Thanks to Globalization Your Furniture Could Be Making You Sick

Globalization could be making you and your children sick. Furniture that comes from a global marketplace can be highly toxic, with cheap varnish that exceeds or barely complies with limits required by US laws.

It makes no sense to me why the US would allow furniture that would drive up health care costs, but this toxic furniture is allowed into the United States in massive quantities.

While quantifying this harm has not likely been attempted, the harm is real. It is a real problem. The wood used is mostly from the US, and is shipped to the offending nations. Vietnamese furniture has a lot of problems with toxicity, but for someone allergic to formaldehyde, even Indonesian quality furniture can be polluted.

Furniture with massive toxins can smell like dirty socks after awhile. Lots of the dark cherry furniture has the most offensive smell.Some furniture is more subtle but is also toxic over time.

So, what happens if this is the only furniture you can afford? Well, there are safe coat applications that are formaldehyde free, and they can be applied to seal the toxins in. You can google the location of these products.

Globalization killed our pets, and I won’t buy any dog food that is made in China. I buy other things made in China, but not dog food. The same thing is happening to children, with an assault by furniture that could cause ear infections and worse.

Like I say, there is not a lot of documented evidence, just my own family’s experience being sensitive to formaldehyde. For many people, this is likely not a big issue, but for others it is a health issue that is critical.

Furniture is a latecomer to imports. So maybe these issues can get resolved soon. But if not, buyers need to take caution. Failure to do so could result in all kinds of illnesses that could be misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue, etc.

In a global world, where businesses just want to make a buck and bend the rules, where better place to do so than in furniture right? Just when people are getting a handle on second hand smoke, with high concentrations of formaldehyde, this new challenge faces many Americans.

And globalization has killed towns in the US, as furniture makers are cast aside in favor of the new and improved profit plan that globalization affords. But to my way of thinking, this is a major step backwards in the protection of the consumer to toxic elements.

If you can afford to do so, buy American products. You will likely be safer when it comes to furniture. Maybe your kid won’t need a tube in her ear as an infant. I am not giving medical advice, but wouldn’t it be nice to know that you are providing a safe environment for your child when you are being fooled once again by the marketplace thanks to globalization?

For Further Study:

The Ramifications of Globalization