Sofa Cases need to know information.
Compensation for victims of ‘Toxic Sofa’ cases?
Following fast on the report in the Sunday Times of court settlement in such cases in Ireland Paul W Tracey solicitors we have received enquiries regarding similar complaints in the Republic of Ireland.
The enquiries follow BBC reports that over 1,600 such cases have been identified in the UK with many other going undetected.
The sofas, which were manufactured in China, were packed with sachets of an anti-mould chemical called dimethyl fumarate to stop them from going mouldy during storage in humid conditions.
Commonly known as DMF, the toxic, fine white powder has been used by some manufacturers to protect leather goods like furniture and shoes from mould. Even very small amounts can be harmful.
TOXIC SOFA SYMPTOMS
Blisters
Sores
Rashes
Eye irritation
A number of useful links can be viewed on the subject
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyGuCYlYcF0
If you would like assistance or advise on this subject please feel free to contact our offices and discuss your concerns with Piarais Neary who is heading this work in the offices of Paul W Tracey Solicitors 01 8745656 or e mail us at law@traceysolicitors.ie
Toxic Sofa claims may the headlines.
The recent decision by the High Court in London to award £20m to an estimated 2,000 UK claimants has only highlighted the potential lack of awareness of consumers in Ireland to this consumer issue.
It is believed that many Irish people could be suffering from similar severe rash symptoms due to the release of the chemical Diemethyl Fumerate (DMF) found in the sofa’s sold by many high street retailers including Argos, Walmsleys, Homebase and Land of Leather.
We at Paul W Tracey Solicitors are dealing with many cases of this nature but have recently received a high volume of new calls from Irish consumers suffering from similar rash symptoms; this is due to the recent media interest in the decision in the High Court in London and the recent article in the Sunday Times.
It would appear that many Irish Consumers are not aware of the dangers of DMF as it has not widely publicised here, nor was there any great effort by the distributors of the sofas to recall the product or highlight the dangers to the consumer. It appears that not all people who purchased the Sofa’s would react to DMF.
This is particularly worrying as the first indication that there was a connection between the sofa’s and the rash like symptoms was confirmed by Dr Sandra Windhoven in Liverpool in 2007, this was widely reported on BBC’s Watchdog in the UK but there was no similar media awareness in Ireland.
In the UK, solicitors advertised in 8 national newspapers in October 2008 warning of the risk and it is believed that several thousand cases are now in progress.
How does DMF affect the consumer?
In excess of 100,000 Sofa’s were sold with the fungicidal chemical DMF inside, the chemical was used in the sofa’s to prevent the sofa’s manufactured by Chinese companies going mouldy in storage in Asia.
The chemicals were stored in solid sachets in the sofa, after a period of time in the consumers home the sachets turn to gas which seeps through the permeable leather sofa and through ones clothes and skin, causing rash like symptoms, eye complaints, breathing difficulties or even in some reported cases severe blood poisoning causing nerve damage.
Thankfully the European Union has now banned the use of DMF in sofas due to the danger to consumers.
How do I know if my Sofa is a risk to me or my family?
DMF has been used in the manufacture of many different brands of Sofa’s, it is estimated that in excess of 100,000 sofas have been sold, if you are suffering from any of symptoms referred to above please firstly contact your doctor. In addition we will be able to assist you in identifying if your sofa could be a threat; some of the sofas were sold as far back as 2005.
It has also been reported that people who did not own the sofas but may have been visiting a neighbour or friend could have a reaction to DMF.
Irish Medical Journal Release report
The Irish medical journey has recently released a report with a case study on a recent Irish consumer who suffered from exposure to DMF; please see the attached link for the full report which is a good guide in regard to how Irish Medical Doctors are being advised to identify the symptoms from exposure to DMF.
Current update
The main distributors are said to have now withdrawn the toxic leather sofas from sale.
If you have any queries on this article please do not hesitate to contact Paul W Tracey Solicitors 01 8745656. We would be delighted to assist you.
