Toxic wood claims floor residents

Two Beijing real estate projects have become embroiled in a nationwide suspected toxic flooring scandal.

Some 61 samples of the floorings, thought to contain excessive formaldehyde, have been sent for quality inspections, according to property developer China Vanke Corporation Tuesday.

The alleged substandard floorings were provided by A&W (Shanghai) Woods Co. The test results will be released around February 27, Vanke said in a statement Tuesday.

The suspect flooring was installed in Park No.5 in Chaoyang district and Holiday Town in Fengtai district. The properties were completed in 2010.

"Some owners at the two properties called and asked about the accusations and what the company will do, but they're quite calm since the results are not out yet," said Shi Nan, publicity employee with Vanke's Beijing office.

On Tuesday, a Global Times reporter found the Park No.5 property was under strict security and no visitors were allowed in without permission.

"No cameras allowed! The building and residents have image rights," said a security guard at the entrance who stopped the reporter from entering.

Online rumors first broke out on February 16, when a self-claimed construction magazine editor said in a post that Vanke installed substandard wooden floorings in some 10,000 apartments at 29 properties in 16 Chinese cities, including eight residential buildings at two Beijing properties.

Some A&W floorings emit excessive formaldehyde, five times the standard written in the contract, and only last two years before needing to be replaced, alleged the Web user, named Li Xiaoyan.

"We called an emergency meeting on February 16 and started an investigation to clarify doubts for our clients," said Tan Huajie, secretary to Vanke's board of directors, in the statement.

In a press conference Monday, Vanke promised to take responsibility if the floorings proved to be substandard.

A public relations employee with A&W told the Global Times earlier that "Vanke has suspended its cooperation with A&W," but also said their floorings were up to the national standard.

A&W is a flooring company that has offices in four nations, and claims to adhere to international standards of sustainable forest management, according to its website.

Shanghai quality inspection authorities went to four Vanke properties in the city yesterday to examine A&W floorings, and will release the results in five working days, according to a Xinhua report.

Beijing Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said they will not investigate, as they only oversee companies and products produced in Beijing.

Excessive formaldehyde in the air indoors can lead to symptoms such as dry eyes, skin allergies or even cancer in the long run, said Zhen Na, an engineer with Center Environment Testing, a Beijing-based professional institute.

Nowadays, more people ask for indoor environment tests before they move into newly decorated apartments, but only 60 percent of the homes they test are safe, said Zhen.

"But a couple of years ago, most of the customers asked for the test after they got sick because of a bad indoor environment, and 80 percent of houses are proved to be toxic with excessive formaldehyde," she said.

People should seek legal help if they find their rights infringed by developers or product manufacturers, said Liu Yanfang, at the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims under China University of Political Science & Law.

"It's a contract violation if the developer didn't provide a safe apartment with quality materials," Liu said, "and they may ask for compensation if they have health problems caused by unsafe construction materials," she said.