6 Surprising furniture items in your home linked to cancer

Sarah Khan

06 Apr 2018

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Couch
Sofas, beds, mattresses and other cushioned furniture items are typically treated with a chemical known as TDCIPP - a flame retardant proven to cause cancer. This carcinogen (also found in household dust) is so omnipresent that a 2013 Duke University study found it could actually "migrate out of the products and into people". In fact, the study detected traces of it in the blood of everyone they actually tested.

To minimise the risks on your family, replace any cushioned furniture you purchased prior to 2013 - and be vigilant in checking furniture labels for its chemical content before making any purchase.
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Leather Furniture
Another known carcinogen found in your everyday household furniture is chromium (VI). It's commonly found in tanned leather, wooden furniture, specific dyes used in fabrics and textiles, and also cement. If you have a few leather furniture pieces in your home, get this: a Danish study discovered that nearly half of imported leather shoes and sandals contain varying degrees of the carcinogen, showing that it's certainly a cause of concern.
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Old Refrigerators
You might've heard about PCBs - a carcinogen found in older electrical appliances and fluorescent lightings, to name a few. If you're still using that creaky old refrigerator from decades ago, or know of an elderly relative still using theirs, it's high time to toss it out. While newer fridge models are no longer manufactured with PCBs, they're unfortunately still commonly used in developing countries.
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Kitchen Counter
If you have a granite countertop, you may want to switch it out. It might expose you to radon, a compound formed naturally from the radioactive decay of uranium in rock matter, that has been linked to increasing your risk of lung cancer.
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Curtains, Carpets & Rugs
This one's for the smokers - if you or a family member in your household smokes, chances are cadmium (a carcinogenic by-product of cigarette smoke) will cling onto softer surfaces like your rugs or curtains. Don't underestimate its hazard: it's been found that even strong cleaning products doesn't do the trick to eliminate it from your household surfaces.

Its solution? Simple: never allow smoking within your home.
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Vinyl Wallpaper or Blinds
Phthalates, found in vinyl shower curtains, synthetitc leather, wallpaper and anything made from PVC vinyl, are thought to cause cancer and may also affect human reproduction - which makes it hazardous to keep around expecting mothers and children.

Keep your home a safe and healthy haven by tossing these items out.

It’s an unfortunate reality, but it seems like the risks of cancer have permeated into every aspect of our lives: from the food we eat, the beauty products we use, and get this: even our household furniture.

That your home can harbour toxic chemicals is not new. In 2016, a study which confirmed household dust has been linked to health hazards like cancer to infertility came as a shocking and unpleasant surprise.

While we’re all aware that our household products (i.e. detergents and soaps) have been shown to contain toxic, cancer-causing pollutants, much less is known about the hazards of our household furniture.

These include staple items found in every home, like the couch and curtains. Worried? You’ve every reason to – find out which furniture pieces in your household you should be consider tossing out.

Sarah Khan

Photos: Unsplash

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