New furniture

[patch]

We purchased a new sofa and love seat a couple of months ago and they'll be arriving tomorrow. I am afraid of what has been applied to the couches. I know stain-resistant chemicals are extremely harmful to parrots. My bird will not be in the same room, the living room, as the new furniture, he is in a separate room with its own door. There are two patio doors in the living room that I can open to let the room air out, and I will be stuffing something at the bottom of the door to keep things out. Do you think he will be alright here? Or should I take him out of the house for a few days?

 

[Birdman666]

Scotch guard is the hazard.

"The stain repellants StainMaster and Scotchgard also contain PTFE."

I'm not sure how long the fumes remain toxic. I seem to recall one person who claimed to have lost a macaw to a freshly treated couch, but I don't know how accurate that was, or whether it was confirmed.

I'd find out if this thing has had a fresh coat of scotchguard.

I also know new carpet, between glue fumes and fresh StainMaster can be toxic.

 

[Birdman666]

CONFIRMED!!!

Bird Deaths Linked to other Perfluorochemicals

Anecdotal reports indicate that other perflurochemical products are toxic to birds. One such incident is related below, involving a sofa treated with Stainsafe, a stain and water-repelling product similar to Dupont's Stainmaster. 3M Corporation reportedly received numerous reports, going back decades, of bird deaths caused by expossure to the original formulation of its Scotchgard stain and water repellent. The active ingredient in that product, PFOS, was forced from the market by EPA in 2000 (See EWG's report on PFCs on our main Web site and the Scotchgard story in our Chemical Industry Archives.)

Killed: Squigmund, a Mexican Redhead Amazon Parrot
Implicated in death: Stainsafe coating on new couch

Diane Sehnal, owner of a Mexican Redhead Amazon Parrot, purchased a new couch from Hansen’s Furniture Store in Winton, California. When she learned that her couch was treated with Stainsafe fabric protector, she inquired about its safety to birds and was told that it would be harmless to her pet of 16 years. Her parrot died 36 hours after her new couch was delivered. A necropsy revealed lung lesions, and an enlarged heart and spleen, pointing to the possibility of inhalation toxicity from Stainsafe. The typical lifespan of Amazon Parrots is 80 years. [4,5]

This is my first time on this site. I want to share an experience I recently had that caused my beautiful Mexican Red Head to die.

I purchased a new sofa from Hansen's Furniture Store in Winton, California. The sofa was treated with a fabric protector called STAINSAFE. I was told that stainsafe was harmless to birds. Thirty-six hours after the sofa was delivered my beloved SQUIGMUND died. On the morning of the second day that I owned the sofa Squigmund began to have labored breathing, and he was weak. I rushed him to his Avian vet. Squigmund had absolutely no strength to stand up in his carrying case so I had to clutch him to my chest while driving a five speed car. I was crying. I knew Squigmund was dying so I tried to collect myself, and tell him how much I loved him and I thanked him for all the joy, and comfort he gave me. He died 4 hours later at the vet's office.

View a newspaper article about Squigmund

A necropsy was perfomed by his usual vet who reported that Squigmund had leisions all over his lungs with an enlarged heart, and spleen. She said that he was poisioned to death. We decided to have a pathologist in sacramento who specializes in these areas of causes of death to birds. She confirmed that the cause of death was INHALATION TOXICITY due to the new sofa that was treated with Stainsafe.

I saved my money for a new sofa and I wanted my home to be cozy for myself, and Squigmund. Look at what I have done. I allowed this deadly sofa into my home which killed my darling sweet boy Squigmund. My companion for 16 years. He could sing "I left My Heart in San Francisco." He loved to flirt with all the girls young and old alike. He would whistle at them! He could laugh and he loved having his head scratched. He was a true comedian.

The pathologist said that not only is Stainsafe a killer to birds but also related that new furniture can sometimes emit gases that are deadly to birds as well.

Squigmund was my only Parrot, and you can imagine the quality of our relationship. I cry every single day since he died on April 4, 2002. For as long as I shall live, I will never again experience loving a parrot like I did with Squigmund.

I have hired an animals rights lawyer in San Francisco. She was appalled at what happened to Squigmund. We will be demanding that warning labels be placed on this product Stainsafe to warn other companion bird owners of the dangers.

Thank you for reading this. Please tell others about this toxic killer Stainsafe... I do not want any other bird to ever suffer a heinous death like my Squigmund did.

 

[patch]

I just called the company to ask and the representative confirmed that the furniture has been sprayed with scotchgard. Yikes! However, she said that since production of the fabric began in November, the scotchgard was applied then. Is it still safe to keep him in the home now that it's February?

 

[patch]

I just called back because the first representative was too vague. It was applied sometime before January 27/28th. I'm not sure what I should do.

 

[Birdman666]

I just called back because the first representative was too vague. It was applied sometime before January 27/28th. I'm not sure what I should do.

I'd call an avian vet, and inquire as to whether or not it's safe to bring into the house.

Try the medical center for birds in Davis, CA. They might know.

 

[patch]

I just did so. The representative said that I should be safe provided there isn't a heavy odor from the furniture. She put me on hold to gather information so I feel like I can trust her judgment. I explained what precautions I'm taking and she said to just smell the furniture to make sure.

 

[Christinenc2000]

Heartbreaking story. I SO appreciate this thread. I have been looking for a new Sofa for a few weeks. Never did I think it might contain something that would harm my Macaw.

Thank you so much for this thread.

 

[SailBoat]

The off-gassing rate is highly dependent on air movement, exposure and time. Material stored on the mill rolls will off-gas very slowly. Once placed on to the furniture, off-gassing is quicker, however most furniture pieces are covered in plastic prior to shipping, which slows off-gassing. In addition, cushions and arm covers (left in place) will trap and slow the process.

An Ozone fan 'may' help in breaking-down the chemicals in the air and keep the air in the room moving if opening the home to the great outdoors is out of the question. To me, on-going air exchange that will simply move the contaminated air outside should work as well.

I am sorry, but a 'specific' time line is not available, since off-gassing rates are all based on the volume and pressure the chemical was applied at. In general, the greater the volume and the higher the pressure, the longer the off-gassing process. NOTE: A longer stain warranty 'may' be a guide to the application?

Keep the house open, vented and find someone with a good nose to provide you a third party (does not live in the same house) check over the the next few days. You will quickly become accustom to the presents of the chemical and not provide a proper evaluation.

 

[Birdman666]

Heartbreaking story. I SO appreciate this thread. I have been looking for a new Sofa for a few weeks. Never did I think it might contain something that would harm my Macaw.

Thank you so much for this thread.

That's the thing! Nobody really does...

I honestly wouldn't have either, except for the one person who had a macaw die under mysterious circumstances, that they allegedly traced back to the chemicals that were used on the new couch...

EVER SINCE THEN... I've been careful about stuff like that. But I wouldn't have thought of that on my own...

"New couch smell."

I actually have leather couches, not fabric, so it wasn't an issue, but I sure would check before bringing in freshly treated furniture. A lot of these places do the "We do extra stain guard, etc." the night before we bring the furniture in, and that's got to be it...

There's actually a furniture store in Houston that keeps parrots on the premises, so in a properly ventilated room, where the furniture has had time to "off-gas" it probably isn't a huge issue...

But in a small room, with a fresh coat of the stuff evaporating into the air?! You may as well put the bird in the kitchen, put a teflon pan on the stove, put the stove on high, and then leave for the day... because that is essentially the "off-gas" that is created by this stuff.

If there's enough of it, it's fatal.

And probably 75% of the people out there wouldn't realize it until it's too late!

And that's also where forums like this one SAVE LIVES!

 

[Birdman666]

The off-gassing rate is highly dependent on air movement, exposure and time. Material stored on the mill rolls will off-gas very slowly. Once placed on to the furniture, off-gassing is quicker, however most furniture pieces are covered in plastic prior to shipping, which slows off-gassing. In addition, cushions and arm covers (left in place) will trap and slow the process.

An Ozone fan 'may' help in breaking-down the chemicals in the air and keep the air in the room moving if opening the home to the great outdoors is out of the question. To me, on-going air exchange that will simply move the contaminated air outside should work as well.

I am sorry, but a 'specific' time line is not available, since off-gassing rates are all based on the volume and pressure the chemical was applied at. In general, the greater the volume and the higher the pressure, the longer the off-gassing process. NOTE: A longer stain warranty 'may' be a guide to the application?

Keep the house open, vented and find someone with a good nose to provide you a third party (does not live in the same house) check over the the next few days. You will quickly become accustom to the presents of the chemical and not provide a proper evaluation.

Thanks for explaining that so well.

There is no one size fits all answer on this one.

Pity there isn't some sort of readily available instrument that would detect and measure hazardous levels of contaminants coming off an object. I'd think something like that would be do-able.

I would think it's just a brief amount of time after the thing has been initially treated when there is really a risk of high enough concentrations for toxic exposure.

 

[SailBoat]

There is a device, but like anything that measures parts per billion, its expensive. Commonly found in labs, etc...

With this type of product, which can be applied at both the manufacturer and the retailer, a simple test (i.e. time since application has major problems.

If applied at the manufacturer, one can at least be assured that it is being applied by machine. As long as the human set it up correctly, a time line can be used. Note, the question regarding 'if set up correctly! Once on a mill roll, the off-gassing process slows to a stop since mill rolls are wrapped and sealed prior to shipment to the furniture manufacturer. At the furniture manufacturer, the material is cut and installed on the furniture on the same day. Rarely to they remove more than one day's work. Both levels of manufacture wants some level of guard to reduce rejected material or furniture. Normally, the furniture manufacturer does not add the chemical, they buy it from the mill with it already applied. There can be problems with over application, but it is monitored fairly closely because over application is costly with no valve gained. NOTE: Commonly, from the point the material is cut for the furniture to being on a truck and delivery to the retailer is a mater of a five to six days. The vast majority of that time the furniture is covered and sealed (no off-gassing).

The extra coat applied at the retail level has the biggest pitfalls, since the person applying the product is one of, if not the lowest paid individual in the company. Whether a bad day, pissed at the boss, or was just call on the carpet for under-applying - they are more likely to over-apply then to under-apply. To a level of the furniture being 'wet' with product and more likely added just before it is loaded onto the truck for delivery to the customer's home. This is especially true if you have been talked into the long-warranty stain guard application. Understanding that at this level it is pennies to the dollars that you paid for the long-warranty version, so why not over-apply?

So, if the furniture came directly from the manufacturer to the retailer to the customer's home (original plastic packaging still in place). Maybe a couple of days. If it sat at the retainer 'on their floor' with the original plastic rap removed, maybe no off-gassing at all! If an additional application was applied at the retail store, who knows how long?

So, too many variables to provide anytime line. The third party with the good nose is the best we can offer along with vent, vent, vent.

Recommendation: Buy from the retailer's floor and do not purchase the 'extra' application at the retail level!

 

[Birdman666]

The extra coat applied at the retail level has the biggest pitfalls, since the person applying the product is one of, if not the lowest paid individual in the company. Whether a bad day, pissed at the boss, or was just call on the carpet for under-applying - they are more likely to over-apply then to under-apply. To a level of the furniture being 'wet' with product and more likely added just before it is loaded onto the truck for delivery to the customer's home. This is especially true if you have been talked into the long-warranty stain guard application. Understanding that at this level it is pennies to the dollars that you paid for the long-warranty version, so why not over-apply?

So, if the furniture came directly from the manufacturer to the retailer to the customer's home (original plastic packaging still in place). Maybe a couple of days. If it sat at the retainer 'on their floor' with the original plastic rap removed, maybe no off-gassing at all! If an additional application was applied at the retail store, who knows how long?

So, too many variables to provide anytime line. The third party with the good nose is the best we can offer along with vent, vent, vent.

Recommendation: Buy from the retailer's floor and do not purchase the 'extra' application at the retail level!

Makes perfect sense and sounds like good advice to me.

 

[Pupalow]

We had a green cheek Conure for two years. We bought a new house and with the new house the owner no longer wanted their 17-year-old quaker so we adopted him, in the middle of December our new sectional was delivered which we purchased from Ashley furniture. On Christmas Eve are Conure passed away. We were devastated and had no idea why. So we decided after a while that we would get a new parrot so we purchased a Senegal while waiting for the Senegal to be old enough to bring home our quaker parrot died. We went absolutely crazy trying to figure out why this is happening and we made changes to bring home our Senegal. We had our Senegal for one week and she passed away. So we know that we had brought in something new and the only thing that we can figure out that would affect the birds because all three of them walked all over my sectional. We are completely devastated and unfortunately will be getting no more birds which I absolutely love having them but because I have read that what is ever in the fabric or put on the furniture can take five years or more to be fully gone.

 

[Scott]

We had a green cheek Conure for two years. We bought a new house and with the new house the owner no longer wanted their 17-year-old quaker so we adopted him, in the middle of December our new sectional was delivered which we purchased from Ashley furniture. On Christmas Eve are Conure passed away. We were devastated and had no idea why. So we decided after a while that we would get a new parrot so we purchased a Senegal while waiting for the Senegal to be old enough to bring home our quaker parrot died. We went absolutely crazy trying to figure out why this is happening and we made changes to bring home our Senegal. We had our Senegal for one week and she passed away. So we know that we had brought in something new and the only thing that we can figure out that would affect the birds because all three of them walked all over my sectional. We are completely devastated and unfortunately will be getting no more birds which I absolutely love having them but because I have read that what is ever in the fabric or put on the furniture can take five years or more to be fully gone.

Terribly sad story, my condolences. As you mention, all manner of deadly chemicals in every day use. Outgassing can last for years.

 

[Inger]

This is well timed for me. I’m about to move cross country and will not be taking my furniture. I’ll be very careful about what I replace it with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[noodles123]

Yeah- and even if they don't have teflon on them, the number of VOCS they off-gas is huge and can go on for months (that "new" smell is chemicals). I would keep them as far from your birds as humanly possible and if you don't already, get a very nice/expensive true hepa purifier with VOC capabilities (I use Alen Air breathesmart classic w/ the fresh plus filter). I don't buy new furniture unless I get it from a company that sells no VOC/ healthy furniture (there are a lot of these out there but you do pay significantly more).

 

[Flboy]

We had a green cheek Conure for two years. We bought a new house and with the new house the owner no longer wanted their 17-year-old quaker so we adopted him, in the middle of December our new sectional was delivered which we purchased from Ashley furniture. On Christmas Eve are Conure passed away. We were devastated and had no idea why. So we decided after a while that we would get a new parrot so we purchased a Senegal while waiting for the Senegal to be old enough to bring home our quaker parrot died. We went absolutely crazy trying to figure out why this is happening and we made changes to bring home our Senegal. We had our Senegal for one week and she passed away. So we know that we had brought in something new and the only thing that we can figure out that would affect the birds because all three of them walked all over my sectional. We are completely devastated and unfortunately will be getting no more birds which I absolutely love having them but because I have read that what is ever in the fabric or put on the furniture can take five years or more to be fully gone.

I am so sorry for your nightmare!