You may lose some sleep when you find out what's really inside your mattress - for example, cotton pesticides and flame-retardant chemicals, which can cause cancer and nervous-system disorders.
The average mattress, the place where you spend one-third of your life is chock-full of synthetic materials, some potentially toxic and even deadly.
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 latex mattresses have increased by 40 percent annually for the past five years. 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.
SOURCE: TORONTO DAILY NEWS, APRIL 1, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Green Mattress(TM) - The World's First All-Natural, Biodegradable Sleep System Introduced
SAN FRANCISCO, April 2, 2008, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- From packaging to bed frame and mattress materials, FloBeds of Fort Bragg, California has created the world's first completely green sleep system.
"Every part of the Green Mattress(TM: 101.92, -1.36, -1.31%) bed -- made of cotton, wool, latex and pine -- is 100 per cent biodegradable and recyclable," explained Dave Turner, bed inventor and owner of FloBeds, a company founded in 1979 to create personally crafted mattresses. Visit http://www.FloBeds.com for more information.
The Green Mattress is made of natural latex from rubber trees with no petro-based or other harmful chemicals used in processing. The latex is biodegradable and Oeko-Tex Certified. The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 provides the textile and clothing industry with a globally uniform standard for the objective assessment of harmful substances for the first time. Raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of processing throughout the manufacturing chain, including accessories, are tested and certified.
Organic Cotton, Pure Wool Covers
The cover for The Green Mattress is made of organic cotton and pure Mt. Shasta EcoWool, natural fibers that provide maximum airflow around your body and natural wicking so you sleep cool and dry. Woolgatherer Carding Mill uses BioSoft Wool Scouring Detergent, which leaves no detectable residue and is 100 per cent biodegradable.
FloBeds foundations are made from wood sustainably harvested from Ponderosa Pine forests in the western U.S. and birch forests in Western Europe.
Fire Retardant without Chemicals
FloBeds uses the nature fire resistant properties of wool to meet tough new federal fire standards which became effective July 1, 2007.
Since FloBeds Green Mattresses are shipped by UPS, FloBeds has devised a system of four small cartons for shipping a king-size bed and foundation. Says Turner: "Our factory-direct-to-you model further saves on fuel and distribution costs. The packing materials also are recyclable. If you buy wooden, instead of metal or plastic legs, the entire bed is made of natural compostable materials."
SOURCE: FOX BUSINESS, APRIL 2, 2008
"Every part of the Green Mattress(TM: 101.92, -1.36, -1.31%) bed -- made of cotton, wool, latex and pine -- is 100 per cent biodegradable and recyclable," explained Dave Turner, bed inventor and owner of FloBeds, a company founded in 1979 to create personally crafted mattresses. Visit http://www.FloBeds.com for more information.
The Green Mattress is made of natural latex from rubber trees with no petro-based or other harmful chemicals used in processing. The latex is biodegradable and Oeko-Tex Certified. The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 provides the textile and clothing industry with a globally uniform standard for the objective assessment of harmful substances for the first time. Raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of processing throughout the manufacturing chain, including accessories, are tested and certified.
Organic Cotton, Pure Wool Covers
The cover for The Green Mattress is made of organic cotton and pure Mt. Shasta EcoWool, natural fibers that provide maximum airflow around your body and natural wicking so you sleep cool and dry. Woolgatherer Carding Mill uses BioSoft Wool Scouring Detergent, which leaves no detectable residue and is 100 per cent biodegradable.
FloBeds foundations are made from wood sustainably harvested from Ponderosa Pine forests in the western U.S. and birch forests in Western Europe.
Fire Retardant without Chemicals
FloBeds uses the nature fire resistant properties of wool to meet tough new federal fire standards which became effective July 1, 2007.
Since FloBeds Green Mattresses are shipped by UPS, FloBeds has devised a system of four small cartons for shipping a king-size bed and foundation. Says Turner: "Our factory-direct-to-you model further saves on fuel and distribution costs. The packing materials also are recyclable. If you buy wooden, instead of metal or plastic legs, the entire bed is made of natural compostable materials."
SOURCE: FOX BUSINESS, APRIL 2, 2008
A decent night's sleep? Priceless.
(Opinion)
I went for a little test drive the other day, trying out different models.
One, in particular, was a real beauty, all sleek and shiny on the outside, luxurious to the touch.
"How much," I asked the salesman.
"$7,500," he answered, never batting an eye.
And that's without the engine.
Criminy, what does it cost to get a decent night's sleep around here?
Plenty, it would appear, judging by my recent sojourn into a few mattress stores.
Turns out not only do some mattresses cost more than a decent used car these days, they also seem to come with just about everything but the steering wheel.
Do I want innerspring or foam, continuous coil or pocket springs? And, say, how about a little air?
Um, no thanks on the latter. Yes, I know these "adjustable" beds are nothing like the air mattresses we used to blow up on camping trips.
Even so, memories die hard — hard as the ground I usually woke up on about 3 every morning after my air mattress managed to "spring" a leak.
Leaks are also the reason I've stayed away from waterbeds all these years as well — that and the fear that I might sink into the middle of one, never to rise again.
OK, no beds that come with their own buoys. No beds that come with a pump. That narrows it down.
So does my pocketbook.
For a mere 50 grand or so, I could be sleeping on a Hastens mattress, made with horsehair, cotton, linen and wool.
Custom-hand-crafted — perhaps by gnomes who live in the forest — each bed takes about two weeks to make.
European royalty, it is said, sleeps on these beds, though no word if one of them includes a princess and a certain pea.
Since I foolhardily bought groceries rather than oil when it was selling for $28 a barrel, I'll have to make do with something a tad less pricey.
And a little less, um, fluffy.
I would say that 80 percent of the mattresses I looked at came with some sort of "pillowtop," stuffed with foam.
"If the mattress is so good, why does it need this?" I asked one salesman who had no ready answer, other than to tell me all mattresses have some foam in them. Somewhere.
OK, let's take the opposite tack. How about an all-foam mattress? Maybe, but can I have one that doesn't leave indentations of every little bump and hollow of my body each time I leave the bed?
Reminds me too much of those chalk outlines you see on TV crime shows.
What I really want is the kind of mattress I have now — minus the lumps and bumps that come from a dozen or so years of tossing and turning, a move across town, and grandkids playing trampoline.
Why, this bed you could even turn over, which we've done several times during its lifetime.
But that lifetime has about run out. Same, no doubt, for the bedding that you just know will no longer fit on whatever kind of new "buffed up" bed we do wind up getting.
Fresh hell awaits, I'm sure. Do I want 800-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets or bamboo sheets with a mere 230-thread count.
And what about a new comforter set. (Does anyone even make bedspreads anymore?) Shouldn't cost more than $500 or so.
That's just about what I paid for my first used car, matter of fact. Engine included.
SOURCE: ARIZONA DAILY STAR, MARCH 30, 2008
I went for a little test drive the other day, trying out different models.
One, in particular, was a real beauty, all sleek and shiny on the outside, luxurious to the touch.
"How much," I asked the salesman.
"$7,500," he answered, never batting an eye.
And that's without the engine.
Criminy, what does it cost to get a decent night's sleep around here?
Plenty, it would appear, judging by my recent sojourn into a few mattress stores.
Turns out not only do some mattresses cost more than a decent used car these days, they also seem to come with just about everything but the steering wheel.
Do I want innerspring or foam, continuous coil or pocket springs? And, say, how about a little air?
Um, no thanks on the latter. Yes, I know these "adjustable" beds are nothing like the air mattresses we used to blow up on camping trips.
Even so, memories die hard — hard as the ground I usually woke up on about 3 every morning after my air mattress managed to "spring" a leak.
Leaks are also the reason I've stayed away from waterbeds all these years as well — that and the fear that I might sink into the middle of one, never to rise again.
OK, no beds that come with their own buoys. No beds that come with a pump. That narrows it down.
So does my pocketbook.
For a mere 50 grand or so, I could be sleeping on a Hastens mattress, made with horsehair, cotton, linen and wool.
Custom-hand-crafted — perhaps by gnomes who live in the forest — each bed takes about two weeks to make.
European royalty, it is said, sleeps on these beds, though no word if one of them includes a princess and a certain pea.
Since I foolhardily bought groceries rather than oil when it was selling for $28 a barrel, I'll have to make do with something a tad less pricey.
And a little less, um, fluffy.
I would say that 80 percent of the mattresses I looked at came with some sort of "pillowtop," stuffed with foam.
"If the mattress is so good, why does it need this?" I asked one salesman who had no ready answer, other than to tell me all mattresses have some foam in them. Somewhere.
OK, let's take the opposite tack. How about an all-foam mattress? Maybe, but can I have one that doesn't leave indentations of every little bump and hollow of my body each time I leave the bed?
Reminds me too much of those chalk outlines you see on TV crime shows.
What I really want is the kind of mattress I have now — minus the lumps and bumps that come from a dozen or so years of tossing and turning, a move across town, and grandkids playing trampoline.
Why, this bed you could even turn over, which we've done several times during its lifetime.
But that lifetime has about run out. Same, no doubt, for the bedding that you just know will no longer fit on whatever kind of new "buffed up" bed we do wind up getting.
Fresh hell awaits, I'm sure. Do I want 800-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets or bamboo sheets with a mere 230-thread count.
And what about a new comforter set. (Does anyone even make bedspreads anymore?) Shouldn't cost more than $500 or so.
That's just about what I paid for my first used car, matter of fact. Engine included.
SOURCE: ARIZONA DAILY STAR, MARCH 30, 2008
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