What is mattress off-gassing and is it dangerous to your health?

Date:
Tue, 26 Jul 2022 17:14:07 +0000

Description:
Wondering why your new mattress smells weird? Its down to off-gassing and heres what causes it and how to speed it up

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Mattress off-gassing refers to a specific process that happens when a bed-in-a-box is unpacked. That telltale new mattress smell can take you by surprise if you arent prepared for it, and some mattresses stink more than others.

If youre particularly sensitive to mattress off-gassing, you may find that
you dont sleep as well the night you unbox your new bed as the pong can be overpowering. The good news is that many of this years best mattresses use a range of materials to reduce the stench.

Memory foam mattresses are more prone to off-gassing than other types, for reasons well explain below. Well also cover whether mattress off-gassing is dangerous to your health, why it happens, and how you can speed it up. What
is mattress off-gassing?

Many new mattresses sometimes emit an odor when theyre first unwrapped and this is a result of by-products of mattress manufacturing known as VOCs (volatile organic compounds). This is known as off-gassing.

Mattress off-gassing occurs when you remove a mattress from its packaging for the first time, and its particularly noticeable with beds-in-a-box. These mattresses are compressed with a heavy weight, then vacuum sealed for packing into a box, all of which traps the chemical by-products. Compressed and
rolled mattresses are more prone to off-gassing (Image credit: Future)

What does VOC mean? Volatile means a substance that can easily become a gas, and organic means that substance is carbon-based. VOCs come in lots of forms, such as benzene, acetone, formaldehyde and ethanol. Why are they present in mattresses? Because most of them are indispensable to the manufacturing process. Is mattress off-gassing dangerous?

Research conducted by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New
York City and the Israel Institute of Technology shows that estimated
exposure to VOCs from mattress off-gassing remains well below the No Significant Risk Levels (NSRL) set under California environmental laws.

However, Dr Kenneth Spaeth, chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Northwell Health in Great Neck, NY, points out that there are more
concerns with childrens exposure to VOCs.

The most common side effects of off-gassing are headaches and minor allergic reactions such as eczema

By virtue of their age and size, they have heightened vulnerability to potential toxic effects, he points out. However, Getting fresh air in can really help reduce those exposures.

The most common side effects of off-gassing are headaches and minor allergic reactions such as eczema and hay fever-like symptoms. However, you can
greatly reduce any risks by buying a mattress from a reputable brand that ensures the use of safe materials, such as CertiPUR-US foam.

Premium and cheap mattresses alike are prone to off-gassing, as are mattress toppers made from memory foam or a mix of foams. Off-gassing by type of mattress Memory Foam mattress off-gassing

Originally developed by NASA, memory foam is a viscoelastic foam that molds
to the body, responding to weight, body shape and heat. Its well-known for
its excellent pressure relieving qualities, with the foam contouring around the body and cushioning it through the night.

Memory foam mattresses hav a polyfoam support core, combined with comfort materials such as memory foam, polyfoam or a combination of foams. Because all-foam beds use a combination of synthetic foam, they have the highest potential for off-gassing. Memory foam mattresses like the Emma Original have a higher chance of off-gassing (Image credit: Future)

As a synthetic material, memory foam tends to emit the most noticeable off-gassing odors. If youre set on memory foam, look for beds with certifications from GREENGUARD Gold, OEKO-TEX, CertiPUR-US, or eco-INSTITUT
as these are tested for emission standards, which should reduce the potential for severe off-gassing. Latex mattress off-gassing

Latex mattresses use support cores and comfort materials made of latex. If
its natural latex, you shouldnt have any off-gassing. However, synthetic, or blended latex can emit almost as much off-gassing as memory foam.

Natural latex is made from the sap of rubber trees, while synthetic latex
uses petrochemicals. Latex is produced by either the Dunlop or Talalay process, which gives the mattress a different feel and performance. Latex is extremely responsive and bouncy, but also provides moderate contouring and pressure relief.

Natural latex has no synthetic components, meaning you wont get any off-gassing. Synthetic latex is likely to emit off-gassing odors. Hybrid mattress off-gassing

These have a support core made from metal springs and comfort materials such as memory foam, latex, microcoils, polyfoam and other materials. Off-gassing depends on the materials and construction.

Layers of memory foam and polyfoam will emit more off-gassing odors, whereas natural latex wont have any scent. There will be less off-gassing with an all-foam mattress due to the enhanced airflow and the lower use of synthetic materials. Polyfoam mattress off-gassing

Polyfoam is a catch-all word to refer to any formulation of
polyurethane-based foam. Its frequently used as a support in mattresses.

This very much depends on the polyfoams specific formulation but, in general, it falls in between memory foam and latex in terms of contouring and responsiveness. As polyfoam is a synthetic material, theres a high likelihood of off-gassing. Microcoils and mattress off-gassing

Microcoils are a thin layer of small springs of a few inches thick, in contrast to the more substantial coil layers found in support cores. Microcoils are designed to add responsiveness, whilst keeping air flowing. Innerspring mattresses like the Saatva Classic are less prone to off-gassing (Image credit: Future)

Innerspring mattresses have a bouncy core of metal springs combined with comfort padding. These mattresses arent prone to off-gassing because they contain very little or no synthetic foam and the coils promote better airflow to dissipate smells.

Metal coils do not emit any odors and even when wrapped individually in fabric, still produce only minimal or no off-gassing. How long does that new mattress smell last?

Although theres no hard and fast rule to this, you can take an educated guess according to the mattress composition. Foams will have more of a smell than other materials and memory foam mattresses will take longer for the odors to dissipate than hybrid mattresses. Some new beds lose their smell in a matter of hours, while others take a few days. How to speed up mattress off-gassing

Open all of the windows in the room where youre setting up your new mattress and make sure the room is dry with no damp. Remove all the plastic packaging from your new bed immediately and unroll the mattress fully so that its no longer compressed. Take all packaging outside.

You could also consider using fans to help circulate the air. If the off-gassing is particularly bad, try airing the mattress outside on a dry day for a few hours to help the smell dissipate quicker. The 3 best mattresses
for little to no off-gassing

Saatva Classic mattress: from $912 at Saatva
The luxury innerspring hybrid Saatva Classic mattress comes in a range of firmness levels from plush to firm, and you can choose from two different heights. Because its an innerspring mattress made from a combination of premium coils and foam, and its shipped flat (never compressed and rolled) theres little to no off-gassing here. View Deal

Amerisleep Organica: from $1,049 at Amerisleep
Made from a combination of natural latex, Joma wool, natural wool, natural cotton and steel coils, the Amerisleep Organica has no synthetic materials,
so there will be very little off-gassing here. Its particularly well-suited
to side sleepers who should appreciate its buoyancy and responsiveness. View Deal

Awara Natural Luxury Hybrid: from $799 at Awara Sleep
This all-rounder suits most sleeping positions and is particularly good at keeping hot sleepers cool at night. Theres good support at the hips and shoulders, making it an excellent choice for people with back pain. Again, as the Awara Mattress is made from natural latex, natural wool, cotton and steel coils, the lack of synthetic materials means little to no off-gassing. View Deal Mattress off-gassing: summary

Mattress off-gassing isnt dangerous to your health, but it could trigger your allergies or give you a headache depending on the severity of the off-gassing smell.

To speed up mattress off-gassing, always open your bedroom windows before unboxing the bed. Take all packaging outside as soon as possible, and unfurl the mattress so that its no longer tightly compressed.

The longer you leave a boxed mattress sitting compressed inside a cardboard box, the stronger its off-gassing odor will be.

Read more: 2022s best pillows for sleeping



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