Headaches from toxic new mattress

[Shortninbread]

Anyone bought a new mattress and had the horrendous toxic smell? We bought one and I aired for an afternoon, as per instructions. Slept on it for two nights and had headaches and throat irritation throughout. As soon as I moved away from the bed, my headache went.

I am 15 weeks pregnant and really worried the baby will have absorbed these toxins too. I rang the manufacturers and they said by law they have to spray with flame retardants (REACH standards or something) and it would smell for two weeks.

I think it's a dreadful invasion of chemicals in the house with NO warnings to pregnant women.

Any similar experience or thoughts much appreciated.

Memory foam needs airing for a good 24 hours.
Strip the bed off and give it a proper airing.

Just because something smells, it doesn't make it toxic.

I think you should talk to your midwife about your anxiety levels.

Your baby will be fine.

We had the smell with new mattress we got two years ago, the smell goes soon. Don't worry your baby will be fine!

Thanks AnecdotalEvidence and Designedforlife for your considered responses.

I've never experienced pounding headaches from a piece of furniture before!

Worth knowing in recent years it is UK regulation for flame retardants to be sprayed over mattresses. There is quite a lot of speculation around off-gassing - the process of these toxins being released after unpackaging - ingested by people overnight in close proximity, and links with cancer, SIDS, thyroid and other conditions.

Although I'm not worried by those scenarios from my mattress. I think it warrants better advice is all.

Try febreezing it?

Try febreezing it?
No, it just needs to air. The smell goes within a couple of days.

Yep, I think febreeze may get rid of the smell but not the chemicals.

Got some nice air purifying plants in the room.

We bought a cot mattress that reeked of chemicals. It was vile. We aired it for several days, but even after that it made the whole room stink. I couldn't put DD in it. We returned it to the manufacturers who replaced it with another one which didn't smell at all.

I think some mattresses get a heavier dose of the chemicals than others, and I'd also be concerned about it in your situation, and would call the manufacturer and ask for it to be replaced.

Thanks Quodlibet.

I'm going to call the manufacturers on Monday, asking them exactly what was sprayed on it and if it's still smelling by then I'll get them to take it back too.

"I am 15 weeks pregnant and really worried the baby will have absorbed these toxins too. I rang the manufacturers and they said by law they have to spray with flame retardants (REACH standards or something) and it would smell for two weeks."

This is completely untrue. There is no law that requires mattresses to be sprayed with flame retardants. REACH is the EU legislation for registering, restricting and banning chemicals. The smell of flame retardants might disappear after two weeks but the toxic effects they have on health don't.

"Worth knowing in recent years it is UK regulation for flame retardants to be sprayed over mattresses."

Again, this is completely untrue. There are two flammability requirements for mattresses sold in the UK:

1. The filling materials must comply with the UK's very stringent Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations.

2. The cover fabric of mattresses must comply with the EU's General Product Safety Regulations. The recommended standard is BS 7177.

Neither of these requires flame retardant chemicals to be put in mattresses. FRs are just the chosen method of compliance by many manufacturers. The flame retardant industry is incredibly powerful and can be subtle with its propaganda. For instance, often claiming that you can't have fire safety without their products or that the law requires their products.

Evidence is piling up that flame retardants cause all kinds of illnesses and that children/babies are particularly vulnerable. This is why the US changed it's flammability standard a couple of years ago to remove FRs from sofas and mattresses.

The UK situation is worse. We put tons of flame retardants into everything, even products for which there are no flammability requirements, like curtains and carpets.

Where furniture's concerned, evidence has shown that flame retardants probably kill more people in house fires than they save.

"There is quite a lot of speculation around off-gassing - the process of these toxins being released after unpackaging - ingested by people overnight in close proximity, and links with cancer, SIDS, thyroid and other conditions."

Agree, although it's more than speculation.