The mattress you sleep on every night could be filled with toxic chemicals that are potentially harmful to you and your family. You may have heard the term “off-gassing” before, which is essentially the process that occurs when the chemicals from furniture and other household goods are transferred over time into your body through skin and inhalation, as well as into the environment.
Here are some of the most common ingredients found in most mattresses that can potentially wreak havoc on your health:
Flame retardants
Flame retardants were first added to consumer products such as car seats, furniture, electronics, and appliances with good intentions. A law passed in 1975 required manufacturers to treat products with flame retardants as a way to protect against house fires — mainly those started by cigarettes.
In fact, “studies have shown that 90 percent of the American population have these flame retardants in their bodies” (TIME). Though policies have changed and certain flame retardants have been replaced with less harmful ones, these can still cause serious, long term health problems such as cancer, autoimmune disease, ADHD, and more.
Petroleum-based polyurethane foam
The majority of mattresses today are made with petroleum-based polyurethane foam, and the health hazards of such material are widespread. From autoimmune diseases to cancer, neurological disorders to infertility and miscarriage, the possible adverse health effects of petroleum and polyurethane are so bad, it’s a wonder the ingredients are still so widely used.
Pesticides
Most mattresses are made with conventional cotton, which is grown using harmful pesticides that can leak into your body over time. In fact, “2.4% of the world’s cropland is planted with cotton and yet it accounts for 24% and 11% of the global sales of insecticide and pesticides respectively” (WWF).
Boric acid is a chemical that is commonly used as a pesticide on cotton, but is also added to mattresses to prevent bed bugs and bacteria from making a home in your bed. Of course, you don’t want bed bugs sleeping with you… but you don’t want boric acid either, which is essentially a poison. Over time, boric acid and other pesticides can cause developmental, neurological, and respiratory problems.
How Avocado Mattresses Are Different
The Avocado Mattress uses only natural and organic materials to deliver luxurious sleep that is better for your long-term health and the health of the planet.
Our comfort layers feature 100% natural latex from tree-tapped sources, sustainably harvested from the Havea Brasillensis tree, to transform it into the most comfortably, naturally hypoallergenic and resilient foam imaginable. No solvents or chemicals are used. The result is a natural latex foam that is seven times more breathable than synthetic and petroleum-based foams, and is naturally hypoallergenic and dust-mite resistant. When combined with New Zealand Wool and organic cotton, our comfort layers deliver the most luxurious, natural sleep imaginable.
Better still, it’s and odor-free product that does not give off Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are suspected carcinogens and irritants.
Our support layer, found at the base of our mattress, features more than 1300 individually wrapped micro-coils to provide responsive comfort and motion isolation, perfectly supporting your feet, head and lumbar region. This reduces the weight of the mattress and enables it to perform on almost any surface — even an adjustable base.
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The Essential Organic Pillow Collection
Gentle, breathable, non-toxic support.