CDC Miscalculated Risk to Human Health from LL Toxic Laminate

“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 CDC said in a revised statement. The CDC explained that the difference between the two estimates was due to the fact that officials had used a wrong value in the first estimate when they calculated ceiling height.

The regulator said: “As a result, the health risks were calculated using airborne concentration estimates about 3 times lower than they should have been”.

That makes for an estimated 6-30 cases per 100,000 people, although the CDC said its model might overpredict a bit because of its “protective nature”.

The agency said that its recommendations will likely stay the same – that people take steps to reduce exposure.

The news has shaken up investors, sending Lumber Liquidators stock down 17 percent to $11.83 in pre-market trading.

Lumber Liquidators’ shares and sales have been hammered since “60 Minutes” reported that the retailer’s laminates from China contained excessive levels of formaldehyde. This means the flooring poses three times the risk of cancer.

CBS’s (CBS.N) “60 Minutes” program, which broke the Lumber Liquidators story last March, highlighted the revised report on Sunday, saying it had been alerted to the possibility that the CDC scientists had made an error in the initial report.

Lumber Liquidators said in a statement Monday that it has strengthened its “quality assurance procedures”, such as testing sample products.

Other measures included keeping room temperatures as low as comfortable, not smoking, since tobacco smoke contains formaldehyde, and being careful not to introduce additional sources of the chemical into the environment.

(Lumber Liquidators) pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday (Oct. 22, 2015) to environmental crimes and ordered to pay $13.15 million in fines, announced the Department of Justice.