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?Toxic Sofas? Update ?government urged to safeguard public
17 December 2008
A second Chinese manufacturer, Eurosofa, has now been identified as having supplied contaminated furniture to retailers in the UK. As such, Russell Jones and Walker is calling on Lord Mandelson to follow the lead of the French government in protecting consumers.
More than 5,000 people in the UK have now reported skin, chest and eye injuries after using imported leather furniture, made by the other offending manufacturer Linkwise, which contained sachets of anti-mould chemical Dimethyl Fumarate (DMF). Use of these sofas, which were sold by Land of Leather, Walmsleys and Argos, has in some cases led to hospitalisation and been linked with deaths in both the UK and France.
In the last two months, more than 3,000 people have made a claim. With top high street retailers now facing a multi-million pound lawsuit, Russell Jones and Walker is urging the government to protect consumers in the UK following news that the French government has outlawed the import of products containing DMF and appealed to other members of the European Union to extend the ban continent-wide.
By contrast, while the department of Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform (BERR) in the UK has known there was a serious issue with affected sofas since October 2007, no action, other than a voluntary product recall by retailers, has been taken to safeguard the UK public.
Richard Langton, partner at Russell Jones and Walker which is leading the Group Litigation in the High Court on behalf of all UK victims said:
“Thousands of people have already suffered a painful allergic reaction to their sofa because of inadequate safeguards. In France, within weeks of the outbreak being identified, all imports have been banned. A voluntary system is clearly not enough because it is impossible to tell whether a product has been treated with DMF until the user develops a painful dermatitis.
“Worryingly, shoes and boots imported into France have also been found to contain DMF, and although no cases have yet been reported here in the UK it may only be a matter of time. Anyone who suspects injury, usually an unexplained rash, should stop using the product and obtain immediate medical advice.”
If you think you may have experienced a reaction to an affected sofa, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Russell Jones & Walker – enquiries@rjw.co.uk or call 0800 884 0383.
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