What is a mattress Does a box of competition have something in common? Not only are they all rectangular – it can be very flammable if you are not careful. Historically, mattresses pose a significant fire hazard and they can still be ignored without paying attention to the materials used.
According to FEMA, there were estimated 20,800 residential fires in the United States due to bedding burned by flame exposure between 1996 and 1998. At that time, the fire involving mattresses and bedding caused twice the death and harm to all residential structure fires.
Something has to be done, and the solution is to incorporate flame retardants. Although they do not have a fully fireproof bed, they will slow the spread of fire and ultimately prevent the sleeper from becoming a human torch. In July 2007, a new federal mattress flammability standard came into effect. However, some of the new flame retardants used have raised concerns about other health effects, especially if the worst happens and does ignite. What are you likely to breathe or contact? Will this exposure have a long-term impact? To understand what keeps mattresses safe and fire-proof, we need to understand the different forms of flame retardants and how they behave in a variety of situations.
Fiberglass: Friend or enemy?
Fiberglass has long been the first choice barrier for many mattresses. You can usually find it in one of two places: a mattress cover, or a thin inner sleeve commonly known as a “fire sock.” Fiberglass is very good as a flame retardant because it does not burn and has an extremely high melting point, i.e. 2237 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a cheap material that is easy to integrate into the mattress.
But fiberglass has some serious disadvantages. If it breaks and gets sucked or touched, it can cause significant damage to your skin or internal organs. Consumers are increasingly aware of this problem, and pushing back mattresses with fiberglass layers has become common on social media, just like the recent posts on Tiktok are quite a wave.
Mattresses that do contain fiberglass must say so on the included label. However, mattress labels may not show which flame retardant chemical is used in the mattress. Here, certification, careful research, and advice from trusted testers are essential to selecting the right product. For example, wired beds containing fiberglass are not recommended.
What are the choices?
We chose to test certified mattresses. While things like Certipur-US certification can only be used for memory foam, it still shows that the sleep experience is safer. But to completely bypass fiberglass, there are many alternatives to consider. This is the most common mattress we’ve tested:
wool Contains two main elements that are not suitable for flames: nitrogen and water. It takes some serious heat to catch fire (about 1,060 to 1,115 degrees Fahrenheit). Even, this is not the easiest to burn, and it may take more time to smolder and then eventually put out the fire. Likewise, cashmere and mohair (provided by Angora goats) are naturally anti-animal-based materials that prevent flame spread. They also contain a lot of moisture and shrink like wool when burning the flame.
Wire Wood pulp can be derived from various plant sources, for example, we often see it in bamboo sheets. It is classified as “semi-synthetic fiber” because it requires quite a serious chemical treatment to transform from flesh-bonded powder into a finished material. However, to make it fire-resistant, rayon needs to be used Silicon dioxide. When the flame is burned, this mineral creates a char barrier to prevent the flame from progressing. Silicon dioxide treatment methods can also be used as a fire in other materials.
Photo: Leesa
synthetic fibernylon and polyester are both heavily based on plastics. In short, they require very high heat to melt. “Melt” is the keyword here, and even if affected by flame exposure, the first reaction is not self-predictable.
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Photo: Wired
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Luxurious natural mattress
What to avoid
In addition to fiberglass, some other flame retardants need to be avoided. The good news is that in most cases you shouldn’t have a lot of them because most people are banned due to health issues. But if something is wrong, it’s a situation that has nothing to do with you. Is there a harmful chemical smell in the bed? Is your skin responding to this? Do you think your breathing is weird after sleeping? Double-check the legal labels and contact customer service to confirm what is being used on the bed. But this may still not provide you with all the answers you are looking for. Again, this is where material certification is so important because they verify that there is no such thing in the finished product.
Polybromed diphenyl ether (PBDES) It is called “forever chemicals” because once they enter the body, they are permanently at home. When they act as fire barriers, they can have long-term health consequences upon exposure, leading to various forms of neurological and hormonal disorders. However, their usage in mattresses is primarily phased out for these reasons.
Decimal phenyl oxidation phenyl (deferrous) Similar to PBDE, because it does not free up the body. Although it has been banned since 2013, it is used in mattresses, textiles and plastic products. Long-term accumulation can lead to results similar to PBDE, such as reproductive, thyroid, nervous system and liver disease.
