In March 2015, the chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that CPSC was opening an investigation into the safety of formaldehyde in Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring manufactured in China. The CPSC tested formaldehyde levels evaluated possible health effects from formaldehyde released into indoor air from this laminate flooring.
Breathing in very high levels of formaldehyde over many years has been linked to rare nose and throat cancers in workers.
The CDC was notified on February 13, of an error in its report released February 10, 2016, about the possible health effects from exposure to formaldehyde emitted from select laminate flooring samples. Health risks of people who have the laminate flooring are being revised to reflect greater exposure to formaldehyde, which could cause eye, nose, and throat irritation for anyone. The estimated risk of cancer associated with exposure to the flooring increased, according to the CDC
The CDC report now reads:
The CDC indoor air model used an incorrect value for ceiling height. As a result, the health risks were calculated using airborne concentration estimates about 3 times lower than they should have been. The original report found:
Exposure to the low end of the modeled levels of formaldehyde in indoor air could cause increased frequency of asthma symptoms and other respiratory issues for people with asthma and COPD;
Exposure to the higher-end levels could result in eye, nose, and throat irritation for anyone; and
Low risk of cancer (2-9 cases per 100,000 people).
After correcting the measurement in the model, CDC/ATSDR is revising the possible health effects. The final results are not yet available, but are estimated to be closer to these:
Exposure to the range of modeled levels of formaldehyde in indoor air could cause increased symptoms and other respiratory issues for people with asthma and COPD;
Exposure to the lowest modeled levels of formaldehyde could result in eye, nose, and throat irritation for anyone; and
The estimated risk of cancer is 6-30 cases per 100,000 people. Because of the very conservative (health protective) nature of the models used in this analysis, the calculated risk is likely lower than our modeled estimate.