Several firms, including the Land of Leather, have been forced to pay out £20 million pounds after around 2000 homeowners were left with chemical burns from a fungicide in their sofas.
A variety of cases; ranging from chemical burns on children; to reimbursing cancelled holidays, have been paid out to the victims. This widespread reaction stems back to the sofas being treated with the chemical ‘dimethyl fumarate’ that when in people’s homes, turned into a gas and burned through clothing.
Due to the volatile nature of the chemical, it reacts from a solid form straight to a gas, so could have so easily infiltrated these homes. Doctors are not fully aware of the damage that this has potentially caused, from burns to dermatitis, so some ailments could stay with victims indefinitely.
(Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudor/503889413/)
There a numerous dangers to consider when it comes to buying furniture, on top of chemicals as reported recently, toxic materials that could be a fire hazard still reside in people’s homes.
The local Fire Brigade in Bishop Stafford, for example, have been inspecting sofas and armchairs in people’s homes and reported that some furniture that come with safety tags are not safe. The Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations Act 1988 states that foam used inside sofas must be more resistant to fire. Sofas are causing great concern to Fire Authorities because of the potential fire and toxic smoke risk they entail.
It’s important to buy products from a reputable retailer that meets the British and European standards when it comes to fire safety. A report by Consumer Direct states: “Trading standards officers estimate that as many as half the sofas seized in the UK would fail the Furniture and Furnishing Fire Safety Regulations introduced in 1988.”
Horrific stories such as these, and many more where shortcuts are damaging in the long term, are something we feel strongly about here at Posture People. Investing in quality Ergonomic furniture for your home and office that is not only durable and safe, but meets the strict fire safety standards, is absolutely paramount.
