Hi SFgal,
If the topper is CertiPur certified (and Sleep Innovations which makes the Novaform is certified*) then most people wouldn’t consider it dangerous or unsafe no. There are also some people who have different opinions about memory foam and would avoid all memory foam completely. Some people also avoid polyfoam because they prefer not to sleep on anything made with chemicals no matter who says they are safe. Some people are more sensitive than others and there may be some toppers which are worse than others but in general if a materials has been tested for offgassinc and harmful substances then most people would consider it safe. I have personally had some issues with a Novaform topper that you can read about in post #2 here. The smell normally goes away fairly quickly (in a few days) but this is not always the case. I haven’t had any issues on other memory foam materials and I have also slept on another Novaform topper that didn’t produce the same “symptoms”.
ADMIN NOTE: *Removed 404 link|Archived Footprint: certipur.us/pages/for-industry/find-a-foam-supplier/sleep-innovations/
There are too many unknowns, preferences, and variables involved to use “theory” to choose a topper but the topper guidelines in post #2 here and the posts it links to can help you use your actual sleeping experience on the mattress as a guideline for your choice.
I don’t think anyone knows for certain and it may also depend on the manufacturer of the Talalay. Radium has told me that their softer 100% natural Talalay uses a special curing past and it is as durable as their blend while Latex International says that their 100% natural is less durable than the blended. If I had to guess in the absence of any specific testing results that compares them for durability I would guess the meeting point would be somewhere in the mid 20’s. Don’t forget though that all latex is more durable than other materials so this is just a comparison between different types of latex.
All the latex that you are likely to encounter has been tested and certified for offgassing and harmful substances (whether it was made in the Us or elsewhere) so if someone is telling you that it somehow isn’t “safe” or “healthy” I would ask them to validate what they are saying and ask them why they believe that the stringent testing standards that are used by OekoTex or other similar testing criteria isn’t proof enough of safety for them. Some people equate “petrochemicals” to being “unsafe” and I wonder if they ever wear any synthetic clothing or what is in their furniture at home. I wonder if they ever use plastic wrap to wrap their food. These type of broad generalizations are usually very misleading and not very helpful. If you are in any doubt you can just ask for the testing certifications of the latex you are considering.
Any good manufacturer will tell you the type and blend of latex in their product if you call and ask them (and I always would) and Brooklyn Bedding is certainly one of these.
The only way to know for certain is to deal with reliable suppliers that will give you accurate information. You won’t be able to tell based on how it looks.
Phoenix