Choosing an Organic Mattress Could Avoid a "Sticky" Situation

Beyond the petroleum byproducts used to make the foam in your non-organic mattress; the flame retardants used to make your mattress resistant to fire; the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates used to cover your mattress (especially crib mattresses); and the pesticides and dyes used to create the textiles in your mattress and your bedding, there's another volatile organic compound (VOC) menace in your conventional mattress construction: the glues and adhesives used to keep all of the layers of your mattress together.

Why traditional mattress adhesives are dangerous for your health and indoor air quality:

Most conventional mattresses are made using large quantities of glues and adhesives that are either rolled onto the various layers or mixed with water and sprayed over each mattress surface. The process of applying adhesives during mattress construction can happen multiple times as the inner textile layers are glued together, the textiles are glued to the foam core, and the fabric cover is glued to everything else.

The three most common chemical adhesives used in mattress construction are chloride, methylene, and benzene, most of which will contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Not only are these chemicals linked to health problems like asthma and nose, lung, and throat cancers, they have also been implicated in health concerns such as nervous system disorders, skin irritations, as well as heart, liver, and kidney damage.

Don't be fooled by claims that your mattress manufacturer has used water-based adhesives. Though this might sound healthier, it only means that the adhesives applied to your mattress were mixed with water. The glue that is left after all of the moisture dries will still off-gas VOCs into your home.

How to buy a mattress with VOC-free adhesives and glues:

Reducing the VOC load of a mattress by minimizing the synthetic adhesive chemicals used is not difficult, yet most manufacturers will opt for the cheapest, easiest solution when creating their mattresses. In order to find a mattress that emits fewer indoor air pollutants such as those from the glues and adhesives, you'll need to look for a model or a manufacturer that has verifiable claims of low- or no-VOCs in their finished product.

So when choosing organic bedding be sure to ask about the adhesives used in the process. The GREENGUARD seal of approval on a piece of furniture or bedding is a sure-fire way of identifying the healthier version over the one that will add to health problems in your home.


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