Is Your Mattress Releasing Toxic VOCs While You Sleep?

For most people, their bed is a safe haven for them, a comfort zone that they long to relax in after a long long. However, research has suggested that the heat emitted from our body can trigger the release of toxic chemicals from our mattresses.

These toxic chemicals are known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and come from polyurethane used in manufacturing conventional mattresses. Apart from this, the VOCs can also come from various other chemicals like plastics and flame retardants that are used on mattresses to help it withstand fire.

The researchers have found that our body heat can increase the amount of VOCs emitted from a mattress when compared to the amount of VOC released when the mattress is not being used. So, this means that we are exposed to comparatively more amount of toxic gases while we sleep on traditional mattress than when we are not on it.

While the exposure level was pegged under the “No Significant Risk Levels” (NSRL) category according to the California Environmental laws for grownups and adults, it can be seriously detrimental for a child’s health. For example, researchers have found out that cancer causing compounds like formaldehyde, benzene, and acetaldehyde exceeded the safety levels for infants, toddlers, and children.

Even if there are no kids present in the house, the VOCs released effects our sleeping microenvironment by polluting the air quality and would be detrimental for our health in the long term. VOCs can cause a number of health condition like throat, skin, and eye irritation to headaches. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Long states that term exposure to VOC can even result in cancerous growths, organ damage and failure.

Study Finds that Human Body Heat Increases VOC release from Mattresses

The researchers used 8 different kinds of mattresses in the study to find out the levels of VOCs released from the mattresses when we sleep or spend time on it. The artificially recreated sleeping conditions and imitated the human body heat, carbon dioxide, and humidity produced when we sleep. Prior to conducting the study, the mattresses used in the research were aired out for six months to find accurate results at the end of the study.

Often we think that airing out the mattress for while can significantly reduce the amount of chemicals released in the air. However, the researchers recorded significant levels of emission even after six months of off gassing the mattresses.

This study was published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal on July 10. Conventional mattress is made with synthetic materials and use copious amount of such toxic chemicals to make it flame retardant and comfortable. Scientists are more concerned about the health of children after being exposed to the VOC. Crib mattresses made artificial synthetic materials produce such gases and as children spend most of their time sleeping they are more adversely affected by their toxicity due to their developing immune system.

How can We Remedy This Situation?

One of the best ways to stop VOCs from being off gassed in our living quarters is to replace conventional mattresses with organic certified mattress like memory foam mattress. These eco-friendly mattresses now account for 20 percent of the total number of mattress sales in the world and come with numerous benefits. Most importantly, memory foam mattresses are made of natural substances and are manufactured using sustainable practices, which means that toxic chemicals are not used on these sleeping surfaces.

The cells of the memory foam are densely packed prevents dust, mildew, and allergen buildup. Certified organic mattresses come with no toxic additives and produce zero emission due to sustainable manufacturing methods. These features makes the mattress hypoallergenic nature and is an excellent alternative to conventional innerspring and coilspring mattress

Apart from this, there are several other benefits of sleeping on memory foam mattress. Let’s have a look at them.

Relief for Pressure Points in Our Body:

Memory foam has a natural ability of relieving pain on the pressure points in our body. While spring mattresses resists the weight forcing it back on us, while gravity pulls us down, memory foam, compresses our body weight by molding to the shape of our body. The open-celled structure of memory can less the pressure on our body by 50 percent when compared to traditional mattresses.

Alignment Support:

The conforming ability of memory foam mattress provides optimal spine alignment helping us sleep soundly and wake up without any body aches. Spring coil mattresses provide more support to the heavier parts of our body like shoulder and hips rather than the lower back. This organic mattress, on the other hand, allows our body to maintain the natural curvature and provides proper lumbar support.

Isolation of Motion:

Does your partner’s movement at night disturb your sleep? Worry not as memory foam mattress has a remedy for that as well. The cellular structure of the memory foam absorbs any motion and isolates it rather than transferring it. So, move and jump all you want, your partner will sleep undisturbed through the night. Memory foam mattress is thus best suited for couples working on different time schedules and light sleepers.

How can Bio Sleep Concept Help in Making Your Sleeping Environment Better?

As stated earlier, the only remedy to this situation is to change you conventional mattress with an organic one, preferably a memory foam mattress. Bio Sleep Concept, is a mattress manufacturing company, whose sole aim is to provide its customers with handmade mattresses made of the highest-quality of organically farmed materials.

Bio Sleep Concept organic memory foam mattresses are safe, sustainable, and eco-friendly and contains no traces of VOC at all. Bio Sleep Concept organic mattress carry certifications Greenguard Gold, CERTIPUR-US®, LGA Quality Certificate, ECO Certification, and many more.

So, if you want to sleep without breathing in toxic chemicals, order a Bio Sleep Concept memory foam mattress today.

In Conclusion

VOC emission from mattresses is a major trigger for various health conditions and adversely affects our environment as well. A sustainable lifestyle and sleeping choices including organic mattresses is the only way to stay health and keep our planet safe.

Study Source: Yael Dubowski, Ph.D., associate professor, Israel Institute of Technology; Sarah Evans, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, environmental medicine and public health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City; Kenneth Spaeth, M.D., chief, occupational and environmental medicine, Northwell Health, Great Neck, N.Y.; July 10, 2019,Environmental Science & Technology