Originally published on August 11, 2010 in GreenBiz.com
Barry Cik is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer, member of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, and founder of Naturepedic, an organic mattress company based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Chemical Regulations and the Modern Mattress: The Stuff of Nightmares
I’ve spent the last 30 years as an environmental engineer, but it wasn’t until I became a grandfather that I fully understood the extent to which industrial chemicals had invaded the American home.
My rude awakening came when my wife sent me to buy a crib mattress for our first grandchild. I was appalled by what I found; the crib mattresses were full of industrial chemicals. Because of my environmental engineering background, I knew how harmful these chemicals could be to a developing child.
No one sets out to make toxic baby mattresses; it just evolved that way. As just one example, nearly all baby mattresses are covered with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make them waterproof. Because PVC is rigid, manufacturers mix in a class of chemicals called phthalates to soften the PVC. When added to PVC, phthalates don’t stay put; they leach into the air, making children more vulnerable to asthma, reproductive harm and cancer. One short-sighted decision leads to another and, before you know it, you’ve got a very unhealthy baby mattress.
The good news is, Congress is considering legislation that requires chemical manufacturers to show that their products are safe before they end up in products. Called the Safe Chemicals Act in the Senate and the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act in the House, these proposals have the potential to improve Americans’ health and restore consumer trust in American businesses and products.
Now it is up to our elected officials to make sure these bills become law. Yet they will only succeed if we can all stand firm in the face of chemical industry lobbyists who will argue that more regulation will hurt small business. My story demonstrates that just the opposite is true.
Back at the baby store, I told the salesperson, “My grandfather slept on straw. I’ll have my grandchildren sleep on straw before I let them sleep on these mattresses. This is not progress.” That shopping trip six years ago spurred my sons and I to start our own business, Naturepedic. It took some work to find the right combination of materials and the right manufacturing process, but I’m proud to say that today we offer waterproof baby mattresses made with organic and non-toxic materials. Yes, you can make a baby mattress without toxic chemicals.
Today, businesses like mine are thriving thanks to rising consumer demand for non-toxic products. But there still is a problem: It’s hard for companies like Naturepedic to be fully certain which suppliers do and do not use toxic chemicals. Most of them do, whether they admit it or not. The blame rests squarely on our outdated system for regulating chemicals, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). Under TSCA, chemical manufacturers don’t have to demonstrate that their products are safe for children, nor do they have to disclose all the ingredients.
This lack of transparency puts businesses like mine in a bind. We’re forced to foot the bill for what chemical manufacturers don’t provide, spending our own resources to independently assure safety.
By reforming TSCA, we can create a new marketplace where chemical safety information is easily available to all and businesses can make informed choices about what brands and materials to use, making it easier to avoid exposing workers and customers to harm.
I know from experience that once people realize that their kids’ beds, mattresses, toys and bottles may contain toxic chemicals, they start reading labels and put their trust in brands that can demonstrate safety. But not everyone can afford to act on this knowledge. Consider families living paycheck to paycheck that can’t always afford to buy the least toxic choice. Our next challenge is to turn frustrated consumers into vocal citizens who will support Congress in making non-toxic the norm, not a market niche.
I never expected to be a mattress maker. Honestly, this industry doesn’t have a great reputation. At the turn of the century, mattresses were frequently stuffed with garbage. It took individual states to enact laws that require mattress manufacturers to provide labels. Today, we need Congress to take action on an equally outrageous problem. My hope is that in 10 years our grandchildren will ask, “Really? They used to make crib mattresses with toxic chemicals?” And then, when toxic chemicals in crib mattresses are a thing of the past, I’ll be ready to finally retire and really enjoy my grandchildren.
Comments
You're truly well-informed. I cant believe how much of this I just wasn't aware of. Thank you for bringing more information to this topic for me. I'm truly grateful and really impressed.
Posted by: cewalck99 | Mar 18, 2012 12:40:08 AM
Sleepys Mattress
Prissy writeup, that was functional substance, makes me requisite to buy one. me and the fam are in the market for a new mattress. Swell to see pics of the stock. Thanks!
Posted by: Sharon Rasch | Nov 21, 2011 9:13:30 PM
Rattling inetresting article convey you , i never realized this was the happening and am search to get a cot mattress so leave be careful of this.
Posted by: Ruby Ferdinand | Oct 28, 2011 12:57:11 AM
Toxic mattresses are out there. Consumers have to be more vigilant in choosing organic or natural mattresses. Make sure you know what is in the bed. Find out what sort of ingredients have been incorporated.
Posted by: Zach Smith | Apr 10, 2011 6:51:01 PM
Thank you so much for this really informative article. It is so important that experts such as yourself actually explain why organic mattresses are so important. Many consumers think of them as a gimic and are happy to trust that everything sold in the market is safe for them. The real danger comes from sleeping on these toxin laden mattresses night after night. We sweat, we sleep and we absorb, especially dangerous for babies. By supporting companies like naturepedic we as consumers are stating that we don't want products that are piled high and sold cheap just so someone else can make a profit without having our health and wellbeing in mind.
Posted by: Sonia | Apr 6, 2011 2:51:08 AM
Education is the key as they say knowledge is king. it is very true that far from progressing as a race we seem to have lost the plot by poisoning ourselves and our environment. By using natural fibres we stay in harmony with nature and are safer. We create a positive legacy for our kids. Good work Naturepedic! A company with its heart in the right place!
very inetresting article thank you , i never realised this was the case and am looking to purchase a cot mattress so will be mindful of this
Posted by: Pranna | Apr 6, 2011 2:41:47 AM
You are right. But there are exemptions to this "revelation". There are mattresses made to perfection: meaning free from toxicity and quality is very important. Life is at stake here so health should be considered first before anything else.
Posted by: mattress covers | Oct 24, 2010 8:24:36 AM
Then it should be stopped. If it will harm young and developing kids, then why they still to continue? Must have alternatives for mattresses.
Posted by: The Bar Stools in UK | Sep 19, 2010 5:05:15 PM
It is important to recognize that one of the most worrisome class of chemicals added to mattresses, furniture and electronics are legally required because of flammability regulation. The producers of flame retardant chemicals--ICL, Albemarle and Chemtura-- have hoodwinked legislatures a number of states and countries into enacting requirements for flame resistance that can only be met with the use of their products. To do so, they have formed bogus front groups such as "Citizens for Fire Safety" and corrupted existing fire organizations like the National Association of State Fire Marshals with heavy funding conditioned on support of flame retardant initiatives. All of this has been chronicled by CBS News, the Washington Post, the Seattle newspapers and the fearless Green Science Policy Institute in California. My choice to post anonymously should say something about the type of tactics these companies employ against those that oppose them.
Posted by: Anonymous Citizen | Aug 14, 2010 11:00:18 AM
