Question from Jasmine
Debra,
So glad to have found you!
Am trying to choose a new non-toxic, comfortable and supportive mattress. I have an RX for flame retardant free, but even with an RX it is difficult to find. After several months of research, and getting nowhere, am finally down to two alternatives. The first is:
1) An organic innerspring mattress that uses hydrated silica, baking soda and cellulose as a flame barrier. In searching the web, have found a few negatives but since I am not a chemist can’t really figure it out….any thoughts as to the toxicity of having this in your mattress?
2) A latex mattress covered with a cotton/wool cover. But after reading this:
Debra’s Answer
The first thing to know is that “flame retardant” refers to a wide variety of materials. The reason you are having difficulty finding one without flame retardants is that it is required by federal law that all mattresses pass a flammability test. The law does not specify what is to be used to make the mattress pass the test.
In the past, only toxic chemicals were used, thus the need to get a prescription to get a mattress without toxic flame retardants. Today, since more is known about the toxicity of flame retardants, there are other options available that are not toxic, and these can be had without a prescription.
Now I’ll answer your specific questions.
1) Hydrated silica, baking soda, and cellulose are all nontoxic. Silica is sand, it’s the stuff used to make glass. Baking soda is a natural mineral. Cellulose is just plant material. We eat cellulose all the time, whenever we eat vegetables and fruits.
2) Many mattresses are sold with a layer of wool as a fire retardant barrier. Since all mattresses sold must pass the flammability test, I am assuming that those mattresses pass or they wouldn’t be sold. Ask them for a copy of their flammabity test if you have any doubt.
Now, about that link, note that the photos show a single strand of wool burning. A single strand with a lot of air around it. Fire requires air to burn. I learned that building fires in my wood stove. A single match burns fine, but pile up pieces of wood with no air between them and they won’t burn. So I’m not surprised that a single strand of wool yarn would burn like a candle wick. But in a mattress it is a layer of wool–complete different conditions. As to your being leery, I don’t quite understand. You got a prescription for a mattress to NOT be flame proof, so why are you concerned about how effective wool is as fire retardant? I sleep on a wool mattress. I have for years. I am not at all concerned about it being flameproof. I don’t smoke in bed.
