Dear Umbra,
I need a new mattress and really want to buy one that is not doused in chemicals -- in other words, an organic mattress. I've searched a number of sites online and have been horrified by the prices. They are really, really expensive! How bad is it if I buy a regular old affordable mattress? And if it's really that bad, where can I find an organic one that won't cost a small fortune?
Emily
Wynnewood, Pa.
Dearest Emily,
Hey, I just found a great resource for this kind of question. Pollution in People is a project of several well-respected Washington-state environmental groups, and one aspect of the project is a guide to safer consumer products. Check it out, people.
Chemical-free mattresses: good for sleepers of all stripes.
Photo: iStockphoto
From what I've read, the current horrible thing to watch out for in mattresses and other upholstered furniture is polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. This is a group of chemicals usually applied as flame retardants, and now recognized as highly bioaccumulative and potentially quite dangerous. It is thought that PBDEs drift out of furniture and into house air and dust, which we then inhale. They have been linked to brain and thyroid problems in rodents and cats, and are considered especially dangerous to children, particularly because they accumulate in fatty tissue and are passed on in breast milk. This year, Washington became the first state in the U.S. to begin phasing out PBDEs, banning a common class of them known as decas. Hooray!
According to Pollution in People, both IKEA and Serta make PBDE-free mattresses. If you find a mattress you particularly like, it may be worth calling the manufacturer to find out if they do use PBDEs or not. As for organic mattresses, I'm afraid I don't have any inside line on a cheap one. You'll have to keep looking for sales or secondhand beds.
I did, however, think of a third choice: make your own mattress, or improve your PBDE-free mattress. It's possible to buy three-inch-thick latex and thick wool mattress covers. Just pile up these cozy items until you reach the comfort you desire.
Sleepily,
Umbra
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Comments
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littlerose317 Posted 11:56 pm
19 Dec 2007
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greenisgood Posted 12:30 am
20 Dec 2007
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Greta Posted 10:13 am
27 Dec 2007
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sineadmcd Posted 10:07 am
28 Dec 2007
In my endless search for the best type of paper to use (both as sketchpad paper and in the printing of books/brochures etc. in my design practise) , I've been told many conflicting reports on the danger of falling for the current spin on recycled paper. There seems to be 3 distinct 'opinion groups' on this.
Group 1:
100% in favour of recycled paper - say its better than FSC certified virgin paper (wood sourced in sustainably-managed forests). Creating recycled paper saves forests, reduces water consumption, reduces energy consumption, saves native wildlife, reduces CO2 emissions.
Group 2:
These people say that recycled paper causes a huge amount of toxic waste - dioxins - to be created and, like nuclear waste, this waste must simply be 'stored' once its created eg in large lead-pits placed in the earth (to me - this sounds much worse than going for the FSC option). Recycled paper also doesn't last as long, as the fibres are shorter, so it's no good if you want a document to live longer than, say, 70 years+. This group, therefore, chooses FSC paper over recycled.
Group 3:
The third group recommend steering clear of both of these and choosing a paper which is made from an entirely different fibre eg Sugar Cane, Hemp, Organic Cotton (which has the highest archival quality). There has been some evidence, however, that making paper from these materials may require greater water and energy consumption. Like recycled paper, however, it does save more trees from being cut down.
I'm simply at the stage where I don't know what the most ethical and environmentally-friendly solution is to the problem.
Is it better to start off by choosing an option which is preferably 'home grown' thereby reducing transport and CO2 emissions? Then going for Recycled - FSC certified - alternative fibre in that order?
I'd be hugely grateful if you could shed some light on this issue!
Cheers,
Sinéad
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Greta Posted 4:47 am
02 Jan 2008
Thank you for your inquiry. Our products are made from 100% polyurethane visco elastic memory foam. They do not contain any PBDE's or latex. All
of our foam products meet the requirements of the California Technical Bulletin 117. Please visit http://www.bhfti.ca.gov/ for more information
on that bulletin.
All of our foam is manufactured in the United States and is treated with Ultra Fresh which is an antimicrobial agent. Please visit http://www.ultra-fresh.com/tra/ for more information on Ultra Fresh.
If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me.
Thank you for your interest in our products
With Kind Regards,
Gracie Quest
Consumer Response
Sleep Innovations
187 Rt. 36 Suite 101
W. Long Branch
New Jersey, 07764
732-443-2002
Ext. 2409
Fax. 732-263-0900
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Wren Posted 4:29 pm
17 Jan 2008
Just wanted to let you know that you should click on the "send Umbra" link at the bottom of the original article to ask her your question, rather than leave it as a comment in an unrelated article (I don't know if she reads all the comments or not). I hope she does answer it, though - I'm curious! I believe any dioxins made in the recycled-paper process would only happen if said paper was bleached in chlorine; that's why when you buy a brand of recycled paper product like Seventh Generation, it talks about using an alternate bleaching method (or none at all) to avoid making any dioxins. Just the actual recycling part shouldn't make any dioxins that I'm aware of. I would hope that if a company is recycling paper, than they expect their customers to be looking for eco-friendly options and would not use chlorine bleach; however, this may just be wishful thinking on my part if the label doesn't say what the paper was bleached with. Likewise cotton, hemp, banana leaf, etc. could also potentially be bleached with chlorine, so I think the danger of that happening may be equal (unless said tree-free paper comes in its "natural" color, no bleaching at all). I used to find spiral notebooks made of recycled paper that were not bleached at all, but I haven't seen those since the 90s.
Anywho... I hope your question gets answered! : )
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jstbob Posted 1:36 am
14 Mar 2008
This is the latest response from Simply Organic Sleep when asked about my refund:
'What is pathetic sad and unreal is the way that retail customers think that they are the only ones in the world when they place an order. We pride ourselves in our product and customer service and I am frankly tired of your attitude. I may have misspoke about your credit I have hundreds of customers (99 percent of them satisfied by the way) and I am out of town at our distribution center and not in my office. I will check my records when I get home to see exactly what the status of your credit is. I hope this is satisfactory but it probably wont be. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to assist.'
Susan Gehant
Comptroller
Another example of the way this business feels about its customers!!!
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