Ask Naturepedic: What Dangerous Chemicals Are in My Mattress?

Over the last few years, many popular brands have pledged to switch to healthy ingredients in an effort to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals present in everyday consumer products. 

From Whole Foods and Panera Bread to Campbell Soup Company and Chipotle, demand for healthier products with natural ingredients has caused major companies to reconsider how their products are both made and marketed. People want to know what’s really in their products, and being transparent about this type of information is now a way to gain customer loyalty.

Giving products a better-for-you makeover is not only a concern for manufacturers in the food industry, but also for companies that sell home products. 

The products we use at home — like laundry detergent, candles, and shampoo — often become so far embedded in our daily routines that we fail to question their chemical make-up. However, because manufacturers aren’t required to list the “ingredients” in their products, many of these everyday items are chock-full of harmful toxins and chemicals.

Take, for instance, your mattress.

Have you ever questioned how your mattress, which you spend almost a third of each day sleeping on, was made?

Conventional  mattresses usually contain either an inner spring core or materials such as latex, viscoelastic or other flexible polyurethane foams. Guess what? Made predominantly from petroleum, polyurethane foam contains extremely health-hazardous chemicals, deemed a “toxic nightmare” by medical reviewers. 

Unfortunately, there are still very few legal limitations in place regarding what chemicals can be used in U.S. consumer products, which is why chemicals in polyurethane foam remain common components of items we rely on every day.

At Naturepedic, we have thoroughly researched the best and healthiest way for mattresses to be made because we care deeply about the health of our customers. Why sleep on a mattress that’s ridden with harmful chemicals when you can choose a safe, healthy, and organic option made by Naturepedic?

Since we’ve made it our mission to produce only the highest-quality sleep products, we created a list of ingredients that we believe are not supportive of good health. If any of these chemicals are inside of your mattress, it may be time to consider a new mattress by Naturepedic for the sake of your health and safety as you sleep.

Let’s explore three of these chemicals in more detail to learn about their potentially harmful effects on our health.

1. Biocides

Biocides are often added to fabrics as a way to make them “anti-microbial.” While this may sound like a positive thing, these chemicals are actually poisonous (designed to kill living organisms.) At least 30 percent of biocides are endocrine disruptive, toxic to water organisms, and/or carcinogenic. If biocides are included in your mattress, this can be extremely detrimental to your health over the long term.

2. Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs)

Perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, are often included in mattresses as a chemical treatment that is applied to knit or woven fabrics to make them stain- and water-resistant. Even if your mattress is made of organic cotton fabric, these toxic chemicals are often found on modern mattresses that have a fabric finish. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to PFCs can lead to adverse health outcomes in humans. In particular, the chemical compounds PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) have caused reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects in laboratory animals when tested. 

3. Chemical Flame Retardants

Since many modern mattresses are made with toxic chemicals and materials, industrial-strength toxic chemical flame retardants are often added to meet the minimum flammability standards set by government agencies. These additives can have a wide range of adverse health effects, especially as the foam breaks down over time and becomes airborne. According to the EPA, exposure to these substances has been demonstrated to cause adverse health effects such as irritation of the lung, eye, and mucous membranes, effects on the central nervous system, and cancer.

After reading this, you may be wondering, “How are these horrible chemicals allowed in consumer products?” Until more laws are changed, many of the chemicals used in everyday products will continue to be unregulated and, unfortunately, hazardous to human health. 

Luckily, you can always trust Naturepedic. Not only are we certified to the strictest organic standards through the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), we pride ourselves on being the leading organic mattress brand when it comes to transparency and safety It is our promise to you that we will always take care to eliminate harmful chemicals from all of our products.