I saw it when it started trending all over the internet, after the fact. There are a multitude of lawsuits, apparently, and it's not just about the laminates. There is one that specifically involves bamboo products, including a brand called Morningstar. Given that, I imagine the same could also be happening with engineered woods?

I have to believe it is really good news, ultimately, that this is going viral.

Ugh. We did solid distressed hardwood from there a few years ago. It went in the LR, DR & kitchen. Hopefully solid hardwood is not affected but I will have to check it out before baby comes.

I did see it, very disturbing. Lumber Liquidators prices are so cheap, now we know why. I would hope that the solid hardwoods would not be affected, but I'd look into it. Funny, I was just on their site, trying to get DH to consider installing hardwood, and they were so reasonable it was tempting. But, since we have several current and upcoming projects, he didn't want to hear anything about it right now. Chinese products are generally priced lower, but I hear more and more about inferior workmanship, hazardous chemicals. Do you remember the scare over lead in the toys made in China? And the tainted pet foods that killed so many dogs? There needs to be some kind of oversight into these products that they are selling in the USA.

After my late DH was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, I re-did our radon testing (we first did it several years ago when we finished the basement.) Luckily it turned out the radon levels were fine. But I always wonder about what we're exposing ourselves to - whether it's the toxins in flooring, counters, or whatever. I've read (more than once) about the toxins in new carpeting - that a baby crawling across new carpet gets more carcinogens than smoking a pack of cigs. Scary.

I know I could make myself crazy thinking about these things, so in our reno I controlled what I could and used low VOC paint, a local cabinet maker I trusted (I asked about chemicals), and let the new carpet off-gas for a few weeks before we moved back into the house. (I also have always bought organic milk, fixed healthy meals, and my late DH and I both love/d working out. The irony is that he died of cancer at 54 while his chain-smoking, heavy-drinking brother is still going strong. Sorry, I digress.)

I had not seen the Lumber Liquidators news story so I appreciate you posting it. I agree with steph that it's good that it's going viral. Public education and pressure may be the only way to combat the spread of these cheap yet toxic products.

That's distressing news. After reading a book about cleansing your home of carcinogens, I concluded that only the ultra-wealthy can really afford to build a house that meets the parameters. Or maybe building a sod house with packed dirt floors, or hand-made adobe, or something similar. That is once you've had the sod/mud on your property inspected to make sure it's carcinogenic-free before building with it.

My condolences on your loss, chicagoans.

LL is only the tip of the iceberg. Chinese faucets, sinks, counters, cabinets........ All of that is touted on here daily and happily by those who are shopping price and not quality. Does no one think about those being counterfeit certified as well? Starcraft Builders has a post on here about that very thing, but was told to stop fear mongering and that no one cared about any of the technical stuff.

Sorry, but I care about the technical stuff like lead and formaldehyde content.

Some time ago, our lumber supplier used to ask if we wanted import or domestic plywood. Once we got the imported stuff and it was so warped and the veneer was prone to peeling off. We requested they send only US and Canadian plywood after that.

Now I'm double-glad we ditched the imported junk.

I saw the faucet post as well and appreciated the information. I research where the food I shop for comes from, honestly I never thought of things like cabinetry or flooring being toxic. An eye opener for sure. Thanks for sharing.

I saw the special too. I have solid hardwoods from China. I didn't know it until they came in. :( I'm hoping mine are okay... I too looked at LL but ended up going with ProSource here in the Midwest. I researched the brand I bought and found their website in STL but didn't realize the wood came from China. I probably wouldn't have bought it had I known. Companies do a good job hiding stuff and I was going goo goo ga ga by the hardwoods beauty so I guess I didn't look into it hard enough.

I prefer to buy US made products especially the older I get but it is hard, so much comes from overseas... We can all play the "what if" game with China crap but you'll drive yourself crazy if you worry about every little thing. I'm not saying not to be concerned about the LL issue, I know I would be, I'm just saying in general, there's so much we do every day that someone could argue it's bad (licking envelopes, breathing in the air conditioner air in a hot car when it's first started, drinking from water bottles that are days old, fast food, aspartame in diet soda, propylene glycole in shampoos) the list goes on and on and it's creepy.. People wonder why there are so many diseases and sickness nowadays... Chemicals and processed foods are everywhere... And now it's in flooring!

I believe asthma has increased be cause of the chemicals in our homes.

I find the thought of what this sort of thing must be doing to the people who work in those factories very troubling.

The owners of our old place should thank us for putting in engineered hardwood from Sweden (bork! bork! bork!) instead of LL.

To be honest we own exactly two sticks of wood that came from there but it's only white oak T molding that I bought as transition pieces and finished on site. I checked them out a while back but decided to go elsewhere after the person that worked there mentioned some installation techniques that were very much not the right way to install the stuff.

Why is anyone surprised? They mask the fact that it is made in China because they know it's crap. The only way to stop it is for people to become educated and stop shopping at LL and these types of places. The government is not going to do anything mare than stick a wad of chewing gum in the dyke as it is not in their best interest to stop the trade with China. The fact is the matter is allot of people buy on price and appearance alone and by doing this they are just playing into the hands of the importers and the Chinese manufacturers. As stated above Star Craft posts about real life issues with crap imitation knockoff products and got ridiculed for it. But it has been happening for years, remember the folding Ferrari sunglasses and the Folex watches and all the knockoff handbags etc, being hawked all over the cities, all cheap imported crap and the people here not only oblige it but invite it in!!!

You know, if you are really concerned about chemicals, then EU goods, or even better, Western European (German, Scandinavian) are the way to go (or Canadian). Much tougher health/environmental standards than for US products. For instance, the emissions standards on formaldehyde in composite wood products will only go into effect in September 2015.

More info on EPA site

At the very beginning of the piece they mentioned that they had also tested the Chinese products from Home Depot and Lowes. Both of those suppliers products passed with no problem. It seems to be a problem limited to Lumber Liquidators.

I am in the process of installing RTA cabinets from Scherr's. In my research, Scherr's, Barker's and Conestoga all use US sourced materials. That's why they aren't as cheap as the RTA's from China. It didn't take a lot of research to confirm the sources. I also used the list that one of posts provided on plumbing fixtures to determine where my faucets were manufactured. You need to make sure that they are lead free. Can you say that about Chinese faucets? Maybe they are good, but I sure didn't want to test it. I'm using LG Viatera countertops. They will have a resin imbedded. But, they are manufactured in Georgia. I'm not going to loose any sleep over that choice, other an worrying if I picked the perfect color and finish:)

Someone above asked about solid hardwood flooring. You don't have to worry about those products, unless you have a problem with deforestation. Mostly it's the glues used in making the laminates that contain the formaldehydes. It's all about being a better consumer and part of that is understanding that it's cheaper for a reason.

I bought some beautiful engineered hardwood on clearance from a local flooring company. When I didn't use it, and potential buyers on craigslist wanted to know where to get more, I googled it and found that it had been made in the USA but the company had gone out of business -- why it was on clearance, I guess. :(

I've just finished reading a book that floats the theory that the epidemic of obesity, and other health problems like asthma and ADD and hypothyroidism among many others, in our country is not just due to our poor diet although that is a major factor, but things in our diet and environment that are hormone disrupters. Pesticides, fertilizers, chemicals used in manufacturing, food additives, the list is huge!

I didn't see this one, but I did see another show about clear cutting in Russia. Apparently it's big business for organized crime to illegally deforest land without consent of the property owner (sometimes government owned land). They then ship it to China, where it gets made into hardwood floors. LL was the one US retailers named as the final seller of the mob sourced wood products.

I'm not generally anti-China. Just because something was made there doesn't automatically equate to garbage in my mind. But wood floors is something we produce enough of in NA I see no reason to go overseas for.

Just went through the whole discussion of limiting pesticides on local athletic fields, parks, school fields, playgrounds. I doubt it'll go anywhere, ditto a law introduced by Congressman Rush Holt, NJ, on pesticide use on school grounds. All this while endocrine disruptors are a being addressed through legislation in the EU and Canada but not here.

Also, the fact that Lowe's or HD products "passed" is not particularly reassuring since US standards are less stringent than EU standards. Even IKEA is way ahead of the curve....

We have a problem with illegal logging here in Ohio and I assume other states as well.

LL stock took quite the nose-dive as a result of this. That will get their attention if nothing else does and it should be a heads-up for other distributors.

Diane

I think this is a great opportunity for education on this subject.

Here is more info:

http://www.greencabinetsource.org/Manufacturing/Wood_and_Emissions Note:

7 Ways To Reduce Formaldehyde Exposure: http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/06/7-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-exposure-to-formaldehyde/

"Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, said that formaldehyde is both worrisome and inescapable. “It’s the smell in new houses, and it’s in cosmetics like nail polish,” he said. “All a reasonable person can do is manage their exposure and decrease it to as little as possible. It’s everywhere.”?

So, when people ask for opinions about cheap Chinese crapola, we can for sure call it ''cheap Chinese formaldehyde laden crapola''. Been saying that for years, but greed and no concept of delayed gratification loved to drown me out.

Assuming all goods from China are inferior is rather over broad. (Hello, iPad). And as others have pointed out above, European standards are in many regards superior to US standards. Perhaps we should start referring to things made in the US as expensive US crapola.

So glad we went with USA sourced & PA milled hickory. Our contractor told us about fantastic sales at the time at LL. While my husband was tempted, we decided on the hardwood from a local supplier.

Regardless of how you feel about the quality/safety of chinese products, buying american made is preferable. If we can buy USA, we help to keep jobs here, something that is very much needed today.

Everyone needs jobs. Everyone needs to eat.

At least the US has labor laws, worker safety laws, a workers compensation system and environmental laws. Not as strict overall as European provisions though, so that's a consideration And then there's the environmental edge of not having to transport the goods as far if you purchase locally.

I think if one is concerned about product safety, worker safety and/or the environment, a more nuanced approach is better.