Thread: Another Proud China Export; Toxic Couches

New sofas to blame for rash of allergies | smh.com.au


New sofas to blame for rash of allergies

• Kelly Burke Consumer Affairs Reporter
• April 12, 2009

AN unexplained rash could be a sign that your couch is making you sick.
A toxic fungicide in imported furniture is behind an outbreak of chronic dermatitis, skin burns, eye irritation and breathing difficulties across the world. Medical experts here are warning consumers to watch for symptoms.
The international journal Allergy has confirmed what thousands of British and mainland European citizens have known for more than a year: new leather sofas imported from China are a hotbed of allergens.
Dimethyl fumarate, in the form of a fine, white crystalline powder, was found in sachets embedded in the furniture sourced to China. It is believed the body heat generated from sitting on a contaminated couch causes a toxic vapour to seep out.
Rosemary Nixon, from Melbourne's Skin and Cancer Foundation, said although there have been no reported cases in Australia, people may not have made a link between a skin outbreak and their couch.
"The rashes can be quite severe, this chemical is a really strong allergen," Dr Nixon said.
"It can make the skin itchy enough to prevent sleep, and cortisone creams and sometimes even cortisone tablets are needed to calm it down."
About 200,000 of the suspect couches have been imported by 15 furniture retailers in Britain alone and compensation for victims, some of whom required hospital treatment, could be in the tens of millions of dollars.
The European Union and British governments ordered a recall of all products containing dimethyl fumarate late last month.
An Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority spokesman said dimethyl fumarate was not registered for use here but given the unusual situation of the chemical being secreted in sachets built into imported furniture, it was unclear which authority would be required to investigate if the problem were identified. People who believe they may have been affected should contact consumer affairs bodies such as the NSW Office of Fair Trading....[Continued ]

Not a big surprise there....

Not really, I will no leather in my house that is made from Chinese tanned leather.
One of my wives bought an expensive long leather coat and when she hung it in the closet it damn near killed us both, she took it to a leather shop and they said that the leather was tanned with formaldehyde and that was making us sick so she took it back to the shop to get her money back and so had to have our lawyer talk to them and they did give her a refund.
So I would research anything that came from China that I had to eat or wear very thoroughly.
If you are just going to fuck it I don't think you have to much to worry about cept maybe AIDS.

Originally Posted by Bugs

Folks can blame China all they want - but in the end run it's the shit restrictions/inspections on the US end that allow junk like this to get imported in the first place.

The US needs to step up to the plate and protect it's own citizens by making real and responsible trade regulations.

Lead paint - no problem if it is made in China.
Covered in chemicals - no problem if it is made in China

Fuckn' give me a break - the importers needs to be held to the fire and given' a few lashes for this kind of shit.

It is not China's fault that the US lets shit get imported to it's consumers. It is the responsibilty of the US to protect it's own consumers. When do you think this will happen?

Edit in: It's not China's fault that the US lets crap get imported.

I agree but its not just the US but Europe too. Honestly any country that allows products to be imported from another country whose people are willing to poison their own children to make a buck, need to think again. Profit is far more important than human life in Asia; America and Europe need to wake up.

Originally Posted by MustavaMond

"It can make the skin itchy enough to prevent sleep

HeySweetie, can you rub some of your lotion on this rash of mine?

Here's me thinking it was a sweat rash too.

don't let hyperbole embarrassment stop you

the sachets were probably supposed to be removed before sale.

Another use for dimethyl fumarate is mold inhibition, mostly for leather products.

Chinese manufacturer Linkwise produced two-seater sofas with dimethyl fumarate sachets inside to inhibit mould while they were in storage or transport

Old news. These sofas hit the UK a year ago and the court case has already been held. The retailers were found liable.

Nasty shit though.

Cheap Chinese drywall anyone?

PARKLAND, Fla. — At the height of the U.S. housing boom, construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap.

Now that decision is haunting hundreds of homeowners and apartment dwellers who say their walls gives off fumes that can corrode copper pipes, blacken jewelry and possibly sicken people.

The drywall may have been used in more than 100,000 homes during four years of soaring home prices, according to some estimates, including houses rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

"This is a traumatic problem of extraordinary proportions," said U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat who introduced a bill in the House calling for a temporary ban on the Chinese-made imports. Similar legislation has been proposed in the Senate.

The drywall apparently causes a chemical reaction that gives off a rotten-egg stench, which grows worse with heat and humidity.

Researchers do not know yet what causes the reaction, but possible culprits include fumigants sprayed on the drywall and material inside it.

'Cheap' Chinese drywall is proving costly | Nation | Star-Telegram.com