When my daughters were babies, I would sing, swaddle and shush them before I put them in their crib. I considered it a win if they slept through the night. But a recent study by the University of Texas at Austin means parents have more to worry about. The study of foam from 20 old and new crib mattresses found that mattresses release up to 30 different types of volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs, among them, phenol, a strong skin and respiratory irritant. The study detected other chemicals, including linalool and limonene, known fragrance allergens that can cause skin allergies. Repeated exposure over time increases the chances of an allergic reaction. The Texas researchers discovered that the sleeping zone of the crib gave off the most intense VOC fumes. New crib mattresses released four times as much as old cribs. These results are especially troubling because infants’ respiratory systems are fragile, many babies spend much of their first year of life in a crib, and body heat intensifies emissions.
Which mattresses are the worst? The study doesn’t name crib mattress brands or manufacturers. But you can find some answers elsewhere. A report called “Flame Retardants Finally Fade,” released last year by Clean and Healthy New York, a non-profit environmental health group, supplies names of crib mattress brands that use wool or other coatings to limit fumes and that don’t use persistent flame retardant chemicals. So how is it legal for crib mattresses and nap mats to release potentially harmful chemicals? Blame the broken federal toxics law -- the Toxic Substances Control Act, enacted in 1976 and never updated. This weak law assumes chemicals on the market are safe. Organizations like EWG, the Center for Environmental Health, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and academic researchers have to show a chemical is unsafe before it is taken off the market. The burden of proof is so difficult to meet that theadministration of President George H.W. Bush couldn’t ban asbestos, a known carcinogen.
This backwards system makes it easy for thoughtless manufacturers to peddle toxic baby mattresses. Despite bipartisan interest in reforming the federal toxics law, the two most recent legislative drafts in Congress wouldn’t help much. Earlier this month, Rep. John Shimkus (R-Pa.) circulated a draft of a bill we call “More Toxic Chemicals in Commerce” bill. This proposal would actually make it easier for toxic chemicals to flood the market. Our detailed analysis is here. On the Senate side, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is sponsoring a proposal called the Chemical Safety Improvement Act. It’s actually worse than the 1976 law. We’ve also done detailed analysis here. We need real change, like the reform outlined in the Safe Chemicals Act championed by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). This bill would make sure that chemicals are proven safe for children before they go on the market. So what do we do while we’re waiting for Congress to act? Here are five steps you can take:
1. Air out your crib mattress or use a recycled crib mattress, but don’t hang onto a crib mattress made before 2009 because it may contain toxic phthalates. Don’t use a crib mattress made in China. Some contain banned flame retardants. Older mattresses can harbor mold. 2. Buy organic wool mattresses if your budget allows. They are often expensive. 3. Look for certifications by Green Guard or Oeko-Tek. They test mattresses for chemicals that release fumes. 4. Tell your member of Congress to support the Safe Chemicals Act. Any one of these steps can help us all sleep better at night.Editor's note from UT Austin media relations office on funding: As noted in the release, this study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Nordic Research Opportunity program, a joint program between NSF and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes). AUSTIN, Texas In a first-of-its-kind study, a team of environmental engineers from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin found that infants are exposed to high levels of chemical emissions from crib mattresses while they sleep.
Analyzing the foam padding in crib mattresses, the team found that the mattresses release significant amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially harmful chemicals also found in household items such as cleaners and scented sprays. The researchers studied samples of polyurethane foam and polyester foam padding from 20 new and old crib mattresses. Graduate student Brandon Boor, in the Cockrell School's Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, conducted the study under the supervision of assistant professor Ying Xu and associate professor Atila Novoselac. Boor also worked with senior researcher Helena Järnström from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. They reported their findings in the February issue of Environmental Science and Technology. The researchers concluded that, on average, mattresses emitted VOCs at a rate of 87.1 micrograms per square meter per hour, while older mattresses emitted VOCs at a rate of 22.1 micrograms per square meter per hour.
Overall, Boor said crib mattresses release VOCs at rates comparable to other consumer products and indoor materials, including laminate flooring (20 to 35 micrograms per square meter per hour) and wall covering (51 micrograms per square meter per hour). Boor became motivated to conduct the study after finding out that infants spend 50 to 60 percent of their day sleeping. Infants are considered highly susceptible to the adverse health effects of exposure to indoor air pollutants. "I wanted to know more about the chemicals they may inhale as they sleep during their early stages of development," he said. "This research also helps to raise awareness about the various chemicals that may be found in crib mattresses, which are not typically listed by manufacturers." The 20 mattress samples are from 10 manufacturers. The researchers chose not to disclose the names of the manufacturers studied so that their results could draw general attention to the product segment without focusing on specific brands.
At present, not much is known about the health effects that occur from the levels of VOCs found in homes, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Among the many chemicals considered VOCs are formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, perchlorethylene and acetone. The crib mattresses analyzed in this study did not contain those organic compounds. The researchers identified more than 30 VOCs in the mattresses, including phenol, neodecanoic acid and linalool. The most abundant chemicals identified in the crib mattress foam, such as limonene (a chemical that gives products a lemon scent), are routinely found in many cleaning and consumer products. Chemist and indoor air quality expert Charles J. Weschler, adjunct professor in environmental and occupational medicine at Rutgers University, said he does not think the levels of chemical concentration found in the mattresses are alarming, but he considers the research valuable. "It's good to be alerted to the fact that crib mattresses are a significant source of chemicals in an infant's environment," said Weschler, who noted crib mattresses might one day be analyzed for noxious chemicals as a result of such research.
The researchers found that VOC levels were significantly higher in a sleeping infant's breathing zone when compared with bulk room air, exposing infants to about twice the VOC levels as people standing in the same room. Additionally, because infants inhale significantly higher air volume per body weight than adults and sleep a longer time, they experience about 10 times as much inhalation exposure as adults when exposed to the same level of VOCs, the researchers said. "Our findings suggest the reuse of an older crib or an extended airing-out period may help reduce infant VOC exposures," said assistant professor Ying Xu. Although used mattresses may appear to be a good alternative, the researchers noted that older mattresses might contain other harmful chemicals such as flame retardants now banned in mattress foams. Understanding the sleeping environment is important to the health of infants and adults, added Richard Corsi, chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering.