Question from Lisa
I contacted IKEA about an article I read but I don’t fully know what to make of the response. I read an article about IKEA intending to phase out flame retardants by 2010. Did this happen? What were they replaced with? Do you have any furniture without polyurethane foam, if so what do they contain?
They Responded:
Hello Lisa,
Thank you for taking the time to write us.
All mattresses sold in the US have to meet regulatory fire retardant standards. IKEA uses organic phosphorous/nitrogen containing compounds in its flame retardants for most of our mattress product range and phased out all chlorinated tris flame retardants from our mattresses in 2010. IKEA also banned the use of the brominated flame retardant PBDE in 1998. None of our mattresses contain this chemical.
However, our MORGONGAVA and SULTAN HEGGEDAL natural material spring mattress does not contain any flame retardants. This mattress is manufactured using natural wool wadding, which allows it to exceed all regulatory flame retardant standards and be fully compliant with California TB117.
Also, all mattresses are tested for chemicals to ensure that they meet the strictest standards for the countries in which they are sold. This includes our TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) test on all finished products to insure that there are no harmful emissions or off-gassing.
Each state does have its own “fire rating” regarding flame retardants. There is a law label attached to each of our upholstery products for you to compare. In seating furniture and cushions the foam is treated with chemical flame retardant (phosphate ester basis) in order to comply with North American fire protection requirements and TB117.
California Technical Bulletin 117, a mandatory standard, is both an open flame test and a smoldering cigarette test for the component materials used to make residential upholstered furniture which is to be sold in the state of California. In this test, each upholstery component except the covering fabric is time exposed to either an open flame or a smoldering cigarette in a defined test chamber, and the propagation of the open flame or the cigarette char length is measured to a specific specification criteria contained in Technical Bulletin 117. All upholstered furniture components except frames must comply with this test procedure and criteria.
Today, all IKEA furniture complies with existing regulatory standards in the US, including California TB117. IKEA welcomes the new TB117-2013, which will allow us to manufacture upholstery products that meet the fire safety standard without the addition of chemical flame retardants.
As with any change in legislation or standards concerning our range, IKEA conducts evaluation, adjustments and testing of our products according to new requirements. Affected IKEA products will be in compliance with the requirements in the new California TB117-2013 Standard on January 1st 2015 at the latest.
Further details regarding IKEA’s commitment to product safety can be explored at the following online link:
www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/our_responsibility/
products_and_materials/ikea_and_reach.html
All IKEA upholstery materials pass these fire safety standards, but these are not the same as commercial standards. Commercial standards are set by BIFMA (Business Industry Furniture Manufacture Association).
We do hope this information has been helpful, and we thank you for your inquiry.
Kind Regards,
Kelly
IKEA Customer Care
IKEA US Contact Center
Email: UScustomercare259@ikea.com
Please consider the environment before printing this email. This message contains confidential information. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not copy, use, or distribute this information. If you have received this message in error, please advise IKEA Customer Care immediately.
Is it just me or did they not directly answer my question? Can you make sense of this. Are they saying that they understand they no longer have to use fire retardants but they will continue? Maybe I am just tired and distracted but it seems odd language and not a direction address of the question.
Thank you for your time.
Debra’s Answer
I can see how this can be confusing.
OK. Here are your questions and I will pull out their answers and paste them in.
* I read an article about IKEA intending to phase out flame retardants by 2010. Did this happen?
“IKEA…phased out all chlorinated tris flame retardants from our mattresses in 2010. IKEA also banned the use of the brominated flame retardant PBDE in 1998.”
* What were they replaced with?
“IKEA uses organic phosphorous/nitrogen containing compounds in its flame retardants for most of our mattress product range.”
* Do you have any furniture without polyurethane foam, if so what do they contain?
They didn’t answer this question.
Has anyone tested the foam in their Ikea mattress to make sure the chemical flame retardant is what is advertised?
It is actually a free service! Here is the link to how to submit your sample (note it will take a few months to get your results back):
https://openyoureyesbedding.com/blogs/news/how-to-live-with-flame-retardants
Many chemicals can be used and hidden from the consumer if they fall under the definition of a “proprietary material or technology”, basically materials that the mattress company wants to conceal from their competitors. They can also conceal from the customers. We hope they would not, but how would you know?
Legally manufacturers can add them and not disclose that they are there. That is why you need a prescription from your doctor to truly sleep chemical-free (or you can simply make your own mattresses, it is easier than you think).
GOTS only refers to the individual materials used not the finished mattress, there are no organic regulations pertaining to organic mattresses that I know of. It is still the Wild West!
If I was to have my children sleep on a conventional mattress, I would test it instead of relying on the generic responses from a customer service rep.
I agree that there are many hidden chemicals in traditional mattresses and also in many “healthy” mattresses. But, not all healthy mattresses are created equal. Naturepedic mattresses have GOTS certification for their manufacturing facility as well as the individual materials, which means that every aspect of the process is certified organic. That is why I recommend them.
I looked through your website. It is very interesting!
Does anyone know if their cheap polyester pillows ($1.99) or cotton blankets have chemicals in them? I want to build my own mattress using these items as filler material.
They probably do.
Hi, I live in Sweden, and I falsely assumed that IKEA did not use chemicals. We drove a couple hours to the nearest IKEA store, and while inside, I did not notice any chemical smells. We ordered a Muren recliner chair to be delivered to use. Once unboxed and the plastic removed…. there was a noticeable sick smell. Fortunately it is summer and we have our windows open often. Unfortunately, the smell is still strong after about a week! I am right by a large open window, and have tried putting blankets over it, but to no avail. The odor is strong, and very offensive. I have tried to vacuum the “gases” out, didn’t help. I am so sick of buying furniture like this. Each time I do, I tell myself it can’t possibly happen again, not this time, it didn’t smell at all in the store… etc. I am going to contact IKEA and attempt to find out what this terrible pungent, sickening smell is.
Fortunately IKEA does a very good job of listing their materials on their hangtags and website pages.
IKEA has some great nontoxic products, but you have to be careful, because some items are made from toxic materials.
Lifekind in California manufacturers and sells certified organic mattresses, pillows, sheets etc. A little pricey but worth the money – they have a good clearance sale a couple times a year which brings their prices down significantly. I purchased 5 organic mattresses from them a couple years ago and they did not smell.
See Q&A A Comparison of Certified Organic Mattress re Lifekind.
Its still an issue here in the UK… I have just spoken with IKEA (UK) (via web Chat) on the Two MALFORS mattresses purchased with a Day bed frame for my Sons to bunk on over Xmass… after venting the mattress both suffered very bad headaches and needing treatment. IKEA says take them back to the store for a replacement as smalls can lingerer longer than 4days… I asked – what was the cause – and the usual ‘Fire retardant’. Well organic Phosphorus is a bad substance in all its guises… is it likely to happen with replacement – no comment. IKEA and other manufacture’s need to wash/ fully vent these mattresses before placing on the market… are we the guinea pigs – why should we get poison..! the more we sound-off the chances Manufacturer will change, the ‘Fire Law’ needs overall as to the stuffs used to ‘retard’ not us but the ‘foam’ products.
Hi Pete, Did you ever find any furniture or mattress without flame retardant within the UK? I bought a house in London and I was looking in every single store, sofa brands, ikea, literally everywhere, and didn’t find a single one without flame retardant, apparently as you said it’s the law we need to change. I feel so frustrated having to buy something I don’t want to, I can’t stand it.
Thanks,
Ruben
Hi Ruben
I am on the same mission. I am currently looking at matresses from CottonSafeMattresses based in Devon. And pillows and duvets from Greenfibres or Baavet.
CottonSafeMattesses also do futons without flame retardants. But I am looking at having one made by Ecosofa.
There are a few companies out there in the UK but it is so difficult to find accurate information about them.
I am certain that Cotton Safe and Greenfibres are genuinely FR free. Pretty sure Baavet are. Am due to visit Ecosofa in October to discuss.
The law definitely needs to change. We need accurate labelling and marketing of products telling us what flame retardants are used if any (older FRs have been banned but you would have no idea as a fond nee whether your old item contained them). FRs are actually pretty ineffective in stopping fires and are a health hazard when using the products and they release toxic chemicals when burned so ideally should not be used at all. However the flame test needs to be changed to make it easier for companies to offer products without FRs. Keep asking companies! The consumer voice needs to be louder than the power of the chemical lobby!!
Hope that helps!
Hi Everyone,
I am also on a mission to find a mattresses without fire retardants. Apparently it is not possible to sell theses product in the UK as by the law all product sold in the UK needs to meet the standards.
I am on this subject for months now. Started with ordering 2 mattresses to our daughters bunk beds….I ended up sending the mattresses back as I was worried about their smell. I put them out in the garage for more than 2 weeks, but did not help…..
The best tip I got is to buy a mattress from out of the UK, from a European country where they don`t need to apply fire retardants on them. But I wounder is foam mattresses are so flammable, that they do use a certain amount in them anyway…
I called a couple of companies in the UK asking if it would be possible to leave out the fire retardant, but it is in the product….as I was told, so they can actually not have removed……
I would appreciate any news on this.
I looked organic, chemical free products, they use wool for fire retardant….Apart form the price – which is understandable in case of theses mattresses – I am worried about dust mites and they are more difficult to clean or keep clean. Anyway this is what I am worried about…Any experiences pr comments would be welcome.
BioSleep Concept sells chemical free mattresses but may only be for USA. maybe a nearby country has more lenient laws and you can sneak one in? I dont know how that works over there- from USA
I prefer mattresses that are GOTS certified. Some of their mattresses are made with wool but others are foam, which is not chemical-free.
Hi, Debra, Thanks. Glad to have found your site. I bought an ikea mattress. It’s comfortable, but once I opened it, I regretted that I had bought it. It SMELLS like toxic chemicals. I am chemical sensitive. Even if I can convince myself it’s ok once it doesn’t smell any more, I am scared that sleeping on a mattress filled with polyeurythane foam will be bad for my long-term health. Yes, the bed is comfortable, but so far, with the smell, I can’t relax because all I can think about is the chemicals I am exposing myself to while I try to sleep…:-( Unhappy, because it was a real splurge to even buy a mattress… Can you reccommend an IKEA mattress that is more natural, than the ones with the foam???
I haven’t looked at all the IKEA mattresses. I’m under the impression there isn’t one that meets my qualifications. See the Beds page on Debra’s List
All mattresses, regardless if they are from IKEA or any other brand/ manufacturer, are made of polyurethane foam, unless they are organic. Organic mattresses contain natural fiber such as wool, cotton, coconut fiber or latex. All other mattresses, especially memory foam or gel infused ones are full of chemicals. Any foam mattress is made of polyurethane foam, at least to some extend. Some are mixed with natural fibers and are so-called “green” or “eco” mattresses, which is actually misleading.
Sandra, you are correct that all mattress contain polyurethane foam of one kind or another except those made from natural fibers, but not all natural fiber mattresses are organic. And even those that contain Please see A Comparison of Certified Organic Mattresses.
It’s misleading to refer to a natural fiber mattress as organic unless it is made from organic materials AND made in a certified organic facility. There are only two mattress manufacturers that I know of who qualify for this title.
Was wondering if you had any information about using flame retardants in their curtains?
I don’t have any information specifically, however, I can tell you that I’ve purchased their 100% cotton curtains in the past with no problems, and also they are very good at listing materials on their labels.
Fire retardants are not typically used on curtains unless they are added for a specific purpose (such as curtains in a theater.
I’m sure if you contact IKEA they could answer this question for you.
I’ve done a fair amount of research on TB-117 and TB-117 2013 and have read the technical bulletins.
Basically, Ikea’s response is good news. It means that as of 2015, they aren’t adding a lot of the flame retardants that used to be required for them to adhere to the original TB117 fire safety law/policy.
Amazing it took so long for the laws to change but they only realized in 2011 how toxic a lot of these flame retardant chemicals are. At that time, they went onto Cal Prop 65, which identified them as toxic and carcinogenic.
TB117 2013 is a response to that. An updated fire safety policy for fabrics which is much more lenient and doesn’t require companies to use the toxic stuff.
I agree it’s good to remove toxic fire retardants, but that doesn’t make the sofa or chair safe. There can be other toxic materials still. So we still need to be aware.
In regards to the polyurethane foam, many products do contain that. Ikea (at least Ikea USA) lists all the materials in their products under the “Product Information” tab for all of their items on the website. I have found it listed in virtually every couch & mattress I’ve searched for. I haven’t checked all of those items out, so some may not have it. I will say that while Ikea does use some of these materials that aren’t the best for health, at least they list all the materials on their site. I do appreciate that. I like to be able to know what is in something before I buy it.
Yes I appreciate that they do list their materials as well.
I’m looking for a twin bed for son and my hubby isn’t going for another $1200 mattress for the boys. I was looking at the MORGONGÅVA
Natural latex mattress, medium firm, natural from IKEA with synthetic latex 15%. Any ideas how toxic that is?
This mattress looks pretty good from the description. Only 15% synthetic materials over all.
How can we be sure that these synthetic materials aren’t off-gassing?
Thank you,
Haley
In this case it’s latex and latex does outgas. But not all synthetic materials outgas. Usually the rule of thumb is the softer the material the more it outgasses.
Naturepedic has the Verse which is for kids and is $899. It’s certified organic. No polyurethane foam. No flame retardants, etc. No odors.
Keep on hearing Ikea complies with different standard for formaldehyde, voc …
but from some reason there is no such information on their official sites (checked US and Canadian ones).
Therefore for me it’s just a rumours which I start wondering who and with what purpose spreading.
Good for you to check it out. I always look to see if information I’ve heard is on a company website, and if I can’t find it, then I assume it isn’t true.
I’ve heard that as well and can’t find any direct information from Ikea about this. Below is the only link I’ve been able to find on an Ikea site that addresses Ikea’s use of chemicals, although, formaldehyde isn’t specifically mentioned. It came from Ikea UK and is about their adherence to the EU REACH regulation. They claim to have implemented this throughout all of their locations.
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/our_responsibility/products_and_materials/ikea_and_reach.html
My experience with IKEA is they have some great items that are solid wood, natural fibers, metal and glass, but they are all mixed in with particleboard, synthetics and other chemicals. I don’t see they are committed to a toxics-free agenda. I love to shop at IKEA, but I choose items VERY carefully.
organic phosphorus nitrogen containing compounds fire retardant
https://scholar.google.com.au/scholar?q=organic+phosphorus+nitrogen+containing+compounds+fire+retardant&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwicraedqf3KAhUjFqYKHR0vDLsQgQMIGTAA
As far as I could understand from Ikea`s answer, organic phosphorus nitrogen IS the fire retardant compound they use in order to comply with fire protection requirements. Each material has its own “fire rating”, and so polyurethane (PU) foam needs to be treated with chemical to be in accordancy with the fire safety standards. It seens like natural fibers have a higher rating, therefore they don`t need any treatment. So I have two questions: 1- Is organic phosphorus nitrogen safe? 2- And what about CertiPUR-US certified polyurethane foam? If they are not treated with flame retardants, how can they be in compliance with fire protection regulations?
The answer to this question is pretty technical, so I will just try to make it simple.
Polyurethane foam is one of the most flammable materials on earth. I was a Girl Scout growing up and one of the things I learned was if I wanted to build a campfire that would light, I had to arrange the wood so there is air flow. A fire will not burn without air flow.
So here you have polyurethane foam, which is made from 100% petroleum and it’s all blown up with air to make foam. VERY flammable.
In the past, manufacturers put heavy amounts of toxic fire retardants on the foam to make it pass the flammability test.
But a couple of years ago the State of California changed the flammability requirements. Now furniture and mattresses that use polyurethane foam and pass the test by using various barriers. Some use wool as a barrier. Some use banner materials that contain fire retardants. So you can have polyurethane foam now without fire retardants and still pass the test. It’s a different test.
The flammability requirements do not apply to materials, they apply to the finished product.
Is organic phosphorus nitrogen safe? This is a tough question to answer.
Here is a table from a EPA publication Called “An Alternatives Assessment for the Flame Retardant Decabromodiphenyl Ether (DecaBDE).”
Click here to open full size image
First not that organic nitrogen phosphorus is a class of fire retardants, not a single fire retardant. And then note that each of the fire retardants in this class has it’s own toxic profile. So without knowing the exact fire retardant IKEA is using, we cannot determine it’s toxicity.
Any product containing polyurethane foam that is covered by a flammability law requires some type of fire retardant. So this would be furniture and mattresses, but not shoes, for example.
Instead of trying to figure out the toxicity of all these different possible flame retardants, I just avoid polyurethane foam.
Hi, I am in the UK and recently got a Hyllestad medium firm mattress.
I left it several hours to air and then covered it with bedding . The first night I slept on it I did not notice anything unusual. The second night , when I got into bed , I lifted the duvet and was hit by a strong unpleasant smell. I lifted the duvet to release the smell and went to sleep. The next night the smell was less but I noticed it had permeated the duvet cover and my nightwear.
To cut a long story short, Ikea have said that the smell is caused by their salt based fire retardants and that it is not toxic.
I tried , for a few days, sleeping on the mattress on top of several covers but after several days the smell was again seeping through to my nightwear. My thinking was that might mean it was reaching my skin.
Ikea have agreed to remove the mattress and as I don’t want another mattress from them, they are going to give me gift vouchers. Their customer services have been helpful in regard to replacing the mattress but I don’t believe I have any real answers as to what effects this incident has had on my health. I have had a flu like illness, chest infection and greatly increased asthma while using the mattress, but obviously it is equally possible I caught a bug at the same time resulting in a natural infection.
I asked for written confirmation that that the chemicals were safe but have not received this , only a customer service lady telling me that it was like using salt to put a fire out.
The explanation from Ikea for the smell was that my mattress had been over sprayed and that sometimes mattresses in the middle of the pile receive more fire retardant chemicals. I don’t find any of this reassuring.
I have now ordered a fully organic mattress from another company. The cost is much higher but it will be relief to feel I am not being poisoned as I sleep. I can only hope the exposure I had has not left any lasting damage to my health.
they use thermoplastic polyurethane now which requires almost none flame retardant
Had new sofas delivered a week ago and have had persistent headache and itchy eyes plus lethargy since. Noticed sickly sweet smell coming from sofas and put two and two together. Started researching which led me to this site.