Sunday, June 14, 2009

ITCHY SOFA


Is your leather sofa making you sick?
(courtesy of Consumers Reports)
The BBC News in the United Kingdom has been reporting that more than 1,600 people have suffered skin rashes and chemical burns from their new Chinese-made leather sofas. Reports say that one person has died.
After investigation, it was found that the couches were packed with sachets containing dimethly fumarate (DMF), an antifungal agent intended to prevent the leather from getting moldy during storage and shipment from China. The chemical evaporates, penetrating the leather and can transfer to clothing and skin. Even small levels of exposure can cause serious skin sores, blisters, rashes and eye irritation. And some victims have reported that their problems have persisted long after the couch has been put on the curb.
On May 1, the European Union and British governments ordered a recall of all products containing dimethyl fumarate.
We wonder if the problem has worked its way into the North American market since much of our furniture is imported from China. I asked the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission if they had received consumer complaints about leather sofas, but they were not aware of any problems.
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