CDC’s guidance after its laminate flooring assessment: air filters generally don’t help, heating the house to “bake” it out may raise levels, and if symptoms show up only at home, professional air testing may be a good idea.
If new laminate flooring, cabinets or furniture left a chemical smell in your house, the obvious move is to buy an air purifier. CDC says that generally does not lower formaldehyde. What helps is fresh air, exhaust fans, a cooler and drier house, and time. And if the smell lingers or someone’s eyes, nose or throat only bother them at home, indoor air quality testing is how you find out where you stand.
About 3 times:
How far CDC’s first model underestimated the formaldehyde in the air, because it used the wrong ceiling height. One fact about the room changed the answer.
The source
After a 2015 TV news investigation, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) tested laminate flooring made in China between 2012 and 2014 and sold by a national flooring chain. CPSC tested the same type of flooring that had some of the highest formaldehyde levels in the earlier consumer investigation. CDC and ATSDR (the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) then used those results to model the indoor formaldehyde levels a typical home with that flooring might have. They used near worst-case conditions on purpose, so that their conclusions would protect health. The revised assessment and its homeowner guidance were published March 22, 2016.
What they found
Irritation, for anyone. CDC concluded that “irritation and breathing problems could occur in everyone exposed” to formaldehyde from the tested flooring, “not just sensitive groups.” Children, older adults and people with asthma or other breathing problems are more likely to have symptoms. Installing this flooring in a home that already has elevated formaldehyde from cabinets, furniture or curtains raises the chance.
Cancer, in proportion. Assuming the highest-emitting flooring and breathing it all day for two years, CDC estimated 6 to 30 extra cancer cases per 100,000 people. For scale, CDC cites the American Cancer Society estimate that up to 50,000 of every 100,000 people may develop cancer from all causes over their lifetimes. CDC chose two years because formaldehyde from new building products usually decreases over time, particularly in the first two years.
The number that changed
CDC’s first version, released February 10, 2016, used an incorrect ceiling height in its indoor air model. As a result, the health risks were calculated from airborne levels “about 3 times lower than they should have been.” CDC says neither it nor its peer and partner reviewers noticed; a private individual who read the report suspected a conversion error. The correction raised the cancer estimate from 2 to 9 extra cases per 100,000 to 6 to 30, and widened the irritation warning from sensitive groups to everyone. CDC’s recommendations did not change.
Why it would work this way
This is our explanation, not CDC’s wording. A floor gives off formaldehyde at some rate. How much ends up in the air you breathe depends on how much air it mixes into and how fast that air is replaced by outdoor air. That is why one wrong ceiling height moved the estimate so far, and why a model of a typical home cannot tell you the level in yours. Temperature and humidity matter too. CDC separately advises keeping both at the lowest comfortable setting.
The limits, stated plainly
These are modeled levels, not measurements taken in real homes, and nobody was followed for health effects. CPSC tested only a few types of floorboards, deliberately chosen from the type that had tested high before. CDC says plainly: “Not all laminate flooring releases high levels of formaldehyde.” The retailer told CDC that laminate flooring from China has not been sold in its stores since May 2015. The cancer figure is an estimate under near worst-case assumptions, not a count of cases.
What survives: new composite wood products can raise formaldehyde enough to irritate anyone in the house, and how much depends on the house.
What happens over time
There is no trial in this assessment. CDC says several studies show formaldehyde from new building products usually decreases over time, particularly in the first two years, and flooring installed several years ago may be back to the levels usually found in homes, so there may be no reason to remove it. CDC also warns that removing flooring, especially new laminate flooring, may increase formaldehyde release, and advises consulting a professional before taking it out.
What gets lost in the air purifier marketing
Air purifiers are sold for chemical smells. CDC’s guidance is direct: “Air filters generally don’t help lower levels of formaldehyde in your home.” And: “Overheating your home to ‘bake’ out the formaldehyde also doesn’t work and may even raise formaldehyde levels.”
Home test kits have a catch of their own. CDC says their results “can be different based on where you take the air samples and how long you do the testing,” and may not be comparable with tests done by qualified professionals. CDC is fair about professional testing too: it “can be expensive” and does not tell you which product is releasing the most. And there are no standards for acceptable formaldehyde levels in homes, so talk any result through with the professional, as CDC advises.
What the data supports
Open windows for a few minutes every few days, unless outdoor air pollution or pollen triggers your asthma, or safety is a concern.
Run exhaust fans as much as possible.
Keep the house cooler and drier. CDC advises keeping temperature and humidity at the lowest comfortable setting, and keeping the home smoke free, since tobacco smoke contains formaldehyde.
Air out new products first. Let them release formaldehyde in a garage or on a patio until you no longer smell a chemical odor, and wash permanent-press clothing and curtains before using them.
Buy lower-emitting next time. Look for no-added-formaldehyde (NAF) or ultra-low-emitting formaldehyde (ULEF) products. Composite wood products such as hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard and particleboard, and finished goods containing them, made in or imported into the U.S. after March 22, 2019 must be labeled TSCA Title VI compliant (EPA page updated October 28, 2026).
Know when to test. CDC says to consider testing if you can still smell strong chemical odors, or if you have breathing problems or eye, nose or throat irritation only when you are home. If symptoms still happen only at home after these steps, CDC says to see your doctor.
Bottom line
An air filter generally will not clear formaldehyde from new flooring. Fresh air, exhaust fans, a cooler house and time do. If the smell lingers or symptoms happen only at home, measure the air. See how our room-by-room testing works, or book indoor air quality testing in Portland or indoor air quality testing in Vancouver, WA.
First step tonight: open the windows for a few minutes and run the kitchen and bathroom fans.
Indoor air quality testing and mold testing in Portland and Vancouver, room by room.
illumenair does indoor air quality testing and mold testing in Portland and Vancouver. We test and report. We do not do remediation.
971-363-5626 · info@illumenair.com · www.illumenair.com
Sources: CDC/ATSDR, National Center for Environmental Health. Laminate Flooring Test Results: Health Issues and Solutions. Last reviewed March 22, 2016; read November 2, 2026. CDC/ATSDR. Statement Regarding Changes in the CDC/ATSDR Formaldehyde in Laminate Flooring Report. Last reviewed March 22, 2016; read November 2, 2026. CDC/ATSDR. Possible Health Implications from Exposure to Formaldehyde Emitted from Laminate Flooring Samples Tested by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. March 22, 2016 (record summary read on CDC Stacks). U.S. EPA. Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products. Last updated October 28, 2026; read November 2, 2026.