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Dr. Mercola
July 01 2008

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Tens of Thousands Harmed by Their Own Sofas

A group of about 1,400 people allege that they have been burned by fungicide in some leather sofas. They believe that trading standards authorities are failing them, and their lawyers are saying that tens of thousands of people might be affected, and that the authorities should make retailers take the sofas back.

The sofas, imported from China, are said to cause blisters and rashes.

Doctors say they have treated hundreds of patients with "sofa rash." Some are warning that warmer weather in coming months is likely to increase the problem. Dr. Sandra Winhoven, a consultant dermatologist, said that, "The substance that's causing the sofa dermatitis outbreak is a fungicide, and this fungicide has a very low vapor point. So when it gets warm, more of it gets released."


Sources:

  BBC News June 26, 2008




 
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Comment on This Article Community Comments (5)
 
 
Posted On Jul 01, 2008
I heard the US's Olympics participants are packing their own lunch.

There's another problem with furniture that has gone relatively unnoticed. Flame retardants. Proven to leech into the system, potentially cause cancer, birth defects, and already found in the bodies of newborn babies-but were dismissed by the flame retardant chemical industry by trumpeting that it saves lives.

Thanks, but I'm smart enough as a person to know if the bed I'm sleeping in is on fire.

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Posted On Jul 01, 2008
If I was an athlete of high enough calibre to reach the Olympics, I would be be giving this one a miss. My long term health would be more important to me than the possibility of a medal gained while bathing myself in the toxic soup of Beijing.

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Posted On Jul 01, 2008
Imported from China ehh? Ain't that just preditable!

And we all get to see the Olympics there! Just hope nothing real bad happens there....

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Posted On Jul 02, 2008
...I would say hundreds of thousands are harmed by their sofa's....especially if they spend alot of time sitting on them doing nothing but watch TV and getting no exercise...

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Posted On Jul 03, 2008
Ah, one more thing in our environment at home.  I guess I wouldn't have thought of fungicide.  I didn't check with the manufacturer of my leather sofas when I bought them.  I'm thankful it was a local US company, but that doesn't mean I'm safe.  I just assumed leather would be a bit safer.  The longer you live the more you learn though.

Short list:
Antimony in the bedding, clothing, furniture for fire resistance

Aluminum in just about EVERYTHING (and if you are mercury toxic, you will hold on to that aluminum too)

Triclosan (anti-bacterial) in more every day.  Just learned that not only are they adding it to soaps and deodorants, but it may very well be in the floor you are walking on and in the shoes you are wearing! Triclosan

Of course we all know that is just the tip of the toxic iceberg.  Just another toxic component to be on the look out for in our every day life.  Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but I'd rather have the info than not.  I didn't know about the aluminum in flooring until after I installed our solid surface laminate to keep down other toxins.  So, everything like this I know before I shop will help. 

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