Mattresses are Making Us Sick

Like the food we put into our mouths, our skin also eats. The skin is the largest organ of the body, and certainly the most vulnerable entry point for toxins to wreak havoc on our system. Compounds that enter through our skin enter directly into the bloodstream whereas compounds that pass through our mouths encounter barriers in the form of digestion and absorption, decreasing the likelihood of pathogens and toxins entering our bloodstream in strenuous amounts.

Logically, the items we clothe ourselves with and sleep on must certainly impact our overall well-being. Natural materials, attributed to cotton, silk, wool, linen, and any other material that comes from mother nature without human alteration, have been highly sought after and valued since the dawn of time. The Holy Bible emphasizes natural materials like linen, its reference in Revelations 19:8 referring to linen as a symbol for righteousness reserved for God’s holy people. However, this modern era has turned in the opposite direction, relying on man made petroleum by products, propagating a cheap and abundant environment focused on profit. This response has triggered unintended consequences in the form of petrochemicals in our environment.

Petrochemicals, defined as a vast array of chemicals obtained from petroleum or natural gas, not only exist in our environment at alarming rates, but serve as a basis for many commercial products, including the mattress and bedding industry.

When subjected to an abundance of synthetic chemicals in a concentrated area, it triggers chemical irritation leading to a host of disorders in the body. This phenomenon has been coined a term, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), which may have been laughed at decades ago, but now recognized by 22 federal agencies, encompasses a concoction of symptoms such as nausea, coughing, shortness of breath that are associated with exposure to petroleum based, synthetic materials.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are simply gasses that are discharged into the air from products, many known to cause cancer, like formaldehyde.

Flame retardants, counterintuitive to its name, provide no help because of the unintended health consequences. They contribute a host of chemicals with the purpose of slowing a fire, if present.

To date, 120,000 man made chemicals exist in our environment. Man made chemical’s take something out of its naturally occurring state in nature and refigure compounds in elements in ways that nature would not. A host of man made chemicals circulate in our environment, from synthetic organic chemicals (e.g. pesticides) to volatile organic chemicals (e.g. gasoline).

Unfortunately, despite many chemicals being recognized as carcinogens, they still lurk in our environment, and more importantly, in our bodies. For instance, DDT, a synthetic insecticide associated with adverse reproductive effects in humans. DDT has been banned since 1972 yet somehow according to the EPA, 99% of the population has some level of DDT in their blood to this day. Carcinogenic chemicals lurk all over our environment knowingly, but perhaps unknowingly, we find them within places we take for granted, like our clothing and mattresses.

A culprit for such toxic exposure can be found in the chemical laden bedding we rely on for comfort every night. Walter Bader, in his book, Toxic Bedrooms, puts it succinctly, “while your mattress label may tell you what your mattress is made of, it does not tell you what those materials are made from.”

Some other notable materials that make their way into our mattresses are vinyl chloride monomers, TDI’s, and boric acid.

Vinyl chloride monomers, a colorless gas, are classified as a human carcinogen, associated with liver damage, blood disorders, and breathing problems.

Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI), the prominent chemical used in the production of polyurethane foam (also known as “memory foam”), leads the industry in mattress sales. This chemical represents a labeled carcinogen, known for its respiratory problems, such as bronchitis and asthma.

After learning the origin of boric acid, it will cause a fit, and in return, will dissuade and denounce consumers from accepting its appearance in our everyday items, like mattresses and clothing. Boric acid is a roach powder, often used in mattresses. Ensuing conditions are liver, kidney, and reproductive problems.

Truth be told, manufacturers who succumb to using petrochemicals in their products know the dangers, but appear clever at the end of the day. They sell their products with small tags, and large jargon filled manuals. As consumers, we have this implicit bias that gives manufacturers the benefit of the doubt. We draw ourselves to the aesthetic appeal and the product’s practical use. Increasing confusing verbiage increases the chances consumers won’t look into the source of these materials. Who has time to investigate toluene diisocyanates or vinyl chloride monomers? The petrochemical industry’s ‘dirty little secret’ creates distortion and confusion intentionally, making consumers overlook their dubious labeling practices. Taking caution to what our label reads becomes secondary, tertiary, or nonexistent when we do not know the repercussions of the materials in what we buy.

Even if you do your due diligence regarding your petrochemical of concern, your standard google search results in a barrage of information, some more threatening than others, leaving you more confused than when you started seeking information on this mysterious chemical embedded in your mattress. The term petrochemical needs to be dumbed down to a simple phrase: petrochemicals equals bad. Yes, it’s that simple.

A great fear of the health conscious, anti-chemical population is the refusal of compliance from industry. Post World War II stands out as a pivotal point in history in which man made chemicals not only reached a premium but started to be mindlessly applied to products, like furniture, that had no business being treated like such. Nor was there even a need, other than for these gargantuan companies to keep their cash flow intact to impress wall street.

In 2013, Monsanto, a prominent agrochemical company, received backlash over the safety of their most revenue generating product, roundup, which contains the controversial herbicide glyphosate. They made several proclamations to the public about the safety of glyphosate, yet in 2015, the WHO (World Health Organization) publicly classified glyphosate as a carcinogen. Despite this, the product roundup still dominates the marketplace as the prevailing product to kill weeds. Glyphosate coming to the forefront of the public as a carcinogen still didn’t ruffle the feathers of industry. Who then will seriously entertain foreign concepts like multiple chemical sensitivity, indoor air pollution and outgassing? Particularly, as it pertains to our furniture, the mattresses in which we spend one third of our lives on.

In lieu of this lived petrochemical nightmare, the average consumer must look elsewhere for reliable, independently tested products. Pesticide free natural fibers, organic backed products demand respect as the new norm. The market consists of valuable certifications, instrumental toward promoting health on a consumer and producer level. GOTS-certified is a label gaining notoriety as it pertains to mattresses, bedding, and clothing. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) ensures organic fibers. Suitable to consumer needs, their website provides a certified suppliers database in which an individual can search for anything from clothing to footwear that possesses the GOTS certification.

In pursuit of healthful products, an emphasis should be placed on greenwashing. This term relates to an intended deceit or misrepresentation of a product alluring consumers to believe the product may be more healthful than its reality. Greenwashing serves as a reason for why consumers find it so difficult to make impactful decisions for the environment and for their health. Blanket terms such as eco-friendly, recyclable, provides energy, mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Claims don’t mean anything. Rather, the emphasis should be placed on looking for products with a GOTS certification, the gold standard certification as it relates to cotton material. This certification should persist in as many products as possible inside the home because of the evidence surrounding pollutants in our indoor environment.

References

Association, A. L. (2023). Volatile organic compounds. Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/volatile-organic-compounds

Australian Government. Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/npi/substances/fact-sheets/vinyl-chloride-monomer-vcm

Bader, W. (2010). Toxic bedrooms: Your guide to a safe night’s sleep SCB Distributors.

EPA. (2009). Publication no. 13: Man-made chemicals in private drinking water wells. Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Departments-and-Agencies/DPH/dph/environmental_health/pdf/13ManMadeChemicalsinPDWWpdf.pdf

Home – GOTS. Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://global-standard.org/

Lugavere, M. (2024). 370: How to detox common environmental pollutants that cause inflammation and disease | stephen cabral, ND

Zucco, G. M., & Doty, R. L. (2021). Multiple chemical sensitivity. Brain Sciences, 12(1), 46. doi:10.3390/brainsci12010046