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.
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.Memory Foam vs Latex MattressesIt seems we want everything when looking for a new mattress. Will it be comfortable enough? Is it durable, good for your health and if that wasn’t enough, is it good value for money? This means manufacturers have a pretty hard crowd to please, but it’s not impossible.
As you know, my website is all about memory foam mattresses and this is because I happen to think they’re the best type on the market right now. However I’m not here to make the decision for you. I realized that some people may be considering a latex mattress instead of memory foam, so what better than to add a page telling you the pros and cons of both? This type of mattress has been around for some years now. In fact, they have been available since the mid 1950’s and they are considered to be one of the healthiest mattresses you can buy simply because latex is a natural substance that comes from the rubber tree. Latex mattresses are also incredibly durable. In fact some models will last as many as 15 years or more, and again this is because of the material used. If you prefer a firmer mattress, latex might be the answer because although it will conform to your body’s natural curves, it won’t give you that “sinking” feeling that memory foam does. A mattress that contains (or is made of) latex will generally not give that “off gas” odor when it’s new.
Heat is less likely to be an issue with a mattress like this although you may find it produces more heat than a traditional spring mattress. Pure latex is very expensive. In fact, if you want the very best and most natural latex mattress, expect to pay thousands for it. If you’re worried about your carbon footprint, be very careful when choosing a latex mattress. Some manufacturers are not very good at telling you exactly how much has been used. Where a combination of materials is used, expect to find more in the way of synthetics which negates the whole “eco-friendly” reputation. Don’t expect to walk into your local bed store and immediately find a latex mattress. The reason for this is because the material comes from a natural source, it’s not that widely available (another reason why they’re also expensive). If you suffer from severe aches and pains when you sleep, a latex mattress might not be the right choice because they’re not designed with this type of support as a priority.
There are a wide range of memory foam mattresses available on the market, and more choice means it’s easier for all types of people to find the right one for them. You don’t have to spend an inordinate amount of money in order to get decent quality because the technology used is widely available thereby making it cheaper. If you prefer a more plush type mattress, memory foam is probably better because they’re designed to cradle your body while you sleep. Some have even been designed with this in mind. For instance, you can take a look at the Ultimate Dreams 13″ Gel Memory Foam Mattress (see here) which is perfect for those nighttime aches and pains. If you’re constantly woken up in the night because your partner is an “active” sleeper, most memory foam mattresses will eliminate this problem because of the way they’re designed. Memory foam will conform to your natural shape much more efficiently than latex which helps to support the major pressure points over your body.
Foam mattresses are constructed from synthetic materials. However, these days’ manufacturers are careful to make sure this is not a danger to your health. Just be sure to look out for the CertiPUR-US certificate. If you tend to feel warm when you sleep, a foam mattress won’t help (although there are models on the market that use various airflow technologies and some even include layers of gel to help keep you cool. The Ultimate Dreams model I mentioned above is a good example of this). Expect to get anything from a slight to fairly strong odor when you first buy a foam mattress. This is because it has to expand into the right shape and certain harmless gases need to escape. A memory foam mattress probably won’t last as long as latex but again, there are models that offer 20 year limited warranties. Hopefully the information above has given you an idea of which type of mattress will suit you better. As you can see both have the pluses and negatives but ultimately, the decision is yours.