Local mom fears her new laminate flooring may be toxic

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – A local mom wants the laminate flooring she bought at Lumber Liquidators tested after a troubling 60 Minutes report.

The investigation found the company is selling flooring made in China that may fail to meet health and safety standards.

Katie O’Leary and her husband bought their home in January.  In that short amount of time, they’ve made several renovations including installing new laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators.

“We put the flooring in my son’s room and in our bedroom,” said O’Leary.

She’s worried her three children who are playing and living on those floors aren’t safe, so she called the company to find out if they were at risk. Turns out, her flooring was one of the brands made in China that may have higher levels of formaldehyde.

The EPA says formaldehyde can cause respiratory issues and cancer.

“When I asked to see if I could see the report or they could send me something on when they tested it,they weren’t able to send me anything which makes it more frustrating,” said O’Leary.

The show 60 Minutes bought 31 boxes of Chinese made laminates from Lumber Liquidators stores around the country.

All but one failed to meet California formaldehyde emissions standards.

In a letter, Florida Senator Bill Nelson is asking the government to investigate saying that California standards will soon be the federal standard. He also says the laminate flooring issue bears a striking resemblance to defective Chinese drywall issues that plagued the state. O’Leary says she’ll pay to have her flooring tested, no matter the cost.

“I don’t want to rip it up. I just want to take it somewhere or have somebody test it, just for our piece of mind and then I can know everything’s good for them our floor and my own health,” said O’Leary.

Lumber Liquidators stands behind its product, saying in a statement: “…We are committed to safety and will continue to deliver the best quality product at the best price to our customers.”

To learn more about Lumber Liquidators’ response to the questions raised regarding the safety of its floors, click here. You can also contact the company by calling 800-366-4204.

If you’re still worried about your laminate flooring, an expert with the California Air Resources Board says it’s best for consumers to call an environmental engineer to get floors tested.