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Avoid Polyurthethane Foam
For years, most mass market upholstered furniture, including mattresses, has been filled with polyurethane foam. Don’t buy it. It’s toxic. Sure it’s cheaper, the foam is out of sight under a layer of fabric, the furniture looks nice, even upscale, from a distance. But the health risks are huge. As Darin Olien notes in his eye-opening new book, Fatal Conveniences, furniture was once made with natural materials. Real wood, real natural fibers. Furniture was so solid and well-made it was passed down to younger generations like heirlooms. Starting around the 1960s all that changed. Now it’s full of harmful petroleum-based materials, plastics and pressed wood held together with toxic chemicals. And has a short shelf life.
In response to fire safety laws manufacturers also began soaking foam and fabrics with toxic flame retardants. They didn't have to. There are better and safer non-toxic ways to make furniture fire-safe. But chemicals are cheaper. They used PBDEs and chlorinated tris and others. The good news is some of the worst chemicals have been banned in furniture and other products and some, but not all, manufacturers been voluntarily phasing out the use of many chemical flame retardants in favor of safer alternatives. But some are still out and and there's concern some are being used in other countries and being imported to the U.S. California banned chlorinated tris just three years ago. It created a ripple effect across the country but it's still in many products.
Polyurethane foam is plastic. It’s made from petrochemicals and with isocyanates like toluene diisocyanate, a possible carcinogen that can also damage the eyes, skin and the respiratory system. It also off-gasses toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which includes a wide range of chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde that can cause issues ranging from respiratory irritation and headaches to cancer, immune system damage, respiratory and neurological damage and organ damage.
Other chemicals commonly found in foam or added to it include chlorine, solvents and PFOS (forever chemicals). Further, polyurethane foam, especially on mattresses, is often surrounded by a thin barrier of fiberglass, also in response to flammability laws. But fiberglass too is harmful, especially to the respiratory system and shouldn’t be put in mattresses, furniture or anywhere else you can be exposed to it.
All these toxins escape the foam continuously as dangerous VOC emissions and as dust and microparticles that slough off with use and becomes airborne. The last thing you want to do is sleep for hours every night on top of this huge pile of toxic chemicals. Yet, millions of us do. This includes memory foam mattresses and most living room furniture. Just a few thin layers of cotton or synthetic fabric separate you from the foam. Body heat increases the release of emissions which is another reason sleeping on foam is dangerous. Babies and children are even more susceptible to the toxic effects of the various chemicals. They spend more time in bed and their vulnerable brains and bodies are still developing.
Polyurethane foam is also highly flammable. And oddly, the toxic flame retardants added to it don’t even do a good job of preventing fire. As if all this weren’t bad enough, when it burns, foam can produce deadly carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen cyanide.
A safe alternative to polyurethane foam is natural rubber latex (make sure it’s natural, not synthetic). This is the main material used by mattress and furniture manufacturers that make organic non-toxic mattresses and furniture.
Stay away from so-called environmentally-friendly plant-based foams. Insist on seeing the ingredients to be sure the foam is 100 percent natural latex. Some foams marketed as plant-based are mainly regular polyurethane dressed up with a small percentage of castor oil or soybean oil mixed in.
Non-toxic furniture also typically includes organic cotton and sometimes plant fibers like coconut coir, hemp and bamboo. And often it includes wool. Wool is safe and non-toxic and it’s a natural flame retardant.
Two manufacturers whose wool I include in recommendations are Avocado Green Mattress and Savvy Rest, both of whom make furniture as well as mattresses. They and other non-toxic furniture leaders also make vegan furniture options, which usually include natural latex, cotton and other natural fibers, but no wool. Other manufacturers to look into are Naturepedic, Plush Beds, Modern Nursery and Green Cradle.
Non-toxic furniture is more expensive but it’s an investment in your family’s health. It won’t kill you or make you sick and it will last much longer than the hazardous chemical-filled furniture out there. And don’t assume because furniture is from a high-end expensive retailers that it’s safer than the cheaper stuff. It’s not. Many of the popular brands are selling great-looking furniture that is just as toxic as the cheapest no-name options. Finally, don’t take a slapped-on “eco-friendly” or “green” description at face value. Most are not. Some have taken a few steps in the right direction but still have a long way to go. Greenwashing is everywhere. Peel back that trendy label and see what’s in the furniture you’re considering buying.