While searching for something else, I just happened to find a new report, released on 22 March 2016, called POSSIBLE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS FROM EXPOSURE TO FORMALDEHYDE EMITTED FROM LAMINATE FLOORING SAMPLES TESTED BY THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

You can read the full report. Prompted by last years expose by 60 Minutes of formaldehyde emissions from laminate flooring made in China, sold at Lumber Liquidators, the CPSC did their own study on laminate flooring and evaluated the health effects from this particular exposure to formaldehyde.

Here are the results.

NOTE: Because of the small number of laminate flooring samples tested, these conclusions do not represent the range of all possible formaldehyde concentrations and should not be generalized to all laminate flooring manufactured during the period of concern.

As a result of this evaluation, NCEH/ATSDR has come to the following conclusions:

Health effects from estimated formaldehyde exposures

Non-cancer effects

Floorboard contributions

• The amount of formaldehyde released could cause health symptoms in residents. Those symptoms include an increase in breathing problems and short-term eye, nose, or throat irritation. These symptoms are more likely to occur at lower concentrations for people with pre-existing health conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• The higher the emissions the more likely people are to experience health effects, regardless of their age or pre-existing health conditions.
• Flooring in small chamber tests had lower emission rates than flooring in large chamber tests. Across all testing, the NCEH/ATSDR model results show that in 95% of the samples, the amount of formaldehyde released by new laminate flooring alone could range from at or below 185 micrograms of formaldehyde per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) to at or below 930 µg/m3.

Floorboard contributions plus typical indoor levels

• Formaldehyde is a common indoor air pollutant found in almost every home in the United States. It comes from manufactured wood products, permanent press fabrics, and other common household products. The typical amount of formaldehyde in indoor air ranges from a few µg/m3 to 240 µg/m3, with an average less than 50 µg/m3. This range
  includes lower levels in older, less energy efficient homes, and higher concentrations in newer or newly renovated homes (ATSDR 1999; ATSDR 2010).
• NCEH/ATSDR added the estimated amount of formaldehyde released by new laminate flooring to typical home indoor air levels.
• Our calculations show that if homes already contain new materials or products that release formaldehyde, the new floorboards could add a large amount of additional formaldehyde to what is already in the air from other sources. This additional amount of formaldehyde increases the risk for breathing problems as well as short-term eye, nose, and throat irritation for everyone.

Cancer effects

We estimated the risk of cancer from the CPSC-tested flooring based on conservatively high exposure assumptions:

• Installing flooring with the highest formaldehyde levels, and
• Breathing in formaldehyde at those levels in the house all day long for two years.

Using these assumptions, we estimated the lifetime risk of cancer to be between 6 and 30 extra cases for every 100,000 people. Formaldehyde levels are higher when products are new and get lower over time. Several studies have shown that indoor air concentrations of formaldehyde from new building products usually decrease over time, particularly during the first two years. Even though levels reduce over time, we calculated lifetime risk very conservatively and in a manner that is most protective of health, assuming a constant 24-hour, 7-day a week exposure to the measured floorboard emissions for the entire 2-year off-gassing period. If we instead assume a constant formaldehyde decay rate over the same 2-year period, these cancer risks would be reduced by half. If formaldehyde concentrations are assumed to remain elevated after a two-year period, the cancer risks would be proportionally increased.

To put those numbers in perspective, the American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer.org) estimates that the lifetime cancer risk for people living in the United States is one in two men (50,000 per 100,000 people) and one in three women who may develop cancer from all causes (33,333 per 100,000 people).

Quality of life

People can generally smell formaldehyde before being adversely affected by it. Formaldehyde released from laminate flooring at levels that individuals can smell may affect their quality of life. Exposure to the estimated formaldehyde levels discussed in this report may cause sensory irritation, nausea, stress, and headaches.

Now this applies only to the actual laminate flooring tested, but it may apply to other laminate flooring.

We need to be careful to not extrapolate that just because this batch of flooring tested has these results that all other laminate flooring would have similar results.

I have been recommending against laminate flooring since Pergo came out years ago. I called them and without hesitation they told me that their flooring emits formaldehyde and they sent me the emissions tests.

I would like to see ALL laminate flooring be tested and provide the test results to consumers considering their products.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

Hi Debra,

Do you know anything about the company called Retro Foam. They are advertised as being toxic free for brick homes in many areas.

Debra’s Answer

I didn’t find much information on the main company website, but there is a lot more at one of their dealer websites: http://mwretrofoam.com/faq

They say the foam is “a tri-polymer, water-based, plastic foam; it contains a resin, foaming agent (catalyst) and pressurized air (200psi). The three components remain separate until the time of injection. The actual foam is mixed in the 10’ vinyl hose we use for installations.” aminoplast acid based air

So this tells me nothing. I called the main office and they told me the foam is three parts: aminoplast plastic, acidt-based resin and air. Combined they make foam.

I looked up “aminoplast.” but there isn’t much information.

An search for aminoplast MSDS resulted in an MSDS that says the synonym is “aminoplast polymer” and the chemical name is “urea-formaldehyde polymer.”

Yet Retro Foam’s MSDS is very different (see below).

I’m hesitant to say anything about this one way or the other. The company says it’s not hazardous, but I can’t confirm that, even with another MSDS.

They say “Does it contain formaldehyde? Yes, a very small amount: .016 ppm, which is well below EPA restrictions. Formaldehyde is also naturally produced in very small amounts in our bodies as a part of our normal, everyday metabolism and causes us no harm. It can also be found in the air that we breathe at home and at work, in the food we eat, and in some products that we put on our skin. For example: lotions, shampoos, sunblock, body wash, toothpaste, cosmetics… The point: Is formaldehyde dangerous? It depends on the amount. Is RetroFoam™ dangerous? No.”

This sounds like they are trying to make us think formaldehyde isn’t harmful.

They say “Is it safe? Yes. It’s environmentally friendly. It’s non-toxic, odor free, safe for everyone involved.”

I asked customer service about substantiation for these claims and she sent me their specifications sheet, which says

ENVIRONMENTALLY “GREEN” CHARACTERISTICS

RetroFoam is an environmentally safe and friendly product made from nitrogen-based organic polymers. The foam is non-toxic and contains no solvents or petro-chemicals. Other “green” characteristics of Polymaster foam are:

• Biodegradable—no disposal problems
• No CFC’s
• No ozone depleting off-gassing
• No container disposal problems
• Does not require potable water
• Ships dry—utilizes less energy for transportation
• Pollution prevention alternative to rigid foam boards
• No residues following incineration

The MSDS sheet lists no hazardous chemicals.

RetroFoam Plastic Foam

RetroFoam Foamed – In – Place Insulation

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Question from NA

Hi Debra,

Redoing my kitchen and I am looking for a toxic free kitchen sink faucet.

I notice that many of them have a PVC hose from the faucet that can be pulled down and also used as a spray nozzle.

Went to Loews and of course they said that it was safe.

Should I stick with old fashioned one. Are there any that “hoses” are totally stainless steel lined that permit flexibility and the ability to “pull it down”.

I never drink water from the facet but obviously use it to wash veggie, fruits and everything else. Thanks for your help..

Hope you can get back to me asap….I bouht a MOEN and the plumber wants to put iti this weekend. Yikes…

Love your site!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!

Debra’s Answer

First of all, whatever any faucet hose is made from, you can always replace it with a different hose. Your plumber should be able to do that.

I’m looking around for spray hoses. Many say “vinyl” or “plastic” but here’s one at Lowe’s that’s stainless steel.

I think if you are buying a faucet it would be good idea to check the hose that comes with it and also possible replacement hoses.

Polyethylene tubing is very common and some faucets might have polyethylene or you could replace the tube with polyethylene.

I just haven’t researched all the tubing in all the kitchen faucets.

Today, the Alliance for Natural Health-USA (ANH-USA) released the results of food safety testing conducted on an assortment of popular breakfast foods. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing revealed the presence of glyphosate; the most widely used agricultural herbicide, in 11 of the 24 food samples tested.

“We decided to do this testing to see just how ubiquitous this toxin has become in our environment. We expected that trace amounts would show up in foods containing large amounts of corn and soy,” explained Gretchen DuBeau, executive and legal director of ANH-USA. “However, we were unprepared for just how invasive this poison has been to our entire food chain.”

Glyphosate was detected in 11 of the 24 breakfast foods tested. Analysis revealed the presence of glyphosate in oatmeal, bagels, eggs (including organic), potatoes and even non-GMO soy coffee creamer.

“Glyphosate has been linked to increases in levels of breast, thyroid, kidney, pancreatic, liver, and bladder cancers and is being served for breakfast, lunch and dinner around the world,” said DuBeau. “The fact that it is showing up in foods like eggs and coffee creamer, which don’t directly contact the herbicide, shows that it’s being passed on by animals who ingest it in their feed. This is contrary to everything that regulators and industry scientists have been telling the public.”

The presence of glyphosate in eggs and dairy supports the fear that the chemical is accumulating in the tissue of these animals, and therefore presumably also in human tissue, in a process called bioaccumulation.

Furthermore, testing for glyphosate alone does not even give us the full picture. The amounts detected by the ELISA test for glyphosate do not include any analogs of glyphosate, such as N-Acetylglyphosate, which is used by DuPont in its GMO formulations. These analogs may also be present in food and would add to the amount of glyphosate accumulated in human tissue. Glyphosate and its analogs are known endocrine disrupters for humans.

Clearly Americans are consuming glyphosate daily. The true safety of this chemical, just last year identified as a probably carcinogen by the WHO, is unknown. Current EPA standards have not been rigorously tested for all foods and all age groups. Evidence linking glyphosate with the increased incidence of a host of cancers is reason for immediate reevaluation by the EPA and FDA.

VIDEO: Are Your Eating Glyphosate For Breakfast?

ALLIANCE FOR NATURAL HEALTH USA: Glyphosate Levels in Breakfast Foods: What is safe?

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