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Getting a good night's sleep has long been taught as a habit we all should have. A good 7-8 hours of sleep means that one third of our life should be spent in bed. Recent discoveries have found that while sleeping 7-8 hours a night is healthy, sleeping in a bed may not be such a healthy idea. While our faces are plastered into a pillow and sleeping on a new mattress, we may be literally gassing ourselves to death.
Toxic Chemicals in Our Pillows
Modern pillows are often constructed of Styrofoam which contains polystyrene. This petroleum-based chemical has been known to cause symptoms of fatigue, difficulty sleeping, nervous disorders, menstrual cycle problems, alterations in blood cells, chromosome and lymphatic abnormalities and possibly has carcinogenic effects on humans.
Researchers testing for styrene in humans found that a full 100% were found to have styrene in their fat cells and they couldn’t find a single lactating mother who didn’t test positive for these chemicals in her breast milk.
Additionally, polystyrene pillows are also known to contain polyurethane foam and polyethylene. These fillers are made by combining some very toxic chemicals to make polyfil, the major component of the pillows we use today.
Recent scientific studies showed that many of the plastic bottles we are using for baby formula and drinking water are leaching chemicals into the contents of the bottle. This raises the question as to whether these chemicals are also being released into the air surrounding our pillow and mattress while we sleep.
Chem-Tox a company studying the chemicals, has done extensive studies on the effect that petroleum based products have on humans. The number of human ailments such as cancer, asthma, infertility, and neurological problems that have been tied to these chemicals is growing larger and larger. The alarming rise in autism over the last half century raises questions as to the link between these chemicals and this syndrome.
Toxic Chemicals in Mattresses
Since 2007, all mattresses solid in the United States, are required to contain enough Fire Retardant to withstand being subjected to a 24 inch blowtorch flame for a total of 70 seconds. It has been estimated that 90% of all mattress manufacturers use a highly toxic brand of fire retardant because it is less expensive to use. In addition, manufacturers have switched from filling mattresses with natural products to using toxic synthetic petroleum based products as fillings in an effort to save money.
More and more studies are showing that our sleeping on these mattresses, night after night, year after yea,r is increasing our risk of developing a host of health problems. By the time a child is 5 years of age they have spent thousands of hours exposed to these chemicals in their mattresses and pillows. It’s a scary thought.
The foam mattresses that are currently being manufactured, are made of a toxic soup of nearly 60 different chemicals. The flame retardant solution used on mattresses contains antimony, boric acid (the stuff used to kill the persistent cockroach) and DECABROMODIPHENYL OXIDE. (That name even sounds nasty!) For information on the world's only Natural Memory Foam Mattress, Click Here
Federal law states that any type of sofa bed, crib, fold-out bed, futon and mattress made of synthetic materials must contain a flame retardant, but nowhere on the label or product information is the safety of these chemicals made readily available to consumers.
Chemical Free Mattresses
A simple search on the Internet will give you sites that sell chemical free mattresses. If the mattress is made of all natural materials such as cotton or wool, they do not require flame retardant and are thus usually safer to use as far as toxic chemicals go.
Beware of energy scams. Companies can advertise that they offer a “green” mattress, but sometimes they add natural products in addition to the standard toxic foam and call it green. Due diligence is needed before you make a mattress purchase. Do a lot of research to be sure your mattress is safe and free of harmful chemicals.
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