In 2009 leather sofas hit the news after consumers complained about burns and other skin complaints, which they claimed were caused by leather sofas purchased from a number of UK furniture retailers.
Following an investigation by the BBC Watchdog consumer affairs programme, in April 2010 a judge at the High Court ordered several High Street retailers to pay out up to £20m in compensation to customers who received chemical burns from their leather sofas.
According to clinical tests the health damage was caused by the chemical dimethylfumarate (DMF), a biocide used to prevent moulds that may deteriorate leather furniture or during storage or transport in a humid climate. Biocidal products containing DMF are not legally available in the EC for the treatment of products against moulds, and so no leather sofa manufactured in the EU contains DMF.
However, DMF has been present in products imported into the EU from other countries such as China. In these cases, DMF was usually contained in small pouches fixed inside the leather furniture. When it evaporated, DMF penetrated through clothing onto consumers’ skin where it caused painful skin conditions and in some cases respiratory troubles.
The EU now requires member states to ensure that products containing DMF are not placed or made available on the market.
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