May 2007
How manufacturers reach the new standard
The Consumer Product Safety Commission did not specify manufacturing guidelines for compliance with its new mattress-flammability
standard. That means manufacturers may make any number of design changes, including using a class of chemical flame retardants
known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, to reduce flame spread. PBDEs have been found to accumulate in human tissues
and the environment, and animal studies suggest that they might adversely affect the nervous and immune systems as well as
thyroid function. Some compounds are also potential carcinogens.
The EPA issued regulations to stop further production and import of several PBDE compounds after California led the way to ban their use by July 2008. But another PBDE compound, deca-brominated diphenyl ether, or Deca-BDE, remains in use, though it might also eventually be banned in some states. Consumer Reports supports the new flammability standard but believes manufacturers should find safer ways to comply that don’t require persistent hazardous chemicals like PBDEs. We recommend that you buy a mattress without them. The three biggest U.S. mattress manufacturers--Sealy, Serta, and Simmons--claim not to use any PBDEs, including Deca-BDE.
There are some alternatives to PBDEs that would still allow mattresses to meet the new flammability standard. Those include changes in how mattresses are made and the use of either natural flame-retardant materials, such as wool and leather, or less-toxic chemicals that EPA analyses suggest would be less toxic, such as aluminum trihydroxide and magnesium hydroxide.
Contact mattress manufacturers and ask how the company is meeting the flammability standards.
The EPA issued regulations to stop further production and import of several PBDE compounds after California led the way to ban their use by July 2008. But another PBDE compound, deca-brominated diphenyl ether, or Deca-BDE, remains in use, though it might also eventually be banned in some states. Consumer Reports supports the new flammability standard but believes manufacturers should find safer ways to comply that don’t require persistent hazardous chemicals like PBDEs. We recommend that you buy a mattress without them. The three biggest U.S. mattress manufacturers--Sealy, Serta, and Simmons--claim not to use any PBDEs, including Deca-BDE.
There are some alternatives to PBDEs that would still allow mattresses to meet the new flammability standard. Those include changes in how mattresses are made and the use of either natural flame-retardant materials, such as wool and leather, or less-toxic chemicals that EPA analyses suggest would be less toxic, such as aluminum trihydroxide and magnesium hydroxide.
Contact mattress manufacturers and ask how the company is meeting the flammability standards.
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