Hi LookingNow,
Foundations need to pass the fire regulations just like mattresses do so you are correct about this but most mattresses and foundations use inherent fire barriers (this may be what you are calling “neutral”) which are inherently fire retardant and don’t add chemicals to the mattress materials or the foundation … unlike furniture which uses more fire retardant chemicals added to their foam. There is more about “safe” fire retardants in this article and in post #2 here.
[quote]Most companies use standard FRs that contain PBDEs or Boric Acid and that’s what I stay away from with my multiple chemical sensitivity.
I have read that PBDE usage in mattresses have been outlawed recently but I’m not sure about this. I do know the last cheap mattress I bought came with a box spring that smelled worse than the mattress.[/quote]
While Boric acid is still used (although it’s safer than some people believe it is) … the use of PBDE’s in mattresses ended about a decade ago (see my reply to you here) and is no longer a concern with new mattresses or foundations. The smell of a mattress or foundation also isn’t an indication of its toxicity or safety. Organic latex or even other types of latex have a smell that is offensive to some people or can even cause some people to react to it when it is new but it’s certainly safe and some VOC’s that aren’t safe have no smell at all.
This is an example of a rayon/silica inherent fire barrier and similar types of inherent fire barriers are common in the industry.
Phoenix