YOUR MATTRESS?
As more people search for ways to improve their health and lessen theirimpact on the Earth, different areas of life are explored for change.One area getting a lot of attention these days is the bedroom,specifically the mattresses we all take for granted.
For the past fifty years, the traditional innerspring mattress has beengaining in popularity. Coils have been added, changes have been made inthe design and make-up of the layers of padding and ticking, andcertainly marketing techniques have been finely honed. But what exactlyis in that mattress?
MARKETING MAYHEM
In principle, all innerspring mattresses are the same. There is anetwork of steel springs encased in a cage, and this cage is surroundedby 1 to 5 layers of padding, with a final outside case of fabricstitched shut, holding all the insides together. The differences lie inthe type and thickness of the steel springs, how many springs/coils (andtheir diameter), the softness or firmness and make-up of the padding,and the decorativeness of the ticking. For example, two mattresses thatdiffer in components by 10 - 15% may differ in price by $2000.
Several issues have been raised by those who have sought to explore thebehind-the-scenes elements of traditional mattresses. The most obviousis the lowest price claims made by mattress retailers. For example,several competing retailers in the same town can all say "If you canfind this mattress at a lower price, we will give you $500!" How isthis possible? The answer is that a mattress manufacturer may only make3 or 4 different mattresses , but use 250 different labels. So, a Sealyfactory, as an example, would make 500 of the same mattresses in a day,and sew labels on the first 100 that say BeautyRest Extempo and shipthem to Dial-A-Mattress, sew a different label on the next 100 that sayBeautyRest Exculsior and ship them to Sleepy's across the street, sewyet a third label on the next 100 that says BeautyRest Excalibur andship them to Macy's, the fourth 100 labeled BeautyRest Exprimo forKleinSleep, and the fifth 100 labeled BeautyRest Exposition for RockawayBedding. This would be called the EX series, sold exclusively for whatprice each retailer wished, because the fact is, you could not find theExtempo anywhere but Dial-A-Mattress, for any price. Indeed, they couldoffer you $1MM to find the same mattress with a lower price, you nevercould. Same mattress, different label.
When the manufacturer ran out of EX names, or took on another bigcustomer with similar marketing techniques, the ticking could bechanged. For example, the ticking is the very thin piece of fabric onthe outside and it usually has a decorative pattern sewn in. If the EXseries had triangles for the pattern, Sealy can make 500 more mattressesthat day, but make the pattern with wavy lines. The same mattress withwavy lines can now be the SU series, for the Suprema, Supressa, Suparta,Sucana, and the Sumesa. Indeed, the ticking can even be pink instead ofbeige, creating the OP series and the WA series. Only this time, the OPand WA are sold in higher end stores with price tags from $1000 to$1500, instead of the $500 to $1000 for the EX and the SU. Yes still,the same mattress, but twenty labels, two patterns and two colors.And of course, Serta, King Koil, and hundreds of others can turn outbasically the same mattress as Sealy, with their own labels.
Obviously, the possibilities are endless, with minor changes opening upgreat opportunities. And for some people, these changes can even benoticeable. True changes like sewing an extra layer of cotton on topand calling it ‘pillow top' (for $500 more) is all the rage, as isgenuinely changing the size and number of the springs. So, in visitingseveral stores and in laying oneself down on several mattresses, you maydiscover differences. But there are some things that are true of allmattresses, no matter who made them.
DANGER AHEAD
All mattresses in the US must pass a very stringent test call FF-472,which is a flammability test created by the CPSC (Consumer ProductSafety Commission, a Federal Agency.) There are no laws specifying whatmay go into a mattress, or what may not (?) The only requirement isthat a lighted Pall Mall cigarette, when placed on a mattress, must notproduce a char mark greater than 1" from where the cigarette wasoriginally placed. (If the cigarette goes out, it is relighted, andthis is done with 40 different cigarettes in 40 different places on themattress.) If a prototype mattress passes this test, it is deemed fitfor sale in the US.
If a mattress sold in the US is ever found to not be able to pass thistest, there are very severe penalties and recalls are imposed. Theramifications of a Sealy or a Simmons mattress, for example, found to bethe cause of a fire death, would be devastating. So one thing isperfectly clear and very consistent. No way, no how, all marketinggimmicks aside, would a mattress manufacturer allow their mattresses tobe able to burn. (Since each model available for sale must have aprototype tested, an arduous process, you can understand the true originof having the same mattress with a variety of labels.)
Now, there are no restrictions on how this non-flammability isachieved, nor are there any restrictions on whether the mattress canmelt or give off black toxic gases when exposed to the cigarette. Aswell, there are no restrictions on specifically what materials may beused to prevent the char mark. In this country, and around the world,products are used until someone finds a problem with them. For example,asbestos was one of the most widely used components in constructingbuildings for most of the twentieth century. It was only in the 1980sthat it was discovered to be toxic. The same goes for lead in housepaint. The EPA does not test mattresses for toxicity, nor does theFDA. The CPSC is alone in mattress testing, and their concern is toavoid flammability at any cost. So it would not surprise anyonefollowing this issue if it were discovered in 2008 that Serta's favoritemattress component had 100 times the toxicity of asbestos.
Those in the natural bedding business are trying to get additionalsafety laws passed, but the FDA really only deals with substances thatare consumed, and the EPA focuses on the water, Earth, and air at large,but not household products. There is no federal agency to turn toward,and the lobbying efforts of the mattress manufacturers are well funded.There is a possibility, though, for the CPSC to take up this matter, aspart of a larger flammability of furniture issue.
Testing labs have put mice in cages with typical mattress componentsand published the results. ABC News in NY and Philadelphia havebroadcast stories on some of these tests and have reported that theresponse of the mice ranged from becoming catatonic to sudden death.Anecdotal evidence of nausea, headaches, dizziness, and over all poorhealth have been observed in humans sleeping on traditional chemical andspring mattresses, but patterns have been hard to draw, since there areso many different models of mattresses. For example, even if twoco-workers were to mention their common nausea while talking around thewater cooler AND the issue came up that each had just bought a newmattress, the fact that one had a Serta Perfect Sleeper Assante and theother had a KleinSleep house-brand Primo, the connection would bedismissed right there. (While it was, in fact, exactly the samemattress.)
SIDS AND MATTRESSES
The most troubling element has been discussed in the UK and itsmarkets, but not here in the States. In 1992, TOMY, a toy company,funded a study in the UK on the toxicity of mattresses and its links tocrib death (called SIDS in the US.) That study found a directcorrelation and determined that, in fact, the components used inmattresses in the UK were the causal factor in hundreds of crib deathsin the UK and its markets (New Zealand, Australia, former Britishcolonies, etc.) One of the components commonly used, for example, wasarsenic. Every mattress produced in the UK was pulled off the shelvesof stores and all mattress makers changed the components that theyused. Since that time, crib death (SIDS) has decreased demonstrably inthose markets.
It should be pointed out that in, for example, Japan (where mattressesare made of only cotton), SIDS is "no problem", as noted in the researchreport. Indeed, SIDS/crib death has only been observed in the West (US,Europe, etc.) and only in the last half century. The advent of chemicalcompounds taking the place of natural fibers and materials has broughtmany changes, including negative ones, to many areas of daily life andmattresses are not alone.
The health effects of sleeping on a traditional chemical and springsmattress are joined by environmental effects of these mattresses simplybeing produced. In order to produce steel springs, iron ore must beharvested from the Earth in a process akin to strip mining. That ironore is then smelted to create steel and the smelting process requiresgreat heat and then cooling. That heat is almost always generated bycoal, which itself requires Earth-destructive strip mining. And ofcourse, burning coal by the thousands of tons is one of the primarycauses of the acid rain and sulphur clouds that hang over parts of theeastern US. As well, cooling steel also requires great amounts ofwater, and that is why the ferrous content (iron) in the water is sohigh in these areas. Now, no one is likely to stop using steelaltogether tomorrow, but the question that must be asked is, do we needsteel in our mattresses? Do we need chemical padding that may becausing us nausea and headaches and perhaps killing our children?
The natural fiber mattress proponents have been gaining supporters asinformation like this has spread. And in turn, what was once cottageindustries of futon makers, has grown to a very large portion of themattress business. Unfortunately, as anything becomes popular,profit-making eclipses good sense and corporate behavior starts todominate. Twenty years ago, as awareness of the dangers of traditionalmattresses starting growing, a fast solution was to seek a futon store.Based on the Japanese bedroll shikibuton, the American futon was just athicker version, still flexible, but hardly small enough to roll up andstick in a cabinet as the Japan do every morning. As crafted twentyyears ago, the futon was soft to the touch, so that it shaped itself toevery contour of the sleeper's body, but the density of layer upon layerof cotton produced a support system that was firm and thereforeoutstanding orthopedically. (Chances are, your chiropractor sleeps on anold, all-cotton futon.) Today's super premium mattress from traditionalmanufacturers are in fact efforts to duplicate the natural properties ofan all cotton futon. A simple cotton mattress will provide just theright support where needed, while typical spring mattresses must usesprings of uniform tension. For prices above $2000, Serta, etc. offermattresses that have springs of different tension in different parts ofthe mattress, and then sew a layer of plain cotton right on top of thechemical pads. In fact, for more than $4000, Duxiana will put an entiregood quality cotton futon (not just a layer of cotton) and combine itwith a box spring. The deception is that if you can still find ahandmade, all-cotton futon, your back and your health (and our Earth)will be a lot happier and you will only be out $200 - $300.
Therein lies the rub, though. In its true form, the American version ofthe cotton futon was a return to what mattresses had been forcenturies. Prior to the early 1900s, all mattresses were made withnatural fibers - horsehair, wool, feathers, cotton, etc. In the sameway that cotton was replaced with polyester for clothing, chemical padsand steel replaced it in bedding. As futons gained popularity in the1980s and 1990s for their flexibility (which allowed them to be used forcombination couch/beds) traditional manufacturers (including the bigmattress makers) started making ‘futons' that were just flexiblemattresses of the same chemical pads found in traditional springmattresses! In fact, there are even ‘innerspring futons' for sale now!And of course, these ‘futon' mattresses were being made by the thousandsin factories, using the same energy-hungry, polluting machinery used tomake ‘traditional' mattresses.
SOLUTIONS AND PEACE OF MIND
There are still many small workshops in the US, making futons by handout of cotton and wool. (Wool has no effect on support, but provides aluxury ‘feel'.) And for those who want to support organic farming,there are organic cotton futons for about 3 - 4 times the price of onemade with ‘green' cotton, which is still a lot less expensive than mostspring mattresses and a lot better for your health.
(It should be noted that the difference to the sleeper's healthbetween a futon made with green cotton and organic cotton isinsignificant. Green cotton is grown conventionally, with pesticides,but then no further processing takes place, like bleaching and heavymetal dyeing. The pesticides are sprayed on the outside of the plantbefore the boll opens, so the evils of pesticide use are its effect onthe water we drink and the air we breathe. Sleeping on green cotton,like wearing green cotton clothing, is no less safe than sleeping onorganic cotton. Buying organic cotton clothing and organic cottonfutons is a vote with your wallet that you would like all cotton farmersto go organic. That is a financial and political statement, though, andnot a health choice, like eating organically grown food. It should befurther noted that a futon crafted from green cotton is an environmentalstatement all by itself, as most small crafters use cotton that is‘waste cotton', the fibers from the cotton boll that are unusable forthread and fabric, as well as the scrap from mills. In the same waythat pre-consumer waste paper that is made into new paper is termed‘recycled', most small futon crafters use ‘recycled' cotton, which isjust reclaimed waste from the entire cotton industry. Imagine making azero pollution automobile entirely out of the peanut shells thatPlanters throws away each day. That is the reclaimed waste principlebehind green cotton futons.)
There are also some hybrid products available. For those whoabsolutely must have springs, there are inner spring mattresses made bynatural fiber companies with steel springs, surrounded by green cottonor by organic cotton. It is important to note that the latter would notbe considered an ‘organic' mattress, though, as it is primarily steel,which is not an organic product. As well, in addressing the convertingcouch market, many of the small handcrafters of futons have madeversions with a layer of environmentally-friendly foam. These, too, arenot all-natural or all-organic, but they address the needs and desiresof a marketplace that would be purchasing all-bad products otherwise.
All in all, panic is not necessary as a response to what is just nowbecoming public knowledge about mattresses and their effect on ourhealth, that of our children and on our Earth. There are healthfulalternatives available and in the age of the web, they are just a clickaway.
Written by: EcoMall
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