23

I recently purchased a memory foam (polyurethane) mattress and was looking online to see how long they take to "air out". They produce a strong odor for awhile after manufacture. However, instead of finding my answer I found seemingly endless reports on websites claiming that memory foam gives off potentially toxic fumes.

From http://news.softpedia.com/news/Can-Your-Mattress-Kill-You-76887.shtml

It is clear that the hydrocarbons evaporate and load the sleeping room. Most of the hydrocarbons are powerful carcinogenic chemicals and attack, with severe damages, the immune and nervous systems. Most autoimmune disorders (like arthritis, lupus, allergies asthma, and others) have been connected with or thought to be boosted by increased exposure to petroleum. Interestingly, in the US there are no exposure limits for carcinogenicity in the case of the polyurethans.

From http://www.myfoammattress.net/compare/organic.html

Recent findings also showed that petroleum-based foam mattresses may be a source of cancer-causing chemicals. During use, all these foams break down in dangerous by-products: toxic dust under the bed and formaldehyde gas in the air.

and

Additionally, the average mattress seems to contain around a pound of fire retardants called PDBE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), already banned in Europe and the US. These PDBE have only been recently banned (January 2005) so the mattress you currently sleep on probably still contains them. Tests show that these chemicals may be especially toxic to kids, potentially affecting their hearing, memory and even intelligence after sleeping on PDBE-treated cribs.

I am doubtful of these claims, because it seems to me that if they were true, these mattresses either wouldn't be on the market or you'd hear more about these problems. Second, most of these websites seem to be marketing alternative "natural organic latex" mattresses, so their motives are suspect.

My question then: Is there any evidence that memory foam (polyurethane) mattresses give of toxic gasses, and if so, do they do so in quantities that can have a noticeable effect on a sleeper's health?

Improve this question
6
  • 1
    I Think the key word here is potentially. If you concentrate the fumes enough then they could kill or cause you harm. The same is true of almost any gas, except maybe pure O2. So technically this is probably correct. But If i want to cut into the market share of a product with my alternative I make claims that while true infer an exagerated risk. It a marketing tactic that is effective among a certian group of people who think everything man made is going to kill them.
    – Chad
    Commented Jul 21, 2011 at 15:41
  • 1
    @Chad. You're right about the gasses except for one thing, concentrated O2 absolutely can kill.
    – Monkey Tuesday
    Commented Jul 21, 2011 at 23:47
  • Also, anecdotally I've had a memory foam mattress for about two years and have not noticed any particular problems. Also neither of my dogs, either my newfie (150lbs/70kg) or my MUCH smaller pup (9lbs/4kg) who sleep on the bed most days have not demonstrated any ill effects. As for "formaldehyde" the human body produces formaldehyde on its own. It's not always toxic or dangerous. Given the rising frequency of latex allergies, I'm not sure "natural organic latex" is such a great idea. I will look into some of the other claims though.
    – Monkey Tuesday
    Commented Jul 21, 2011 at 23:58
  • 1
    For what it's worth, when I searched the Federal Trade Commission website to see if they had gone after any mattress companies for anything, the only thing I found was reusing mattress stuffing. Nothing under "polyurethane", memory foam, or mattress.
    – nalgenegirl
    Commented Aug 4, 2011 at 7:08
  • 1
    I wonder how much of this sort of FUD is the direct (unintended) consequence of the recent fad to render houses airtight. An airtight house is then subject to much more indoor air pollution since your typical HVAC only filters for dust, and then really only to protect the components of the system from the dust. Yes, there are standards requiring a minimum level of exchange of fresh air. But if you simply ventilate the house (or at least the bedroom) you can remove a lot of trace gas and prevent its buildup.
    – RBerteig
    Commented Nov 15, 2013 at 1:31

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
10

In short, potentially yes, at least in mice:

The authors used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify respiratory irritants (e.g., styrene, isopropylbenzene, limonene) in the emissions of one of the polyurethane foam mattresses. Some mattresses emitted mixtures of volatile chemicals that had the potential to cause respiratory-tract irritation and decrease airflow velocity in mice.

Also, old memory foam mattresses may contain pentaBDE as flame retardant. pentaBDE may be hazardous to health:

studies show that pentaBDE is bioaccumulating and has the potential to adversely affect health

Finally, this site (which I am not confident of, but looks legit), clearly states that foam mattresses are at least irritant.

Route of entry: Inhalation - Foam dust
Health hazards: Coarse dust can cause mechanical irritation of lungs and eyes. Airborne dust is evaluated as a nuisance dust. If ignited, foam may decompose and emit toxic gases and respiratory irritants.

Route of entry: Eye - Foam dust
Health hazards: Coarse dust can cause mechanical irritation to the eyes. If exposed, avoid rubbing eyes.

Improve this answer
2
  • At least irritant? There is hardly anything that isn't irritant if sanded up and rubbed into your eyes. The first link is the only semi-scientific piece of information I could find, but I cant access the full text, and the information in the abstract does not really tell anything either. That said, the polyurethane mattress I just bought smells awful. It certainly is true that improper production of PU can give off toxic fumes, but I have no idea if this is the case for my mattress, or if I just have a sensitive nose.
    – Eelco Hoogendoorn
    Commented May 1, 2014 at 4:17
  • In conclusion, given that real production issues are well imaginable, I don't feel so good about my unsourced (likely china) bargain mattress anymore, as much as my inner cheapskate hates to admit it. I just wanted a no-nosense mattress instead of some comfort-zone placebo nonsense, but given that it takes some care to produce a piece of foam that does not outgas like crazy, I would have paid extra for a brand with a reputation to defend, over an untraceable piece of imported foam.
    – Eelco Hoogendoorn
    Commented May 1, 2014 at 4:40
5

In addition to Sklivvz's answer, polyurethane foam (memory foam) may emit formaldehyde:

[0002] It is known from the state of the art that polyurethane foams may emit formaldehyde, this emission of formaldehyde being generally undesirable. These emissions are detected, for example, in the course of measurements in accordance with VDA 275 (bottle method, 3 h 60.degree. C.) or even in accordance with VDA 276 (emission-chamber test, 65.degree. C.). These formaldehyde emissions may arise already in freshly produced foams and may be intensified by ageing processes, especially photo-oxidation. --PROCESS FOR LOWERING EMISSIONS OF A POLYURETHANE FOAM (patent)

In addition to the acute short term effects of formaldehyde poisoning, formaldehyde is considered carcinogenic to humans and may have negative effects after long term exposure.

Improve this answer
6
  • 2
    It's an interesting conjecture. What you haven't shown, though, is that the emitted formaldehyde is at a high enough concentration to trigger these reactions. (You also need a control group to show that people sleeping on other mattresses don't experience headaches, skin rashes, etc.)
    – Oddthinking ♦
    Commented Feb 19, 2012 at 2:28
  • @Oddthinking Yes, but that would be much more costly than what I did.
    – Muhd
    Commented Feb 22, 2012 at 22:38
  • Agreed, but until you do that (or more likely, find someone else who has done that and written it up in a peer-reviewed journal, this is merely speculation, and is outside of what is accepted at Skeptics.SE.
    – Oddthinking ♦
    Commented Feb 23, 2012 at 0:38
  • @Oddthinking That is not the case. I have seen plenty of answers that did not cite a peer-reviewed journal that have been accepted on this site.
    – Muhd
    Commented Feb 24, 2012 at 0:13
  • 3
    @Muhd You have certainly proven that mattresses may give off formaldehyde, but not that it is effectively toxic! In toxicology the dose makes the poison.
    – Sklivvz
    Commented Feb 24, 2012 at 22:45

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .