Toxic Sofas, toxic Furniture – Searching for a cause  

Sitting in new chairs or sofas has elicited dermatitis in numerous patients in Finland and in the U.K. since autumn 2006. The cause of the dermatitis seemed to be an allergen in the furniture materials.

The aim of the following study was to determine the cause of the dermatitis in patients with furniture-related dermatitis. 

Altogether 42 patients with furniture-related dermatitis were studied. First, 14 Finnish patients were patch tested with the standardized series and with the chair textile material. A thin-layer chromatogram (TLC) strip and an extract made from the same textile material were tested in seven Finnish patients. The test positive spot of the TLC and the content of a sachet found inside a sofa in the U.K. were analysed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. All chemicals analysed were patch tested in 37 patients. 

A positive patch test reaction to the chair textile and to its extract was seen in all patients tested, one-third of whom had concurrent reactions to acrylates. Positive reactions to the same spot of the TLC strip were seen in five of seven patients and dimethyl fumarate was analysed from the spot as well as from the sachet contents. Dimethyl fumarate (0.01%) elicited positive reactions in all the patients. The other chemicals analysed did not elicit positive reactions, but one patient in the U.K. had a positive reaction to tributyl phosphate. 

Sensitization to dimethyl fumarate was seen in all the patients with furniture-related dermatitis. Concurrent sensitization or cross-reactions were common among the sensitized patients. 

Reference:   Lammintausta K, Zimerson E, Hasan T, Susitaival P, Winhoven S, Gruvberger B, Beck M, Williams JD, Bruze M.,  An epidemic of furniture-related dermatitis: searching for a cause., Department of Dermatology, Turku University Hospital, PO Box 52, 20521 Turku, Finland, Br J Dermatol. 2009 Jul 20.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 06th, 2009 and is filed under Allergies, Chemical Exposure, Chemical Sensitivity, MCS, Clinical Diagnostics, Diagnosis Chemical Injury, Indoor Air Pollution, Sick Building Syndrome, Toxicology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.