Laminate Flooring And Asthma

Lumber liquidators reported to cdc atsdr that laminate flooring from china has not been sold in any lumber liquidators retail outlet since may 2015.

Laminate flooring and asthma.

Melamine and cyanuric acid can cause irreversible kidneys damage. If you do put in hard flooring keep in mind that all synthetic flooring initially releases gasses known as volatile organic compounds vocs that can worsen asthma. The trouble with both engineered wood and laminate is that many manufacturers use formaldehyde a common asthma trigger as the binder so it s essential to find the brands that don t use the. The hard surface of vinyl and laminate flooring may be easier to keep clean than carpeting but they present a different trigger to asthma and allergy sufferers that can t be washed away.

Consult a professional before taking any action to remove the flooring. You may want to look into low voc flooring if this is a. In most cases products stop releasing vocs after several days. Laminate and vinyl are alternative synthetic options.

Bamboo flooring similar in look to hardwood and wood laminate flooring is another natural choice for an asthma friendly floor. As they are synthetic products vs. When installing either linoleum or bamboo floors use low voc. Engineered timber for example is a laminate that is glued together and this glue may off gas vocs.

Laminate flooring is made from particle board and topped with a photograph of wood to give it a real wood look without the real wood price. Cali bamboo silverwood falls into this category which is cork with a laminate ceramic top as well as woodwise which has a pet plastic not vinyl engineered top layer. These types of synthetic floors are manufactured and treated with a variety of chemicals otherwise known as vocs volatile organic compound that can be. Man made flooring is more likely to emit vocs however some low voc options are available.

Lumber liquidators recall to test program involves only laminate flooring the company sourced from china and sold between february 2012 and may 2015 when the company stopped selling it. Laminate flooring is made using adhesives and that is why it releases formaldehyde gas which could be toxic to you kids and even pets. Read more about vocs here. Laminate and vinyl are alternative flooring options for those with asthma or allergies.

Note that removing flooring in particular new laminate flooring may increase formaldehyde release. Some flooring that has a cork core and laminate on top can sometimes be referred to as cork flooring even though it has a laminate or plastic top. Hardwood or cork which are natural they may tend to cause other issues especially with cheaper options.