On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that certain types of laminate flooring made by Lumber Liquidators have a greater risk of causing cancer or other health problems than previously thought.

I would just like to add two things.

One is that this is not all flooring made by Lumber Liquidators, only the laminate flooring.

And the other is this formaldehyde danger is not limited to Lumber Liquidator’s laminate flooring. It applies to ALL laminate flooring. I’ve been warning about this ever since laminate flooring first came out.

Please do not buy laminate flooring. Instead purchase solid wood refinished flooring, or unfinished solid wood flooring and apply your own least toxic finish.

CDC: Statement regarding Formaldehyde in Laminate Flooring Report

USA TODAY: Elevated cancer risk in Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring

NPR: CDC Says It Underestimated Cancer Risk From Lumber Liquidators Flooring

If you have purchased flooring from Lumber Liquidators, they are offering indoor air quality testing at no cost to qualifying customers. To see if you qualify, visit www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/testkit.

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A new study—appearing in the March issue of the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) —found laboratory rats who breathed Beijing’s highly polluted air gained weight and experienced cardio-respiratory and metabolic dysfunctions after only three to eight weeks of exposure.

Compared to those exposed to filtered air, pregnant rats exposed to unfiltered Beijing air were significantly heavier at the end of pregnancy. At 8 wk old, the offspring prenatally and postnatally exposed to unfiltered air were significantly heavier than those exposed to filtered air. In both rat dams and their offspring, after continuous exposure to unfiltered air we observed pronounced histologic evidence for both perivascular and peribronchial inflammation in the lungs, increased tissue and systemic oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, and an enhanced proinflammatory status of epididymal fat.

The conclusion from the study: Chronic exposure to air pollution particles increases the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Now this was a study done on rats, however, I believe it holds true for humans as well. Many chemicals have already been associated with obesity. I haven’t yet checked, but it may be that many of them are found in air pollution.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: On the Ground I knew Beijing’s bad air was killing me slowly. But is it making me fat too?

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Question from Sally S

Hi Debra,

I have been all over the internet and dug through archives, but am having little results looking for luggage. It seems that even those touting ʻeco friendlyʻ are really a typical derailment of fact.

If it is made of recycled materials, I question what was in the previous encarnation. Nylon has been treated with chemicals. Handles made of ʻtprʻ? Some claim ʻecoʻ and yet state pvc dividers.

They stink! They cause hands to react, rashes and blisters, my husband has to wear gloves when traveling.

I need to replace my old bags and am in need of something for mobility, in other words I am no longer able to perform pack mule duties. I have seen abs, polycarbonate, polyester, nylon, and many with ʻCA Prop 65 warningʻ. (The top rated Travel Pro)

The leather bags come from China and everything is suspect. Buying used is just as risky, pesticides and cleaners or such.

Any guidance or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Debra’s Answer

I totally understand, and this is not an easy question to answer.

Some years ago I was traveling a lot and my old suitcases were in tatters. I wanted to get the least toxic luggage I could find and I did.

It was made by a company called Sand & Storm . I just looked them up and they are still in business. They are very well made of cotton and leather (no odor) and are extremely durable. Not inexpensive, but I had some extra money at the time and decided to make an investment. I’m sure they will last for the rest of my life. They have already lasted 10 years and are like new.

They used to make luxury safari tents. Now they make safari-grade bags. In Kenya. From Tanzanian 18oz all-cotton canvas (very soft and lined with even softer cotton), hand-selected leather hides, and solid brass fittings. I have two duffle bags and an overnight bag. All with strong comfortable straps so I can toss them over my shoulder.

I found mine at Bloomingdale’s in New York and fell in love instantly. If you want this luggage, I think you’ll need to contact them in Kenya and see if they can ship it to you.

So now the best I can do is to recommend cotton duffle bags, such as those sold at Port Canvas.

Try searching on “cotton luggage,” “linen luggage, and “hemp luggage.”. There were a lot of results, such as this one from Pottery Barn.

Trouble is that these companies are not dedicated to being nontoxic, so I don’t know what the finishes are, etc. Sometimes they are lined with nylon.

Now about the wheels, there ARE some cotton duffle bags with wheels such as this one at Orvis. Again, I don’t know how this might be contaminated, but the materials are pretty good. At least better than conventional luggage.

Question from Elizabeth

Hi Debra,

I have been reading a lot about Bamboo Charcoal “air fresheners” lately.

The products supposedly remove odors, moisture, viruses, VOCs,etc.

A 200 gram bag is supposed to be good for a 90 square foot area.

I am interested however I am not clear as to how a linen bag of charcoal is supposed to clean the air in a room just by placed in the room. I don’t see how the product would have the appropriate air circulation to meet it’s claims.

Do you have any experience or information on these products?

Debra’s Answer

I don’t have any experience with these products, however, there is just no way mechanically that a bag of any kind of charcoal can remove pollutants in the air anywhere close to what an air purifier can remove.

For real all filtration, see the Air Purifier page of Debra’s List.

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Question from Janelle

Hi Debra,

My husband and I have recently become more concerned about all the plastic in our environment.

We are particularly concerned about the night guard that his dentist has him wear because he grinds his teeth at night. I’m wondering about the safety of the night guard.

I tried calling the office that they made it in, but they haven’t done any tests for leaching, he just assured me it was safe.

I did some research and it’s made from: Powder Component: Modified Ethyl Methacrylate Polymer Liquid Component: Modified Ethyl Methacrylate Monomer. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find information on if these substances are safe when mixed into plastic.

The company that makes the mouth guards is Astron and the material is called clearsplint.

Any help you can give me with this is much appreciated.

Thank you.

Debra’s Answer

It sounds to me like you mix the powder and liquid together to make the ClearSplint material. It isn’t added to plastic, it is the plastic.

The MSDS lists both of these materials as hazardous as well as ClearSplint itself.

What I don’t know is if they become less toxic when combined, or more toxic. Not enough data is available for this.

Regardless, it seems that ALL plastics leach to one degree or another. I wouldn’t let my child use this without having more evidence of safety than someone on the phone saying it’s safe.

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