While Lumber Liquidators continues to struggle financially after the fallout of an investigation into its laminate product, another, albeit smaller, company has been accused of the same issue.
Ark Floors, a California-based importer of Chinese flooring products, has been called out for selling laminate flooring that offgasses excessive levels of formaldehyde. The person making the claims against Ark Floors is Whitney Tilson, the same investor who bet against Lumber Liquidators stock and condemned the company in the initial “60 Minutes” exposé.
Five types of Ark Floors’ laminate purchased in California and tested by HPVA laboratories in Reston, Va., showed levels of formaldehyde “well above” the emission standards accepted by the California Air Resources Board, according to HVPA President Kip Howlett.
Ark Floors imports wood and laminate from the Chinese supplier A&W Woods, which had some products taken out of circulation in China due to formaldehyde concerns in 2012. Ark Floors also has a working relationship with at least two of the same Chinese mills that provided the allegedly contaminated laminate flooring to Lumber Liquidators, according to The New York Times.
After the Lumber Liquidators “60 Minutes” investigation aired in March, Ark Floors told its employees it would no longer sell laminate flooring. However, former employees at the company’s California warehouse told the Times they sold non-compliant flooring outside of California as recently as July, according to the Times article.
Health advocates cited by the Times say the “60 Minutes” airing and subsequent events have reinforced the need for the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate formaldehyde, which can cause ailments like asthma, and finalize a long-awaited national rule.
“It’s really disturbing to me that the E.P.A. hasn’t gotten the rule out by now,” Tom Neltner, the chemicals policy director for the Environmental Defense Fund, told the Times. “Consumers shouldn’t have to worry about, ‘Is this good wood or bad wood?”
Editor's note: The article was updated Nov. 12 to clarify where the Ark Floors samples were purchased.
