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7 Everyday Home Items That Used to Kill People

From flammable couches to exploding TVs, many did not know their homes were deadly

Carlyn Beccia
7 min readApr 14, 2021

WeWe tend to take for granted that our homes are our haven. But what if everyday items in your homes could suddenly kill you? Or even worse, what if items in your home were slowly poisoning you and you didn’t even know it. The following are some of the common household items that were once very dangerous.

Couch of burning love

When polyurethane-filled couches first hit the market in the 1950s, the public loved them. Unlike horsehair-filled couches, polyurethane was more comfortable, lighter, and cheaper.

They were also highly flammable.

But it’s the way polyurethane burns that would excite any pyromaniac. The material liquefies and then forms a puddle of flammable liquid — sort of like having a pool of gasoline under your sofa.

And if the fire did not kill you, the fumes would likely get the job done. When polyurethane burned, it gave off cyanide gas that basically turned houses into a gas chamber.

Today, polyurethane-filled couches contain flame retardants so they won’t burn down your house. Unfortunately, these same flame retardants have been linked to reduced…

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Carlyn Beccia
Carlyn Beccia

Written by Carlyn Beccia

Award-winning author of 13 books. My latest: 10 AT 10: The Surprising Childhoods of 10 Remarkable People, MONSTROUS: The Lore, Gore, & Science. CarlynBeccia.com

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