Environmental Impact

Conventional mattresses are often made of petroleum-based polyester, nylon and polyurethane (PU) foam that, especially when new, may give off harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with upper respiratory problems. Some mattresses are also pretreated with formaldehyde-emitting stain- and water-repellants whose manufacture releases perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a likely human carcinogen according to an EPA advisory panel.

Flame Retardants

Mattresses have long been required to resist ignition from cigarettes, but in July 2007, the Consumer Product Safety Commission enacted a law requiring them to resist open flames. To meet this requirement, conventional mattresses are treated with flame-retardant (FR) chemicals, such as boric acid, silicone and phosphates, or wrapped in barrier cloths made from flame-resistant fibers, such as melamine and polyvinylidene chloride.

Fortunately, the most hazardous flame-retardant chemical (pentabrominated diphenyl ether, or penta-BDE) has been phased out, because of concerns that it could interfere with thyroid hormones and hinder brain development in children. However, the chemicals and fiber barriers used to replace penta-BDE don't appear to have alleviated many health worries. The heavy metal antimony, used to make the FR antimony trioxide, does migrate out of vinyl-covered mattresses, and some studies have suggested that it may be contributing to rising rates of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, although numerous other studies have refuted that claim. Boric acid, used in some mattresses and easily inhaled while sleeping, is considered a probable reproductive and developmental toxicant under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission studied a variety of the replacement chemicals and found that many migrated from mattresses to skin when exposed to moisture; some chemicals even made it past sheets to be absorbed through skin. Ironically, synthetic fibers don't breathe as well as natural fibers and tend to promote sweating during sleep. Many of these chemicals were also easily inhaled. They had little data available on health threats posed by the synthetic fiber barriers.

Confounding the problem is the fact that mattress retailers rarely know what flame-retardant treatments have been applied to a mattress, and mattress manufacturers are often loathe to reveal them, either to protect trade secrets or because they are constantly changing chemicals or fibers based on availability.

Box Springs

Foundations—the industry term for what most of us call box springs—are often made of hardwood. But some less-expensive box springs are constructed of plywood or particleboard, both of which commonly contain formaldehyde, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some plywood manufacturers also use pentachlorophenol, a probable human carcinogen, to preserve plywood.