Thursday, December 04, 2008

First It Was Petfood, Then Melamine-laced Candy, Now It's the Attack of the Killer Sofa


Those crazy Chinese, what'll they think of next? The Telegraph reports that leather furniture imported into Britain from China has caused an outbreak of rashes, burns, even death:

The settees and armchairs, made in China, are treated with a fungicide that can cause severe allergic reactions and eczema.
Thousands of complaints have been made about the furniture, made by south China factory LinkWise and previously sold by chains including Argos, Walmsley's and Land of Leather.


Earlier this year Elizabeth McLaughlin, 59, of Luton, Beds, died after sitting on a recliner and suffering swelling and shortness of breath.
The wife and mother of the latest victims, in Paris, said they used a LinkWise chair sold by French firm Conforama. She said: "They had burns on their backs and legs. When my husband was in hospital, our cat would not leave his master's chair. Two weeks later he was dead."


Conforama admitted in July the chairs had an "allergy risk".

The settees, sold in Britain for between £600 and £850, have been treated with a fungicide to stop them going mouldy in storage – a substance that has triggered violent irritant-related eczema in some customers.

The fungicide was in packets placed in the cushions. The chemical vapourized when exposed to the heat of a person sitting on it.

1 comment:

sassy said...

I'm at the point (and have been for some time now) that if a product is made in China, I don't purchase it.

The challenge comes when a component of something may be made/originate in China (but not indicated on the label) - I have not figured that one out yet.