High-end vacuum specialist Dyson says its new air purifier actually destroys formaldehyde.
The $750 purifier features a "cryptomic" filter that distills formaldehyde. It can detect airborne particles, destroy them, and report how its doing in real time on a display. Dyson says it's capable of capturing 99.97 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns. That includes formaldehyde. It's also capable of heating rooms in the winter and cooling them in summer.
Small amounts of formaldehyde have been found irritate the eyes, skin and airways, while larger doses have been linked to nose and throat cancers.
Dyson's purifier however, and same with other purifiers, are only able to remove toxins that are in the air. They aren't yet equipped to destroy particles in the floor or in furniture.
Formaldehyde was brought to the general public's attention after a CBS 60 minutes special exposed Lumber Liquidators for its Chinese-made laminate flooring, which contained too much of it. The episode sparked a lawsuit - filed on behalf of 760,000 customers who bought flooring from 2009 to 2015 - who began ripping out their flooring. Reporters interviewed managers of factories in China who were producing laminate flooring with glues containing formaldehyde, then packaging it boxes labeled as CARB compliant - erroneously indicating it met California Air Resource Board requirements for minimal formaldehyde contents.
The scandal brought down the CEO and other executives at Lumber Liquidators, and its stock price and sales and share prices fell precipitously. The revelations also led the Environmental Protection Agency to issue standards on formaldehyde in panels.
The company has yet to fully recover. Morgan Stanley analysts are currently pushing the retailer to change its name, as they believe its reputation is ruined.
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