Mattress Off-Gassing

What is Mattress Off-Gassing?

What is mattress off-gassing? Most simply stated, polyurethane foam and flame retardants off-gas and decompose over time. The typical mattress and box spring is soaked in a strange brew of fire retardant chemicals, formaldehyde, and other toxic glues, stains, and coatings. These chemicals can release deadly and often carcinogenic gasses.

Almost every mattress produced has some form of polyurethane foam, which tends to off-gas isocyanate (an agitator or catalyst which creates the foam bubbles). No studies have demonstrated that the trace amounts of isocyanate found in polyurethane foam off-gassing present any demonstrable health risk. Some people have reported headaches and irritation from certain brands of mattresses; its possible these reactions could be due flame to retardants (phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and boron). If you find you are allergic to isocynate even in trace amounts, you may be disappointed to find the material is used in almost every mattress produced.

Can You Smell Off-Gassing?

Some of the deadliest off-gassing is due to fungus and bacteria consuming flame retardants and releasing toxic byproducts. This can happen in older mattresses which no longer have any smell. Don't be fooled into thinking a mattress is completely safe just because it does not smell. Also, it is important to know that flame retardants are added to both adult and baby mattresses, hence, switching mattress types does nothing.

Image: There are many brands of organic mattresses, made of materials such as wool or latex, which will not out-gass harmful pollutants.

Why Known Carcinogens are Added to Mattresses

One might ask, with all the very obvious health risks of adding carcinogenic chemicals to our mattresses, why is this allowed? In 2005, California passed a law requiring any mattresses sold in the state to resist open flames. All 50 states already had existing legislation that required mattresses do not go up in flames due to a lit cigarette. Some experts estimate the laws will save a few hundred lives per year. What the lawmakers didn't realize, was that these fire-resistant mattress mandates came with a nasty hidden cost. Mattress manufacturers are treating the mattress materials with known carcinogens such as boric acid (rat poison, roach killer) and Antimony Trioxide to make them fireproof.

Why Polyurethane Foam is Uses in Mattresses

Polyurethane foam is used in almost every mattress type because its cheap, lightweight, strong and durable (it remains 'bouncy' indefinitely). The downside is that polyurethane foam tends to decompose or off-gas very slowly over time. Polyurethane foam decomposes with a very short half-life. Immediately after polyurethane foam is sprayed R-values drop off.

The actual quoted R-values for polyurethane foam are always around the 6 month mark, since by then the off-gassing is pretty much done. The R-values between 6 month old foam and 5 year old foam are nearly the same This is evidence there is almost no off-gassing once the foam is several months old; if there was, there would be a larger R-value discrepancy between 6 months and five years. Most of the off-gassing is due to isocyanate being released from the foam.

Polyurethane foam R-values are stable at the 6 month mark, and don't change substantially even 10 to 15 years after this--because the material almost completely ceases to off-gas or break down. Some people with extreme sensitivity to foam mattress off-gassing may want to find a mattress made without polyurethane foam. Unfortunately, this may be difficult because almost every mattress type, even organic latex mattresses contain at least some polyurethane foam components.

Polyurethane Foam Found in Almost All Mattress Types

Memory foam mattresses usually have a layer of polyurethane foam to add additional cushioning and durability. Many futon mattresses are near 100% polyurethane foam. Even traditional spring or coil mattresses usually have a 6" layer of rigid foam deep in the mattress to provide added cushioning. Generally, the comfort bumps, even on organic mattresses are made of polyurethane foam. Some organic mattresses use icynene foam (castor oil based), and others use biobase foam (soybean oil based). However, the catalyst or agitator that makes the bubbles in these types of foam is exactly the same as that used in polyurethane foam.

Polyurethane plastics are not the problem; the offgasing is actually from the isocyanate (or catalyst) which is used in all types of foam (i.e. replacing them with soy or castor oil products wont really change the off-gassing issues). If you do use a castor oil, or soybean oil based foams, currently most compositions are only around 15% organic, while the other 85% remains mostly the same.

Most 'organic' foams are almost the same composition as regular polyurethane foam. In fact, foam is made from a 50/50 mix of two components. One is a catalyst and the other is the actual plastics that need to be agitated to create the bubbles. The second catalyst component (isocyanate is a key ingredient in the 'agitator') remains mostly the same for all types of foam. Most foam off-gassing is due to the component that is the same composition for all types of foam, whether they are based on soybean oil, castor oil, or polyols.

If you don't get an organic mattress, you can expect to find polyurethane foam in all mattress types. Even blow-up mattresses and water-beds usually have a layer of polyurethane foam inside them to help make a stronger seal.

If you recently purchased a new mattress and you're getting strange side effects or headaches, you may want to consider switching to an organic mattress. If you're experiencing irritation, nausea or other symptoms, it may be the result of an allergic reaction to chemicals decomposing in your mattress.

Organic Latex Mattresses May be the Most Healthy Solution

Latex mattresses are sometimes polyurethane and chemical free (you'll have to read the ingredients and check to see whether it's truly organic). Although there are forms of synthetic latex (not organic at all, and not safe from off-gassing), there are natural rubber versions. Sap is harvested from rubber tress usually found within about 10 degrees of the equator. Generally rubber trees can be harvested for their sap about 160 days a year, and some sources say the trees recover within about an hour. The material is completely natural, and sustainable since rubber trees can produce sap indefinitely.

Unfortunately, even mattresses made with natural rubber (latex) usually have polyurethane foam or fire retardant components. You may need to shop around to find a latex mattress that uses no polyurethane foam, and no flame retardants. As already mentioned, the only deadly materials in a mattress are the carcinogenic flame retardants.

Image: A cross-section of a natural latex mattress.

The Medical Community Mostly Ignores Mattress Off-Gassing

There are many who claim that chemical off-gassing for mattresses are harmful. No generally accepted medical studies have been published which can demonstrate that mattress off-gassing releases enough toxic chemicals in high enough levels to have any real impact on health (although reputable studies have shown otherwise, the American medical community as a whole has dismissed them).

The general medical community in the USA has dismissed studies performed in Germany, New Zealand, and Britain regarding mattress off-gassing and detrimental health impacts. Some scientists claim that class action lawsuits or liabilities in general may be secretly preventing government agencies from admitting that mattress off-gassing is a real threat.

Mattress Off-Gassing: The Secret Cause of SIDs?

Most of us are familiar with the medical advice that infants lay face up while sleeping to prevent SIDs (children should not be placed face down to sleep). Experts also agree that male children are twice as susceptible as females, and African American children are also more likely to die from SIDs. The controversial findings of several studies (see below) suggest that trace amounts of off-gassing collect near the mattress surface, where a high concentration of chemicals collect.

Babies that are laid face down are subjected to a potentially lethal dose of chemicals (both through breathing and skin absorption), which prevents the medulla oblongata from regulating normal breathing functions. The failure of the medulla oblongata to regulate body functions results in the child's death (e.g. the Mayo Clinic, a world renown medical research facility at least agrees that the failure of the brain stem causes SIDs; however they conclude that the true cause of failure is mostly unknown. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/DS00145/DSECTION=causes).

Mattress Fire Retardants Include Known Carcinogens

The fire retardants phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and boron (also known as boric acid and used in rat poison) which are added to mattresses are known carcinogens and known health hazards (Health impacts of Boron (Boric Acid) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts26.html). No one disagrees that these chemicals are highly hazardous to our health. However, there is a consensus among the scientific community that the trace amounts of these chemicals, which are placed in our mattress, which we are breathing and absorbing through our skin are 'ok'.

Some scientists have challenged this consensus (that breathing trace chemicals has no health impact), and they strongly believe that the carcinogenic cocktail in our mattresses (boron, phosphorus, arsenic and antimony) are the primary causes of SIDS. The opponents of this theory simply argue that this conclusion is wrong, although they provide no alternative explanation(s).

Published Scientific Studies Say Mattress Off-Gassing May Cause SIDs

Every day, 8 babies die in the USA due to 'crib death' or SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Some claim SIDs has been around since Old Testament Times (Holy Bible, 1 Kings 3:19). Although most experts agree that the failure of medulla oblongata to regulate body functions is the most likely cause of SIDs, few experts agree that mattress off-gassing is causing this.

Several studies show data which demonstrates decisively that off-gassing is the primary cause of SIDs (sudden infant death syndrome). At the bottom of this article, I have listed some of the scientific studies on which scientists have staked their careers and reputation on the premise that mattress off-gassing may cause SIDs.

According to Dr. Jim Sprott in New Zealand and Mr. Barry Richardson in the United Kingdom, bacteria and fungus consume the flame retardants (phosphorus, arsenic, antimony), releasing deadly byproducts into the atmosphere near the baby. According to these studies, high doses of these byproducts are deadly for young children who are not yet completely developed, which results in SIDs (Crib Death). The advice to have a child lay face up to prevent SIDs would make sense since the harmful chemicals off-gassing would tend to be in the highest concentrations on the mattress surface.

Implications of Mattress Off-Gassing Studies

The implications of these studies suggest that a non-permeable wrap should be placed around infant mattresses to prevent deadly off-gassing vapors from being absorbed through a child’s skin or lungs. Dr. Sprott developed "BabeSafe covers" for this purpose, and they are marketed in several countries (some claim his study was for his own financial gain). According to the New Zealand studies, wrapping mattresses in a non-permeable, non-offgassing membrane (a type of polyurethane plastic, e.g. "BabeSafe" cover) prevented SIDs (165,000 births with no SIDs were recorded).

Opponents argue that the mattress wrapping was correlation without causation and that the findings should be rejected as non-scientific. Perhaps spending a few dollars on a mattress wrap to prevent a potential SIDs death is worth the cost; even if we can't be sure whether these studies are conclusive, one thing is for sure. Mattresses truly do off-gas, and preventing your baby from breathing chemicals is never a 'bad' idea.

Allergic Reactions to Mattress Off-Gassing

With that said, many adults have reported head-aches, nausea, and strange allergic reactions while sleeping on new mattresses. With each report of this nature, it is important to note where the mattress was purchased, as well as the materials and chemicals used in the manufacturing of the mattress. If you are having strange or adverse effects from a new mattress, it is possible that off-gassing is the culprit.

You may want to consider switching to an organic mattress, such as natural (not synthetic) latex. If you do have a child, and you're concerned, you may consider mattress wrapping as a solution. There is a body of evidence supporting the theory that this does work, regardless of whether or not the bureaucrats of the world at large accept it. Aside, even if the toxic gasses released by off-gassing don't cause SIDs, you may still want to consider mattress wrapping to keep your baby in a cleaner, and healthier environment.

Note on Dr Hannes Kapuste

The "p" (probability) factor for the mattress-wrapping intervention was calculated by Dr Hannes Kapuste(in collaboration with the University of Munich) as being: p = less than 1.9 x 10-22. It is usual in medical circles to regard a "p" of less than 0.01 (10-2) as sound proof of a scientific proposition; and if the "p" is less than 0.001 (10-3), that is regarded as virtually certain proof. 1.9 x 10-22 (the "p" factor for mattress-wrapping) can be written as: 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,19 In other words, statistical proof that mattress-wrapping prevents crib death is one billion billion times the level of proof which medical researchers generally regard as constituting enough certainty to prove a scientific proposition. This is why Dr Kapuste described the toxic gas theory for crib death and mattress-wrapping for crib death prevention as having "overwhelming reliability".

Sources

Fitzpatrick, M.G. 1998. SIDS and The Toxic Gas Theory (letter), New Zealand Medical Journal, October 9, 1998.
Hon A.F. King, M.P., 2001. New Zealand Minister of Health, correspondence, April.
Kapuste, Hannes. 2002. "Giftige Gase im Kinderbett" ("Toxic Gases in Infants' Beds”). Zeitschrift fuer Umweltmedizin (Journal of Environmental Medicine) (2002, No. 44) 18-20.
Mitchell, P.R. 2001. Analysis of Official UK Statistics for Cot Deaths and Infant Deaths by Other Causes, 1996-1999.
New Zealand Ministroy of Health. 2000. Changes to infant sleep practices in Canterbury, New Zealand Medical Journal 2000;113:8-10
New Zealand Health Information Service (NZHIS), Official New Zealand Cot Death Statistics.
Richardson, Barry A. 1994. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Possible Primary Cause. Journal of Forensic Science Soc. Jul-Sep; 34(3):199-204.
Richardson, Barry A. 2004 Cot Death Today. Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, 2004, Vol. 14, No. 3, Pages 219-220
SIDS Alliance. 2001. www.sidsalliance.org Sprott, T.J. 2000. Critique of the 1998 UK Limerick Report. www.cotlife2000.com
Sprott, T.James 1996. The Cot Death Cover-Up? Auckland, New Zealand: Penguin Books.
Sprott, T.James 2004. Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, 2004, Vol. 14, No. 3, Pages 221-232
Sprott, T.James 2000. Research Which Confirms and Supports the Toxic Gas Theory For Cot Death New Zealand Medical Journal 2000;113:326-327
Sprott, T.James 2003. The Cause of Cot Death and How to Prevent It, Cot Life 2000, March 2003

Online Sources

American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute www.sids.org
Causes of Sides & Definition: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids/article_em.htm
Recent Findings About SIDs: http://www.scienceagogo.com
/news/20060931195901data_trunc_sys.shtml The Mayo Clinic on SIDS: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/DS00145/DSECTION=causes
Fox59 TV Gets First Industry Admission of Chemicals in Beds: http://www.stmarystoday.com/fire_retardant_in_bedding_a_good.htm

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