Foam Mattresses And Cushions are More Dangerous Than We Thought

Autoimmunity & Healing Diets

May 14
Foam Mattresses And Cushions are More Dangerous Than We Thought, foam cushions, foam mattresses

I never really trusted foam, because I knew that it was made with toxic chemicals. It turns out that foam mattresses and cushions are more dangerous than we thought.

If you were worried about the flame retardants in mattresses made after 2007, you better sit down. Wait – don’t sit on your mattress if it is made of foam!

Ian Urbina reported in the New York Times a news story that will curl your hair.

Foam Mattresses And Cushions are More Dangerous Than We Thought

This is a story about the workers employed at Royale Comfort Seating in North Carolina.

There, they worked as gluers and were repeatedly exposed to what turned out to be an extremely toxic glue that is used in the manufacture of foam mattresses, cushions and pillows for sofa’s and chairs. The glue is used as an adhesive to hold together layers of foam.

It’s not the foam that is so toxic — although foam is made of many artificial chemicals — it’s the glue that is devastating.

Toxic Glue

In the 1990’s companies using the chlorofluorocarbons that were destroying the ozone later were forced by the EPA to switch to a greener substitute.  The chemical n-propyl bromide (nPB) – also called 1-bromopropane (1-BP) was used instead.

It turns out that nPB is much much worse than what it was supposed to replace – something referred to as regrettable substitution.

The EPA, in trying to protect the workers from the fumes of the chlorofluorocarbons, fostered the use of another, even more toxic substance.  Unintentionally, the effect of that action was that sellers of the chemical marketed  it as federally approved, “nonhazardous,” green and worker-friendly.

Not exactly the reality.

Company Negligence

After fairly short term exposure, (2 – 4 weeks) 7 workers had severe neurological problems that have caused them to be disabled.

Many other workers also experience neurological problems with their feet and balance problems from inhaling the fumes. They experienced staggered gait, numb hands and feet and spinal pain.

The article discusses the problems with keeping up with safety restrictions while still trying to remain competitive with other companies – especially foreign competitors where restrictions and wages are much lower.

The workers also need to be considered – and this begs the question – is it better to have a job that is dangerous – or no job at all?

In 2005, when seven workers became seriously ill at one plant …Royale had to lay off 40 people, close the facility and spend $50,000 to move operations to another site and upgrade the ventilation there. OSHA found high levels of fumes in subsequent years because no one informed the company that fans and filters needed cleaning for ventilation to work properly, he said.

They didn’t know that you had to clean the filters and fans to keep it in good working order?

N-Propyl Bromide

According to Ian Urbina,

n-propyl bromide is also used by tens of thousands of workers in auto body shops, dry cleaners and high-tech electronics manufacturing plants across the nation. Medical researchers, government officials and even chemical companies that once manufactured nPB have warned for over a decade that it causes neurological damage and infertility when inhaled at low levels over long periods, but its use has grown 15-fold in the past six years.

This chemical, n-propyl bromide, is used to manufacture foam mattresses as well as cushions for sofa’s and chairs.

It is ubiquitous in everyone’s home.

Any chemical with bromide would be toxic to the thyroid gland as bromide replaces iodine and makes it unavailable for making thyroid hormone – hence, infertility problems.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is known for it’s stringent regulations for safety on the job. However, most of their focus is for acute dangers. Sadly, there are more problems with the long term effects of theses chemicals on a person’s health and the OSHA regulations do not address safe exposure levels.

The Cost of Occupational Illness

According to Ian Urbina,

Occupational illnesses and injuries like Ms. Farley’s cost the American economy roughly $250 billion per year because of medical expenses and lost productivity, according to government data analyzed by J. Paul Leigh, an economist at the University of California, Davis, more than the cost of diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Roughly 40 percent of medical expenses from workplace hazards, or about $27 billion a year, is paid by public programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

The Cost to Quality of Life

One of the workers highlighted in this article calls herself damaged goods. She worked as a gluer and breathed in the fumes for five years. Along with other workers, she experienced severe pain and swelling in her feet to the point where she has difficulty walking and is in pain every day.

{her} doctors say that breathing them {fumes} in eventually ate away at her nerve endings, resulting in what she and her co-workers call “dead foot.”

In this day and age I thought workers were protected from things like this. It’s like the cigarette industry all over again — memo’s and warnings that were ignored and/or hidden. The obvious reason — nPB turns out to be inexpensive, strong, fast-drying and, best of all, unregulated.

When it was first marketed , the salesmen would say

It’s so safe you can eat it.

How Does This Translate To the Foam in a Mattress?

Of course the foam in a mattress or a cushion is not going to be giving off the type of fumes these workers were exposed to.

Supporters of foam mattresses may say that once the glue is dried it is inert and the polyurethane used in foam is inert.

However, it has definitely been established that polyurethane foam emits formaldehyde (there are patents out for ways to alleviate this) and we all know that formaldehyde is highly toxic. In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen under conditions of unusually high or prolonged exposure.

Additionally, The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen.

What About the Foam in Crib Mattresses?

As with any product, the higher the quality, the more expensive. However, the health of your baby should also come to mind in any decisions made about which mattress to buy.

The cheapest crib mattresses are of course foam. As stated above, foam can be cheaply put together with cheap glue. The covering of foam mattresses are usually made of vinyl, another material that off gases toxic fumes.

They make inner spring crib mattresses which are better, but these still may have an inner core of foam. The highest quality crib mattress would be certified organic cotton with wool.

These would be flame resistant from the wool and may not have any toxic flame retardant chemicals.

This is an item that I would research well before purchasing.

There is much information on line about what to look for in a crib mattress to protect your baby – some folks use a mattress cover that prevents any fumes from reaching baby.

Read more about making the crib mattress baby safe here.

Polyurethane Foam

Polyurethane foam has a track record of toxicity.

Foam mattresses are made from plastic foam products and polyesters, with the obligatory mix of flame-retardant chemicals added.

Additionally, other chemicals in this type of mattress most often cited as potential sources of concern are pesticides, herbicides, stain-resistant solvents, the various substances in synthetic fibers, and formaldehyde.

This combination may cause breathing, skin, and asthmatic reactions.

Since you are in bed about 1/3 of each 24 hour period, you are getting exposed to these chemicals on a daily basis. Even if they are not nearly as strong as what the workers in the cushion factory are exposed to – low exposures over time have not been studied.

Common sense (not paranoia, as some would like to view this) dictates that this can’t be good.

I need to buy my son a new mattress soon.

It will definitely NOT have any type of foam. What about you? Leave a comment and let me know.

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