Hi christyH,
As they mentioned, this does happen on occasion where the latex core is defective and of course needs to be replaced.
This is really a matter of personal preference and depends on which qualities are most important to you. You can read more about the different types of latex in this article and in post #6 here along with post #2 here but in essence the blended Talalay is more durable (especially in the softer layers) than the all natural, has a longer warranty, it is more pressure relieving (it is less dense than the all natural and allows for a slightly deeper cradle), and is less expensive than all natural Talalay, and has the same testing for safety in terms of harmful chemicals and offgassing of the finished product. They are both Oeko-Tex Standard 100 class 1 certified (safe for babies). On the other hand the 100% natural Talalay only uses latex raw materials that come from the rubber tree (natural rubber or NR) while the blended uses a blend of natural rubber and synthetic rubber (Styrene Butadiene or SBR which is synthesized mainly from petrochemical sources). In other words … it really depends on whether natural sources for their own sake is more important than the performance and value benefits of using the blended latex.
There is some good evidence that natural latex is anti-fungal so it would make sense that the greater the natural latex content the greater these properties would be. There is some conflicting evidence about the antibacterial properties of natural latex and it seems to have some effect on some types of bacteria and not others. There are also no specific studies that I’m aware of that have tested the differences between any antibacterial properties of blended vs all natural latex although it would make sense to me here as well that if these antibacterial qualities were inherent to the natural rubber latex that came from the tree that higher ratios of natural rubber would have higher levels of antibacterial properties.
In terms of being hypoallergenic, synthetic latex doesn’t have the same surface proteins that can cause latex allergies as the natural latex does but the processing of natural latex removes the large majority of these surface proteins so latex allergies wouldn’t really be an issue with either type of latex for most people. You can read a little more about latex allergies in post #2 here. In terms of being hypoallergenic in connection with dust mites (which is the most common allergen in mattresses) … they would both be about equal because both types of Talalay are very breathable which helps to control humidity levels which in turn is what helps to controls the dust mite population and their byproducts although the anti fungal properties of natural latex may reduce the food supply for any dust mites and give the edge to natural rubber vs synthetic rubber in terms of limiting the dust mite population.
Both natural and bended Talalay have a similar “sugar cookie” or “vanilla” type of smell, pass the same tests for VOC’s and offgassing, and both seem to be well tolerated by those who are very chemically sensitive.
So hopefully this will give you the pros and cons of each and help you decide which is best for you.
Phoenix