Toxic Fungicide In Globally Shipped Leather Sofas Blamed For Allergic Reactions and Possible Death

A toxic fungicide used by Chinese sofa manufacturers is being blamed for a dramatic increase of chronic dermatitis, skin burns, eye irritation and breathing difficulties around the world, which have left some victims requiring hospitilization and possibly caused one fatality.
Sachets of dimethyl fumarate were found inside leather sofas imported from China. It is believed that body heat from people sitting or lying on the sofas causes the fungicide to release highly allergenic vapors, which in turn cause severe allergic reactions in a large number of people.

With regard to the rashes caused by the fungicide, Dr. Rosemary Nixon of the Skin and Cancer Foundation in Melbourne, Australia stated:

It can make the skin itchy enough to prevent sleep, and cortisone creams and sometimes even cortisone tablets are needed to calm it down.

In Britain, some 200,000 sofas that are suspected of containing the dimethyl fumarate have been part of a recall that was issued last week by the governments of Britain and the European Union. Compensation for British victims alone could reach into the tens of millions of dollars. [BBC News, Sydney Morning Herald]