-2-5m-over-carcinogen-flooring-n544041


In this case, Lumber Liquidators faced allegations that the imported flooring contained high levels of the carcinogen formaldehyde that violated California's air-quality controls. The flooring was sold at Lumber Liquidators' California stores from September 2013 until May 2015 when the retailer suspended sales of the products made in China.


Lumber Liquidators currently operates 40 of its 375 stores in California.


Last year, Lumber Liquidators paid $13.2 million in fines and pleaded guilty to environmental crimes for importing China-made flooring that contained timber illegally logged in eastern Russia.
Lumber Liquidators still faces a variety of class-action lawsuits revolving around the formaldehyde levels of the China-made flooring.


Shares of Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. have plunged more than 70 percent since the TV program aired, a downturn that has wiped out more than $1 billion in stockholder wealth. The shares rallied Tuesday, gaining $1.74 to $13.76 in afternoon trading.