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Chinese Laminate Flooring Creates Formaldehyde Exposure Concerns across Texas

Indoor Environmental Consultants (IEC) provides formaldehyde testing and consulting services to help identify elevated levels of this known carcinogen.


Austin, TX – WEBWIRE

At IEC, our indoor air quality experts offer formaldehyde testing services across Texas and the Gulf States to identify homes and buildings that have high formaldehyde levels so that actions can be taken to ensure the health and wellbeing of all building occupants.

On March 1st, “60 Minutes” broadcast a report about Chinese-made laminate flooring that has been found to emit high levels of formaldehyde.  The show interviewed experts who had tested over 150 boxes of the laminate flooring bought at multiple locations across California from one of the largest flooring stores in the United States.  They found the products emitted an average of 6 to 7 times the state standard for the chemical.  Dr. Philip Landrigan of New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital said on the show that long-term exposure to formaldehyde at the levels which the Chinese-made floors allegedly contain could increase peoples’ risk of chronic respiratory irritation and asthma. 
 
In California, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) sets standards for the amount of formaldehyde emissions that can come from flooring and other materials.  The California Composite Wood Products Regulation requires finished goods made with hardwood plywood (HWPW), particleboard (PB) and medium density fiberboard (MDF) to comply with the regulatory requirements and to be labeled as such.  The laminate flooring tested in the report all showed that the flooring was CARB Phase 2 Compliant on their boxes. 
 
The investigative reporters then purchased 31 boxes of the laminate flooring materials from stores in Texas, Virginia, Florida, Illinois and New York.  The samples were sent to two separate laboratories and all but one failed compliance with California’s regulations.  Some samples were reportedly over 13 times the limit.
 
“We have been receiving inquiries from concerned homeowners and businesses who watched the program and are now concerned that they may be exposed to high levels of formaldehyde in their homes, schools and businesses,” said Hollis L. Horner, President of Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc.  “People have a right to be concerned, especially parents with young children who spend a great deal of their time on the floor and could be exposed to high concentrations of the chemical.  Health effects due to exposure may include eye, nose and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; and severe allergic reactions including the triggering of asthma attacks in asthmatics.  At IEC, our indoor air quality experts offer formaldehyde testing services across Texas and the Gulf States to identify homes and buildings that have high formaldehyde levels so that actions can be taken to ensure the health and wellbeing of all building occupants.”
 
To learn more about IEC’s formaldehyde and other indoor environmental quality testing and consulting services, please visit www.iecinc.net, email ncancino@iecinc.net or call (877) 432-8378.

 
About Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc.
IEC began operations in 2001 with some of the nation’s most seasoned professional indoor air quality consultants who already had over 70 years of combined experience.  The indoor environmental quality firm specializes in field investigations and assessments of commercial, institutional and residential buildings.  Their services, related to fungal (mold), chemical, bacterial, asbestos and particulate pollutants, are offered throughout Texas, the Gulf Coast and the Southwest. IEC is licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services as a mold assessment company (ACO0114) and an asbestos consultant agency (100329).


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 Texas
 Formaldehyde
 Laminate Flooring
 Air Testing
 IAQ


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