That New Bed Smell?

Jodi Asks The Green Guide:

My husband and I recently bought a king size mattress made out of visco elastic memory foam. When the mattress was delivered, we noticed that it had a strong plastic smell—the store told us it was from the plastic used to protect the mattress in the warehouse and that the smell would subside after 48 hours if we just took the plastic off and allowed the mattress to air our for 48 hours. We did this. It has now been almost 2 weeks and though the smell has subsided a little bit, it has definitely not gone away. I am currently 8.5 months pregnant, and we bought the king bed to accommodate our growing family (we have a 3 year old who also sleeps with us). I love the bed but I'm worried that there is something toxic I should not be exposing my pregnant self or my children to—but I can't seem to find any reliable information on the safety of visco elastic memory foam. CAN YOU HELP?!?!!?

Jodi

The Green Guide Responds:

If you believe the glowing testimonials, visco-elastic memory foam is a NASA-engineered gift to sleepers everywhere, a sophisticated foam that conforms to the body and lets those with back, nerve, and joint problems get a good night's rest. That it may be, but memory foam is still foam, and foam is made out of polyurethane, which can off-gas fumes that especially affect the chemically sensitive (see "What is Polyurethane?"). The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released can cause upper respiratory problems and skin irritation; the neurotoxin toluene is perhaps the most dangerous of polyurethane's possible VOCs, though it's unclear how often toluene is actually released.

Even though visco-elastic is more expensive than other bedding foams, it's not necessarily any safer. We called the high-end manufacturers Tempur-Pedic, and they said to expect a maximum of a week's worth of fumes from a new mattress. We also heard from David Rosenberg, founder of Healthy Foundations, which has sold memory foam to 12,000 customers in five years. He says that only a few people have suffered allergic reactions to the foam, and that a couple of times per year people have reactions to the initial odor. He argues that every type of bedding has its high and low points: Some people are allergic to latex, which has a rubber odor that doesn't go away; organic cotton can lose its loft; wool doesn't relieve pressure.

Without inspecting your mattress personally, it's impossible to tell if it's the mattress or the packaging to blame for the lingering of the fumes. Also, memory foam's formulation varies by manufacturer, and it's possible that some mattresses are more malodorous than others. In any case, plastic fumes dissipate over time—you could put your mattress into storage for a week or a month and then see if it is still fuming. Rosenberg says that he airs out any new mattress he buys, draping it over a chair in a room with a fan and an open window. Also, he rolls the pad up and lets it recover its original shape, and repeats the process a few times—he says this gets rid of the catalyst that gives the foam its odor. Once or twice, he says, he's heard of a mattress that didn't lose its odor; in that case, it's a manufacturing defect, and the mattress was poured incorrectly. You should try contacting the retailer and manufacturer, and explaining the problem.

If the fumes don't abate and you can't get help from the retailer or manufacturer, your only recourse might be to buy a new mattress, never an inexpensive proposition. The Green Guide's product report on mattresses makes a few basic recommendations: Avoid mattresses treated with the fire-retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers—they accumulate in the human body, and can harm fetuses and infants in particular. Look for hardwood foundations, not plywood or particleboard, and an untreated, organic cotton or wool mattress with a natural latex core. And buy an allergen barrier to avoid dust mites.