Memory foam mattress topper (& MF mattresses?) - I am sick from VOCs

[phoenix]

Hi 1whitehorse1,

You are getting some “misleading” information from Essentia that is more about marketing than it is about fact. There is more about their so called “slow response latex” in the previous posts I linked. They do use a fire retardant barrier in their mattress … it’s just not wool. You can read more about wool quilted covers in post #6 here. They also use Dunlop latex in their support core (not Talalay) and they are also in a much higher budget range than other mattresses that use similar materials.

When I asked at SOMA organic beds why the Obasan has the wool covers, the manager there named Tony said that this is because the wool acts as a natural fire retardant. He also said that the wool prevents any flaked off or dried latex foam (that might come from age?) from dispersing into the air or being breathed in by the sleeper. The wool in the Obasan surrounds each of the 4 or more layers of foam that make up the mattress, kind of like a foam/wool/cotton sandwich, and it basically ensures the containment of the foam, and acts as a flame retardant.

Wool can certainly works well as a fire retardant (see post #2 here). All mattresses are tested as part of the fire regulations in each country. The “flaking off” of latex wouldn’t be a concern to me but a wool quilted cover will protect the latex from oxidation more effectively than a thinner unquilted cover (see post #3 here and post #3 here). The wool also surrounds the whole mattress but not each of the layers individually as far as I know.

The Essentia rep also countered with saying since the Essentia doesn’t have the wool, it has less chance of getting any dust mites, since dust mites would be able to live in the wool material, and it therefore reinforces the hypoallergenic claim.

This is also misinformation because wool tends to resist dust mites … not attract them (see post #9 here).

Phoenix