Should You Ditch Your Chemical Mattress?
Good night, sleep tight—don't let the volatile organic compounds bite.
susan greenfield and her girlfriend Llina Kempner couldn't wait for their new memory-foam mattress top to arrive. For months, they'd heard friends rave about how the high-tech material molds itself to your body. But when they unwrapped the three-inch-thick pad in their Manhattan apartment, they noticed a strong, acrid odor. "My nose and my lungs were miserable," recalls Greenfield. For the two nights Kempner slept on the mattress top, she felt nauseated. After Greenfield, who is chemically sensitive, had an asthma attack in the middle of the night, the couple returned the mattress pad. But its stench lingered in the apartment for weeks.
Reactions like Greenfield's are relatively rare, but you, too, might lose some sleep when you find out what's really inside your mattress—memory foam or not. The place where you spend one-third of your life is chock-full of synthetic materials, some potentially toxic. Since the mid- to late '60s, most mattresses have been made of polyurethane foam, a petroleum-based material that emits volatile organic compounds that can cause respiratory problems and skin irritation. Formaldehyde, which is used to make one of the adhesives that hold mattresses together, has been linked to asthma, allergies, and lung, nose, and throat cancers. And then there are cotton pesticides and flame-retardant chemicals, which can cause cancer and nervous-system disorders. In 2005, Walter Bader, owner of the "green mattress" company Lifekind and author of the book Toxic Bedrooms, sent several mattresses to an Atlanta-based lab. A memory-foam model was found to emit 61 chemicals, including the carcinogens benzene and naphthalene.
There is no proven health risk from the substances in mattresses, however, mostly because tracking their long-term effects is virtually impossible. Heather Stapleton, an environmental chemist at Duke University, says there's simply not enough data to determine whether low levels of these chemicals will eventually make people sick. "It's the dose that makes the poison," she says. "If they're not getting out, maybe it's not a problem—but we don't know. There are plenty of lab studies that show that these compounds are harmful. It's just a question of what levels people are exposed to."
Still, more and more consumers are seeking out mattresses made of natural latex, organic cotton batting, and organic wool. Sales of California-based Vivètique's latex mattresses have increased by 40 percent annually for the past five years—they now comprise 45 percent of the company's total sales. And they are even sold by discounter 1-800-Mattress.
It's hard to say whether you should ditch your conventional bed in favor of a green one, since you'll likely have a tough time figuring out exactly which toxins are lurking under your covers. Take, for example, fireproofing chemicals: Pentabde, a member of the polybrominated diphenyl ether (pbde) family of flame retardants, was used in some mattresses before 2004, when it was phased out. (Pentabde is now known to be toxic to the liver, thyroid, and nervous system.) So let's say that just to be on the safe side you toss your pre-2004 mattress and buy a new one. Problem solved? Maybe not. Last July, the Consumer Product Safety Commission began to require that all mattresses sold in the United States be able to withstand 30 minutes of exposure to an open flame.
Mattress makers aren't using Pentabde anymore—but it's not clear exactly what they are using to meet the new standard. Major manufacturers such as Simmons, Sealy, and Tempur-Pedic won't divulge their flame-retardant formulas, which are considered trade secrets. A Simmons press release touts a "proprietary blend of char-forming, intumescing, flame-resistant components." Tempur-Pedic vaguely states that its products "consistently meet all safety standards." A best guess at what's in today's mattresses comes from Ryan Trainer, executive vice president of the International Sleep Products Association, an industry group. He says most companies use "various types of barrier fabrics" such as cotton treated with boric acid or rayon treated with silica—both relatively benign chemicals—as well as fire-resistant materials such as modacrylic fiber (which contains antimony oxide, a carcinogen) and melamine resin (which contains formaldehyde).
With a doctor's prescription, people who are chemically sensitive and have allergies can order a mattress that doesn't pass a flammability test. But organic-mattress companies have found a simple way to fireproof: wrapping their bedding in a layer of wool. Their prices aren't so warm and cozy—a queen-size latex model from Virginia-based Savvy Rest starts at $1,599. But if you're having nightmares about your mattress, and it's time to trade in your well-worn Posturepedic anyway, it might be worth it.
Susan Greenfield was a fan of organic mattresses even before the smelly memory-foam pad showed up—she's slept on one for 15 years, says she "loves" it, and describes it as "very comfortable but very hard." Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night.
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Hey Lib's,
What is it with people and wanting to blame everything on someone else..? I have NEVER heard of anyone getting sick from there mattress. It seems that everyone wants to find SOMETHING, ANYTHING to be the victim of..? Here is a story fo two Lesbo's with Chemical Sensativity, and you want us to feel SORRY for them..? HAHAHAHA...
Get a man, and maybe he can cure you of all yoru troubles..
BIll
Re: Bill Nigh
Wow, way to be intolerant. Your statements reek of ignorance. Is everything untrue if you've never heard it before?
Thank you Mother Jones for reporting on issues that don't always make it to mass-media. Sofa's are notorious for carcinogenic fire-retardants too. These days just about everything is awash in harmful chemicals.
Robin,
I am not intolerant, just speak the truth. You qualify intolerant as, anything that differes from your narrow, socialist opinion. And no, i don't think something doesn't exists just because i haven't heard of it, but it just seems strange that MILLIONS of people have been sleeping on mattresses for generations, and now you have "Chemical Sensativity", and you choose to highlight it with Lesbo's and not June And Ward Cleaver... Don't you think you might get more sympathy from the REAL american families if you used a NORMAL couple to highlight your issue..?
BIll
Wow MJ! Are you tracking more than my mouse clicks? I just bought a mattress on the internet. No we didn't go for memory foam - we went for natural latex, coconut and cotton, though the horsehair and hemp options were tempting. It wasn't cheap but why skrimp on something you rub your nose into 6 to 8 hours a day.
Go to hell billy and bring your chemical mattress with you
Mother Jones staff - why don't you have a button to flag spam and hate speech in your comments section? I am getting tired of adds for that people with herpes dating site and ignorant crap from guys like "Bill Nigh".
Check the statistics, Bill. REAL American families aren't all made up of Ma, Pa, and 2.5 kids anymore. While I do agree that we've developed a culture of victimization, you seem to be playing into it by suggesting that people who are different from you are somehow threatening your "normal" way of life.
As a scientist (and chemist, no less), I hate articles like this. According to the article, mattresses emit 61 chemicals. Which ones? In what quantities? With current gas chromatography / mass spec methods you can take airspace samples and find parts per trillion of chemicals these days. A part per trillion isn't exactly a lot. What I'm saying is, if you want to sensationalize something, at least provide some quantitative data.
Because really, most chemicals aren't evil. You'd be surprised at the sorts of stuff emitted by flowers, fruits, and vegetables, the chemicals that give them their characteristic smells and tastes. Lots of smells are due to benzene derivatives - vanilla (vanillin) and cinnamon (ethyl cinnamate) immediately come to mind. Lots of others are due to a class of compounds called terpenes - lavender, rose, mint, pine, musk, etc. Most of these are relatively poisonous - some are deterents to keep animals or insects from eating them. I could go on but it's late and my flavor chemistry books are in lab. Heck, I once unintentionally made an ester that smelled exactly like green apple - delicious. Anyways, the point is, most of these compounds are, in large quantity, poisonous, and sure, they might make you pretty sick - if you drank a whole glass. But at daily exposure levels, I'm more worried about eating undercooked meat and driving a car.
Walnut trees (genus Juglans) exude a chemical called juglone that inhibit other plants in the vicinity, minimizing competition. Red ant bites hurt so much because they secrete formic acid (hence the ant family name, Formicidae). Speaking of acids, vinegar is just a dilute solution of acetic acid. And capric and caproic acid smell like goats (genus Capra).
Hey J,
Thank You VERY MUCH..!!! I am so tired of people spouting fourth JUNK SCIENCE and so many in the Liberal community beleiveing ANYTHING that sounds like they are victims of the Corporate MAN..!! It is refreshing to hear a REAL chemist...:-) Maybe you can post more often and tamp down all this hysterical crap.
Bill..
Carrie,
HATE speech...? Are you off your rocker..? Saying Lesbo is not more hate speech than when a gay person calls me a "Breeder"..!! Pointing out someones proclivities is not hate speech.
This is a real problem, you think that saying a word that you don't agree with is hate speech, SORRY..!!! It doesnt work that way, This is still america, and i think the Constitution still gives protections to us Breeders, not just the other group that you think is sooooo special.
BIll
J - I agree those 61 chemicals seem more like a scare tactic, but that shouldn't stand in the way of being aware of the specifics in this article. The article lists the following chemicals in mattresses: formaldahyde, benzene, naphthalene, PBDE, and antimony oxide. Admittedly, the article doesn't get into how much of any of these is in a mattress and whether those quantities are likely to be harmful, but all are known carcinogens. Sure, maybe we don't know enough to all run out and buy new mattresses, but that doesn't mean that we should dismiss all knowledge of carcinogens in our mattresses as junk science.
Just another way for them to kill us in our sleep....
I tend to agree with J the chemist and Mr. Bill. Too often it's all or none thinking. Today it's chemicals in mattresses that are killing you. Tomorrow it's the natural pollens that are doing it. I'm for knowing what's in the products we eat and sleep on, but the minute amounts have more value than not for most of us. Sure, fresh organic food is better than processed food...but Nitrates prevent Botchilism and other nasties, which is the reason why the FDA allowed them in the first place. Some of use don't live close to a slaughter house or organic farm and have to find food where we can get it...and must sleep on mattresses that aren't $1500.
To conclude, I'm glad we're moving toward a more sustainable, cotton and other organics lifestyle as oil prices make these more attractive. In the mean time, lets not try to make people feel like they're going to die if they sleep on a mattress purchased at K-Mart. It's likely there will be some organic fibers that will attract molds that would not be attracted to synthetics.
Dear Bill,
Please get a dictionary and work on your grammar. It is difficult to not dismiss your ideas when you write or should I say right like an uneducated doofus.
My heart goes out to all conservatives who are sensitive to the chemicals out-gassed by mattresses, carpeting, upholstery, etc: They can't admit to it or seek help for it without being harassed and called "Libs" by fellow conservatives such as Bill Nigh (see below).
I don't care what the chemist or Bill Nigh say, I'm going organic next mattress. I work with a Bill Nigh, he's a mean mean guy, but you take one step towards him and he rolls on his back like a puppy!
I too experienced the putrid smell of "Eau de Tempur-pedic," even waking up with my pjs soaked with it. They say it off-gasses after you break it in, and swear that there's nothing toxic.
Sorry, but I can't just take their word for it if they aren't going to tell me what's in it. We ended up paying a $200 restocking fee that was poorly disclosed upfront (sure, you can bring it back if it doesn't work out for you!)
The fact is that the display models have already off-gassed, so you can't get a good idea of how bad it really smells until you invest a pretty penny. We also bought a $140 pillow that we couldn't return, even though it smelled so bad I couldn't sleep on it.
I dealt with it for 2 weeks thinking I could live with it if it would help my husband's back problems. Well, when he started crawling out of bed in pain after 3 weeks, we decided it wasn't the miracle mattress it purports that it is.
Evidently your truth-insulation is still performing well, Bill. No need for sunshine here.
Your a troll, Bill. In case you don't know the word, it means someone who posts just to cause trouble. Truth doesn't matter to a troll, nor consistency, nor even logic or sense.
The timer is running on you, Bill. It won't be long, before no one will even bother responding to your rants, because it's becoming more evident by the minute that sense has no sway with you.
My advice to everyone else: cut to the chase. There is no reason to respond to someone who can't see reason.
Bye, Bill.
----
kill your tv.
J:
Yes this article gives incomplete information. It's not an article in a science journal and a long list of chemicals and concentration data would not be appropriate. However the small minority of the audience for whom that level of data would actually be meaningful, can of course do further research if they wish. Or not.
Note however that this article does not come to the conclusion that this is definitely a cause for concern. It makes the point that we don't know, even if you had the list of chemicals and concentrations in front of you, studies don't exist to tell what if any effect long term exposure has.
As to your comments about the off gassing of apples, chestnut trees, vanilla, etc: We don't spend a third of our lives with our faces pressed up against these things breathing their off-gassing. Yes, lots of natural chemicals are harmful in sufficient quantities. Many are harmful in small quantities. We've learned to avoid these. We have thousands of years of experience with natural substances.
The point that pro-chemical types miss when they make their "natural substances are chemicals too" argument is that we don't have anything close to the same historical and cultural experience with the many man-made chemicals that have heedlessly been incorporated into our lives. This is where the natural vs artificial bias is actually very sensible and pragmatic. In fact, our scientific experience with how many substances in the natural world really are harmful, should give us all the more caution with the man made ones.
You're not the first chemist I've come across whose chemicals-are-good bias is downright unscientific.
Eric, your post is excellent! Presenting new ideas and information is a good thing...unless you want to live in a static society. This article, and others like it, are not 'snake oil sales pitch' articles: There are no phone numnbers or hyperlinks to any sites to buy any remedies, books, or subscriptions to magazines or scocieties...just information. The article emphasizes that no studies exist to support any conclusions. I champion the scientific method, but human medical condition cause and effect studies are devilishly difficult...it is next to impossible to account for all the myriad of variables in people's lives (genetics, diet, exercise, smoking, drinking, exposure to chemicals in food, at work, at home, ad infinateum). It is logical to relaize that our bodies have adapted to natural chemical coumpounds over millions of years, and it gives one pause to consider the hundreds of millions of man-made chemicals, compounds, and mixtures that have been placed in our environment. Over the years I have developed reactions to fresh asphalt roofing tar, fresh paint, fresh wallpaper and carpet glues, etc. My sensitivity manifiests itself with varying grades of headaches during and after exposure...and I just retired from 20 years in the USAF...I'm no namby-pamsy crybaby...and I am no longer a brain-dead Republican either...I am an independednt judge of all the evidence before me.
This is unnerving. Why do the solutions to toxicity problems always cost so much? So, thanks Mother Jones for scaring the pants off of me, feeling like I'm poisoning my kids, and then telling me that the solution is out of reach. Just like the prices at Whole Foods.
Why safer costs more
Actually, the principle is the reverse: "we don't worry much about safety" is cheap. Or, to be more accurate, building something as cheaply as you can for your given quality standard costs less (usually) than just buying materials that are most cost-effective. In a better world, the legal defense required for this kind of short-sightedness would deter investment in many GMOs and consumer products, but we're mostly talking about safety concerns that manifest over years and are hard to prove. So the consumer has to figure out what to eat, sleep on, etc. But yeah, with the radioactive countertops, off-gassing foam, melamine foods, brain-toasting phones, yadda yadda yadda, it seems like life is more than a little toxic these days.
Oops
That'd be: "to be more accurate, building something as cheaply as you can for your given quality standard costs less (usually) than buying materials with safety/low-toxicity (or any other special attributes) in mind."
Not really more accurate, as originally stated, I guess.
Why not weigh the negatives and compare them with the positives in evaluating Tempurpedic? The chief negatives are a possibility of an allergic reaction or increasing your odds of getting a cancer from three in a thousand to four in a thousand. the chief positive is an extraordinarily comfortable sleep, a sleep that is a delight for people who suffer chronic and severe pain. We choose the mattress because my wife suffers such pain and an organic mattress made from wool and hemp and whatever else cannot offer the possibility for rest that the Tempurpedic can.
Can someone tell me what this discussion has to do with politics? Seems to me a lefty like me can enjoy a foam mattress or not. And the same with a righty. Some folks need to find a hobby...
The science can't (and for political and economic reasons) hasn't kept up with the numbers of chemicals we are exposed to in everyday products. We simply can't rely on research that isn't there. The human guinea pigs, that means US, are often the best test. I know a number of people who have had asthma attacks, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, arthritis symptoms, rapid heart rate, etc. from sleeping on a new (synthetic and treated) mattress. Is it so crazy to take such feedback as evidence that we're doing something harmful to ourselves?? It's not just a few people here and there who have had problems. We need to pay attention. Thanks for the article!
My family in Europe said that all foam (egg cratestyle toppers) mattresses and toppers have been banned for years due to toxic off gassing. Corporate America needs to sell their chemicals that they develop regardless of the effects on the public!
Huh?
"My family in Europe said that all foam (egg cratestyle toppers) mattresses and toppers have been banned for years due to toxic off gassing. Corporate America needs to sell their chemicals that they develop regardless of the effects on the public!"
I wonder where since a quick look on Google shopping shows they are available
How does one find the contents of mattresses? Would you, or have you, been able to determine the compounds that go into major mattress brands? It would be most helpful if you could put together a comparative chart to indicate the potential level of toxicity these mattresses contain.
Mattress Content
If you are shopping ask the sales person to pull the mattress back so you can read the law label which lists out the major parts that make up the mattress. Most of the foam is purchased from 2 manufaturers in the U.S regardless of brand, once you know what is in it you can look into if that is something that is harmful or not.
If anyone is telling you 100% soy based latex or 100% latex you should for sure look at the law label, this is not likely the truth.
I should know I sell the toxic rectangles for a living.
I find this of some interest. Thank you. It wasn't until this year that I finally realized (having hit puberty some 15 years ago and dealing with odor control off and on since) that it was the content of the fabrics that I wore that strongly affected my body odor! Now, trying to find cotton amidst a world of non-flammable materials is getting more difficult. Personally, I'd rather have a clean-burning cotton on me than a substance that doesn't burn but will messily melt all over a my skin at higher temperatures! And this goes for a matress, too. Feathers, cotton, wool. If it helps, if it was good for 1000's of years, then perhaps...just maybe...it might be just fine for me. I do believe we suffer from temporal arrogance too often as if we are the sole proprietors of knowledge throughout all of history. Seriously, cotton, wool, silk...yeah they've been tested for thousands of years now on human bodies.... polyester, rayon, etc. for what... a hundred years or less? So when it comes to my clothing and sleeping matters (mattress, pillows, blankets), I think I'll take what has 1000s of years of anecdotal and proven safety/comfort/function.
Cathy, anything toxic-free and sustainable will have a higher price tag, because it is not subsidized by your tax dollar in the same manner as the poisons found in most products we buy. For a new look at the true "cost" of cheap foods and goods, try reading Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilema" or Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". After 40 years of shopping for the cheapest prices I could find, these books opened my eyes to the damage we are doing to ourselves and the planet by demanding the "lowest cost" alternatives. I now truly understand that value cannot be measured only in money and have changed my families buying habits. I will continue to seek knowledge (outside of the mainstream media) in this critical aspect of the human condition. P.S. After struggling for several years to get his cholesterol under control wothout drugs, my husband's LDL is 50 points lower and his HDL is higher since we have gone local/organic!
If you'd like a full list of chemicals in mattresses visit. www.essentiadirect.com/research/glues-toxic-components
Essentia is the only company in the world who makes a natural memory foam.
I am an environmental scientist. I thought the article was pretty lousy, but I have personal experience to share on the subject. My wife and I purchased a Simmons Beautyrest in December. It smelled terrible, but we were assured by the Sleepys salesman that the smell would dissipate. It hasn't after four months, and the odor is nauseating. We had to wash our bedding every few days or it would build up to an intolerable level. I have a terrible sense of smell, and I wake up sick to my stomach. It triggers migraines and heart-racing for my wife. I assure you, this is not over-reaction.
There are some who say that the mattress industry pushed for the legislation to require the flame retardants with the goal of driving out smaller firms who cant afford to retool. These FR chemicals have toxic effects at levels which may be achieved by accumulation in the body due to repeated exposure: antimony, boric acid, formaldahyde and other mutagens.
Check out the latest from the "radical" Bush administration Consumer Product Safety Commission on the subject if you don't believe me:
http://www.cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/FOIA/meetings/mtg08/chemicals11_13.pdf
The real problem is that, in order to protect a relatively small number of idiots who smoke in bed (not you Bill, right?), the new legislation really does potentially put millions of people at risk of long-term health problems that will be very difficult to tie to the flame retardants. This lack of common sense is what Bill should be up in arms about.
We are considering organizing a class action lawsuit.
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There should be a class action suit. i am fairly certain that I am allergic to fire retardand chemicals and I have spent countless hours trying to buy affordable sofa that is not treated with chemicals.
Try asking a sales person if the sofa has fire retardants and they will surely either say "I don't know or yes it is the Law".
I suffer dearly because of a few idiots who smoke in bed. Why do you think that almost all furniture has chemicals in it? Because a smoker was burned from falling asleep with a cigarette and won a law suit. So the rest of us are being slowly poisoned with chemicals and 95 percent of the population in the US are not even remotly aware of this. People should just get fire alarms.
Mark, last commentor, I am having a similar issue with my mattress. I am having the 2nd one in 2 months picked up for emitting the same horrible odor. I am interested in finding out what these mattresses really contain..both of mine were from the Sealy family. The 2nd one I bought is synthetic latex which is supposed to emit NO fumes and has no flame retardant per se, just a nylon layer that melts..well after all that gibberish, it smells exactly like the Stearns and Foster I ordered and returned in Jan '08. I am totally exhausted and really don't know where to turn to get a mattress that is safe. I have nothing against being involved in a class action suit for misrepresentation and false information reagarding the contents of the mattress.
Then there is also stress, anxiety and insomnia to name a few issues I have had around this humiliating couple of months.
I think that what people are finding objectionable about your comments is that you not only use mildly derogatory terms (lesbo) but you also go on to belittle lesbians by saying that all their problems would be sorted out by a real man (no doubt using yourself as this ideal model). This is both an oversimplification of anyone's life and also laughable since you aren't exactly coming across as a great advertisement for the ideal man. Think about what you write before hitting send. Will it add anything of substance to the discussion or will it simply inflame certain people? Your initial point about people getting into ridiculous frenzies over things that are unlikely to cause any harm was valid - it's just a shame that you then chose to divert everyone's attention in the way that you did.
Dear Mother Jones Staff and the very ignorant Bill Nigh,
I find it utterly disgusting that you would even consider posting Bill's response. It's a shame that in this day and age we still reside amongst these ignorant, ill-informed and prejudiced individuals. Did I forget uneducated? Unfortunately, there are people like him who use a reference tool such as your site as their forum for hatred and some kind of self-serving soapbox. This site is rightfully utilized by people of all backgrounds, regarding a myriad of issues, simply to share their experiences as to assist others. So thanks, Bill, for being the closed minded biggot that you are - I am once again reminded that there is still a lot of change that needs to occur in our society in order to move forward, progress and continue evolving. And, just for the record, I am a married heterosexual who truly hopes that Bill is not a BREEDER, g-d help us all if he is.
Hi, I just purchased a Stearns and Foster Saypoint Brook Latex bed and am also having similar troubles...a very strange 'oat' type smell that is so strong and overwhelming I've been sleeping on a futon pad on the living room floor for a month while I"ve quarantined the thing in the bedroom with window open and fan on. The instructions for the mattress (who reads them anyway? Well, I did.) specifies that I make sure to allow time 'for the mattress to air out'. I have called around to the mattress store and their customer service branch, now I'm going straight to the Sealey office to ask "how long exactly did you mean by that?". I'm also experiencing ill health effects as a result of inhaling the smell...I get dizzy, feel nauseaus and weak in my body as well as 'off' in my head. And that's when I just open the door to poke my head in the room to see if it's improved at all...
It's led me on a very intense and frustrating research into the world of VOC's, MCS, and PCB's, air filters, mattress pads et all.
One of the things I have learned along the way is that there evidently are things that can be applied to the off gassing mattresses which can make a difference for the people (like me) who sunk too much money into them and are stuck with them without hope of refund.
One such technique involves buying mylar space blankets, taping them together with overlapping seams, and covering the entire mattress with it, so that it effectively doesn't breathe at all. You then apply a few blankets atop that and cover with your sheets like normal. My wonder about that is...what happens to the gasses building up? Does it decompose the mattress faster?
Another technique that uses similar thinking is to do the same with vinyl lined canvas.
Another technique that has a different concept is to use carbon filter type blankets to wrap and drape over the mattress on the top and sides. Cover these with a few more blankets and then add sheets like normal. The carbon filtering blankets absorb the offgassing material and then you put them in the sun several hours to clear off the gas every six months.
I have explored just about every option in mattress covers that I can come up with, needless to say...and the standard allergy encasing is still breatheable so it's minimal as an offgassing blocker.
I'm currently thinking of doing the mylar and then also adding the carbon blankets on top of them...and then go for an organic bed topper...as well as having a VOC clearing air filter in the room I sleep in. For the price of all those things, I could have ordered a whole new mattress set that was non toxic. Drat. Oh well...guess this is part of the learning curve.
And so, I'll continue to bark up the chain of communication on this and see how it's handled. However, I do plan on contacting the US Consumer Product safety Comission at 1.800.638.2772 in the end to document the concern. It's my way of not playing dead to the democratic consumer process.
the last post by feathercurls could be almost custom-made to be from us. We bought a Simmons memory type foam, returned it, got something with less toxic padding but horrible to sleep on, returned it for another one with a cushion top. 3 weeks on and we still cannot sleep on it. tried wrapping it in plastic to start, bad solution, uncomfortable and yes it must still offgas & leak out only for longer...also purchased three carbon blankets and have wrapped the mattress, but it is still bad, smells even now, pollutes the upstairs now that we have to put the AC on and gives us headaches etc.
We are talking a $2,000 investment here. It's going to be hard to walk away from, darn the day we walked into Sleepy's, what a stupid thing to do...
Yes as with just about all journalism the article was lacking in scientific specificity. But it has helped put us in touch here with other info so that's good.
I think actually that the generally superficial and patronising tone of even serious articles is of a piece with the government forcing us to have probably carcinogenic chemicals in out furniture & bedding because of a minuscule fire risk. We are dumbed down and woefully unaware.
Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear about your mattress experience...
UPDATE: I talked to the East Coast office of the Sealy Mattress company...their customer service branch...and when I mentioned my concern I was told that my symptoms were 'very rare' and they 'never' get calls of this nature, and that some 'new smell' was normal...when I asked how long I should allow the mattress to air out (like they say in the papers that come with it) before the smell went away, the woman replied, 'there isn't a certain amount of time...it's different for everybody...if you buy a new car it takes about 6-7 months to have that smell go away, right?"
I said "Are you saying it could take 6-7 months to have my new mattress smell go away?"
To which she hastily replied "No ma'am, I'm not saying that." (tone of voice changed to serious) It was a rough conversation after that. She proceeded at that point to tell me that there was nothing that they could do for me and I would have to take the issue up with the store I bought it from.
The store I bought it from said they had customers in the store and couldn't take time to help me and would I call the main branch customer service line.
I did, and found the first person willing to try to do something about this...she regarded Sealy's response as 'unnacceptable' called herself to ask them to inspect the mattress. And so now, a third 'independent' party inspector is scheduled to come to my house to determine if my nose is too sensitive, or if there really is a defect with the mattress. The visit is scheduled for two weeks away. By then, it will have been a full two months of unused, $2,300 mattress set investment quarantining my entire bedroom.
Like you, I am frustrated. The living room floor is getting overrated. (It's no longer like a fun slumber party camped out in front of the TV, no matter how much I try to get OK with the idea.) Trying to look on the positive side, I see how I bought myself a $2,300 course in "safe home/safe bedroom options 101".
Here are website links to check out where to order organic (means non toxic!) mattressess from...my friend has ordered from happy planet and loves hers.
http://www.organicmattress.net/index.html
http://www.ahappyplanet.com/ahpstore/organic%20mattress.html
http://www.lifekind.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=101&osCsid=8mlevb1nd6h...
OK, ya'll, hope those links help. Enjoy your happy bedroom shopping.
Reading several comments below goes on to show that some people are ignorant of their surrounds.
The only 2 person that slept on my son's new bed was me and my son and we both ended up in the emergency room with a $20,000 PLUS medical bill.
No doctors could figure out what was happenning so I literally wash down my son's room thinking it was mold. While I was laying in bed, I notice fumes coming from the mattress and instantly ran to my computer to check if "Mattress can make you ill".
Sure thing, I found out the U.S. Congress passed a Law IN 2006 to treat all mattress made in the U.S. with "non Flammable Chimical" (Boric Acid). This chemical almost killed me and my son as it constricts our breathing passage causing us to gasps for "air/oxygen" while we slept (only happens when we actually lay on the mattress). This feeling that we experienced was very close to death as you find yourself gasping for air as your body doses of to sleep. My feeling is that my heart actually "stops beating", feeling semi paralyzed and I'm struggling to stay awake. I felt like there was 500 pounds of weight on top of me and can't push it off my chest.
This is a scary feeling and I'm scared to sleep!!! I finally threw out the mattress and felt a little better only that I think the damage to my lungs is
permenent and I'm still seeking medical help.
Soomething needs to be done and millions of people through out the U.S. CAN MAKE AN IMPACT.
CHEMICALS ON ANYTHING CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. U.S. CONGRESS NEEDS TO KNOW THIS!!!
My personal feeling is...if U.S. CONGRESS THINKS THE NON-FLAMMABLE BEDS IS GOING TO SAFE LIVES...there will be more people who will die from this chemical and not know that they were actually sleeping on their "DEATH BED".
I KNOW...I FOUND OUT ON MY OWN
Good news-- Sleepys called to say they're giving us a full refund, after my wife sent a strong email to Simmons complaining about the flulike symptoms she was experiencing after sleeping for two nights on the mattress (she had had no luck with previous phone calls to both Simmons and Sleepys customer service reps). They came today to remove the sickly smelling mattress-- what a relief to have it out of the house! Started our search for an organic mattress-- thanks to Feathercurls for the websites.
Greendreams...I'm impressed that your store actually gave you a refund. Would you be willing to paraphrase with me what it said? I would find it helpful to get a sense for what worked. In the end, I would like to think a refund is an option, however, I don't know if it is because of the receipt having been stamped "no refunds or exchanges" when we bought it...
Our receipt also said "no refunds". We would be glad to send you the full text of the email (which was actually sent to Sleepy's, not Simmons as previously reported). You can email us at costman@verizon.net. Good luck with the mattress inspector. Hope you can find a resolution to your mattress nightmare.
2 things...
1 - other interesting article on mattress off-gassing here:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/11/05/victory-ov...
EXCERPT: "Common, ordinarily harmless household fungi such as Scopulariopsis brevicaulis and certain microorganisms consume the phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, added as fire retardants and plastic softeners.
In consuming the chemicals, the fungi emit the heavier-than-air neurotoxic gases based on phosphine (PH3), arsine (AsH3)[4] and stibine (SbH3). These gases are about one thousand times more poisonous than carbon monoxide, which can kill a person in a closed garage with a running engine. They are about as toxic as Sarin, used in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and in a Tokyo terrorist subway poisoning in 1995.
In probably the worst environmental disaster of the 20th century, these toxic gases have killed about one million victims of SIDS worldwide."
and 2 -
if a new mattress isn't in your budget, there are mattress wraps that claim to contain the off-gassing and keep it away from you. ie here - http://www.eves-best.com/mattress-wrap-for-offgassing.htm
Hey Loveskilts, thanks for the webpage. I checked it out, looks good, and for that price I'll try it. Greendreams, I'll email you. I appreciate and am grateful to this slice of community out there. Thank you to all.
I too have a mattress that has been "off-gassing". I called an enviromental company to come out and test house and mattress for this strong odorous gas. FORMALDEHYDE. And well above th acceptable limits. The formaldehyde is used as a glue. My matress is genesis.
After two months of sleeping on the floor and waiting on the snail's pace of the mattress customer service...(seriously, how long IS it supposed to take to help a health endangered customer when your product is defective and causing said sickness!?!) I've decided to heck with it. I'm moving forward. It's been over 10 days and still no word from the mattress inspector since they entered my home and told me they couldn't tell me anything about my situation in person. I will call, and see if there is a ball to get rolling, but inside something has snapped. My humor, patience, and willingness to work within their structure of how they do things is OVER.
My plan of empowerment: After dragging the mattress out in the sun and leaving it there for three days and nights in the blistering summer heat and light, I will bring it back in to cover it with the plastic envelope, charcoal blankets et al. During which time I'll HEPA vacuum the offgassing particles off the carpet in my bedroom, wash down the walls with a vinegar rinse, and turn on high a HEPA, ION, CARBON and ULTRAVIOLET air filter in the room.
If that still doesn't work, then it's the scissors. I will cut off the outer layer of the mattress which is flame retardant fabric, including the foam cushion topper which I've learned is also a large culprit in offgassing formaldehyde, and proceed to recover it with a different material (as I know how to reupholster), and then recover with the plastic and charcoal, et all.
If that still doesn't work, then it's donation, I'm afraid. (I have tried to sell it to no avail.) I'm sure it will benefit a homeless shelter greatly. And in doing so, will serve out it's destiny as a bed to someone who can feel good while lying on it.
A bit of irony in conclusion of this chapter: the man who sold me the mattress sent me a thank you card recently, thanking me for buying a mattress from him.
I think I'll be sending him a card soon. But it won't say Thank you.
I may regret this outburst of feeling, but right now, I must be honest and say it's REAL.
Final update:
I called the mattress company since I hadn't heard back from the inspectors in two weeks. They have denied me any further recourse saying the third party inspector found no defect with the mattress itself. Their conclusion is that I have a sensitive nose.
I asked 'what about the fact that your mattress is causing me sickness?'
She responded 'there is no defect in the mattress.'
The denial from them is absolute. She said I've reached the end of the line for what they can offer me. I asked, 'what am I supposed to do with a $2,300 investment that makes me sick?'
She replied, 'if you don't like it, and this is just a suggestion, you could sell it.'
Well, I'll end my blog on this line here. From here, there will be nothing else to report. I'll either sell it, cover it, tear it apart to decrease the foam content and reupholster it, or I'll donate it.
Thanks for reading. Hope it's been useful to someone out there. Blessings to you all.
