Grave Matters
Grave Matters follows families who found in “green” burial a more natural, more economic, and ultimately more meaningful alternative to the tired and toxic send-off offered at the local funeral parlor.
Eschewing chemical embalming and fancy caskets, elaborate and costly funerals, they have embraced a range of natural options, new and old, that are redefining a [...]
Is Your Bedroom Toxic?
I experienced one of the worst headaches of my life when someone, in an attempt to be thoughtful, placed one of those liquid air fresheners on the headboard of my bed. For six hours or so I breathed that stuff in, and when I woke up it felt like someone was trying to split my head open . . . from the inside. Although the bedroom is supposed to be a place of rest and rejuvenation, the air quality in the average bedroom is poor and sometimes toxic. The standard mattress outgasses chemicals for years after it’s purchased. Most people have no idea that they are sleeping on a mattress manufactured with formaldehyde and various carcinogenic chemicals. Your bed may be making you sick.
Needless to say our largest organ, the skin will absorb whatever we’re sleeping on. We also breath in the chemicals in bedding and furniture. Pesticides, herbicides, fire retardants, and stain-resistant solvents are routinely used to manufacture bedding. Wood bed frames may be treated with paint or stain. Metal frames may be treated with chemicals to keep them from rusting. Sheets and blankets advertised as Wrinkle Free indicate the presence of additional chemicals.
Your mattress is the biggest contributor to poor air quality in your bedroom. Synthetic polyurethane, which is used in mattresses, pillows, sofas, and chairs, is made from petrochemicals—carcinogens. If this material burns, it is incredibly toxic. Several states have laws that require manufacturers of beds and bedding to treat their products with flame retardants. All of this contributes to the poor air quality of your bedroom.
In case you didn’t know about the danger of flame retardants, let me give you a quick tutorial. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs for short, are commonly used fire retardants. As a class they tend to be toxic and endocrine disruptors. They also disrupt the brains of developing fetuses. The retardants escape from foam cushions as household dust. European studies have found them in the tissues of arctic whales. A Swedish study found that they were accumulating in breast tissue.
With all that said, the real problem is not knowing what your bed is made of. Usually furniture manufacturers do not reveal what is in their products. If you try to get exact information about materials, they make vague claims about their materials being natural or eco-friendly. Using buzz words is not exactly reassuring.
Unfortunately, concrete information is not often detailed in consumer literature so the consumer does not have any way to know what process the latex has been through. Please note that if you are allergic to latex, it may be that you are allergic to synthetic latex and not is natural alternative that comes right out of the tree. In another example, products are often imported from countries such as China and fumigated for pests. Do you know what chemicals were used? Try getting that documentation from the manufacturer and see how far you get.
It is possible to find products that are not manufactured with toxic chemicals and petrochemicals. There is 100 percent natural latex that can be washed and dried which rids most if not all of any residual chemicals from the product.
Pure wool bedding is naturally fire resistant and does not release toxic chemicals when it does burn. If you are allergic to wool, it may be that you are actually allergic to the lanolin in the wool. Often people with wool or latex toppers on their beds have no adverse reactions to wool.
In general it is a good practice to encase your bed (and pillows) with a cotton barrier. You may be thinking that plastic would be better, but plastic will outgas too. A cotton barrier will reduce mattress emissions, dust mites, and allergens from the air. If your bed frame is treated with some sort of paint or stain, consider a sealant.
Another way to improve indoor air quality is to use an air filter. These are especially good for people that experience breathing problems or sleep apnea. As materials age, they release chemicals into the air that irritate the airway.
If you’re looking to buy a new bed, there are many green varieties available in organic cotton, wool, and natural latex. Another alternative is to buy a used mattress. Used mattresses have outgassed most of their chemicals. If you decide to buy a natural mattress Sheep are regularly dipped to prevent parasites, so you must specify organic wool. If your bed is made of particleboard—an engineered wood–it is definitely releasing formaldehyde.
Needless to say, air quality can affect the quality of sleep you get. Air fresheners, dirty air filters, and even candles contribute to the air pollution of your bedroom. If you notice you don’t breath well in your bedroom or that you sneeze, cough, or your sinuses generally become irritated, consider getting an air filter. The newer models are quiet and you’ll be amazed at how better rested you’ll be. You may also find that your allergies improve.
If you do like candles, you don’t have to give them up. Simply use soy candles. They burn clean and won’t contribute to poor air quality.
Look for mattresses and bedding that are made from natural products such as latex and watch for labels that claim to be stain resistant or wrinkle free. That means the bedding has been treated with chemicals.
Lastly, if you’ve bought new furniture and smell that synthetic smell, let them sit in the garage for a few day. It will go a long way in helping to reduce the amount of indoor air pollution.
Many consumers may not be aware that formaldehyde, a toxin and carcinogen commonly used in the embalming process, is also one of the most common ingredients in many materials that make up a normal home. As a result, many household items …
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Now it’s your turn. I want to know what you think. Comment below with a quick response…
- 15 Comments
- Tags: air filter, Allergies, green mattress, indoor air, indoor air quality, indoor pollution, off gasing, offgassing, outgassing, sick building
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The air quality inside a room is important to your sleep. Most of the body repair functions are happening while you are asleep. So fresh circulating air is important to your sleep. At the same time the mattresses and pillow you use should be comfortable to make sure you have a stress less sleep. Use Memory foam mattress which renders you a good night sleep.
ReplyGreat, informative article. It is so important to get a good nights sleep. It impacts your ability to function. Our Denver mattress customers are always looking at how to best purchase products which do not adversely affect the benefits they are receiving from the mattress they purchase.
ReplyReally informative article – I haven’t come across the importance of air quality in your bedroom mentioned before but it’s certainly a very good point. As people become more informed and knowledgeable about this I think we’ll gradually start to see a shift towards organic materials in particular. It’s already happened in food and increasingly with clothes, so bedding could be the next logical step.
ReplyCharles @ Mattress Maven´s last blog ..The Most Popular Hypnos Mattresses
Twitter: essentia
said-
A list of chemicals found in mattresses can be found here http://www.myessentia.com/research/glues-toxic-components
ReplyEssentia Mattress´s last blog ..Speakers That are Environmentally Friendly… and Transparent.
I had no idea that matresses had so many chemicals. It’s a but of a worry really. But then we haven’t had any (noticeable) problems caused by this before so I’m not that worried. There should be safer alternatives though.
ReplyA thorough surveillance of the bedroom is very essential. Investing time and effort to check every inch of the room has a priceless reward: safety.
Clark
ReplyOrange County Private Investigators
Twitter: saurabhsnv
said-
i didn’t know about that mattresses had so many chemicals. i am really worried about it. sleep is really needy for health.
ReplyWow. I just learn something new today. My new mattress is the last thing I would have considered when setting up my bed room for a good night of sleep. You buy a new mattress and you think, this feels great, but you still might be hurting yourself. Thank you for the post.
ReplyWhoa, I sure hope my new mattress doesn’t contain any of those nasty toxins… Otherwise I just threw away a couple grand…
Reply-Jack
Great, comprehensive advice! I just want to add that it is thought by some scientists that chemicals emitted from mattresses are actually the cause of SIDS. It has been shown that gases are emitted from the mattress when the fire retardant chemicals mix with a mold which is common to bedding, and hang in a thin layer just above it’s surface. When an immature respiratory system breathes these in, it simply shuts down. The fact that an enormous number of cot deaths happen with the baby sleeping on it’s stomach works towards this principle, and the fact that second babies are much more likely to die of SIDS (when the mould population has become more established in the mattress)does also.
ReplyExcellent points regarding the toxicity levels of our mattresses and other items commonly found in the bedroom. You may also wish to explore using non – toxic cleaning products, and many of these you can make at home:
http://verdant-green.info/go/home-detox-toolbox/
“Going Green” is often ill – used regarding products that are far from the attributes they claim to possess, but making your own cleaning solutions makes that point essentially moot.
ReplyI didn’t know there was any difference between latex and thought if you were allergic to one type then you were allergic to both ! Thanks very useful
ReplyI did not realise that mattresses could have so many chemicals! Does this go for baby mattresses too? Its very frightening, but will now be doing checks in the bedroom.
ReplyAnd that is why you should wash the sheets at least once per week.
Reply-Jack
This is why adjustable beds can have so many issues with allergies, they tend to get moldy under the mattress.
ReplyTim@steel siding´s last blog ..Vinyl Siding vs. Steel Siding: Pros and Cons