Hi RF,
I’d certainly welcome the experiences of other members about some of your questions but I’ll share what I know.
I don’t think you are alone and there are certainly others who are sensitive to the smell of latex. While the smell of latex can vary between manufacturers, Talalay generally has a sweeter smell than Dunlop and the smell of Dunlop can last longer than Talalay. In most cases people can’t smell it any more after a few weeks and in many cases it only takes a few days but for some that are very sensitive there can be a slight smell if you put your nose right in the latex that lasts quite a long time (just like rubber products can still have a slight smell of rubber for a long time)
All of the better quality latex that is sold in North America has been certified through various testing protocols for harmful ingredients and offgassing (you can see the certifications for Savvy Rest CoCo latex Dunlop and Latex International Talalay here). Two of the more common of these standards are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class 1 (safe for babies) or Eco-Institut. All of the Talalay latex made by Latex International and Radium including their 100% natural and blended versions have the Oeko-Tex certification.
While this would ensure safety for the vast majority of the population and I have seen some very sensitive people who have MCS do very well with even blended latex … there may be some who are even more sensitive than the testing or perhaps even react to the smell itself rather than any harmful offgassing that it represents.
While a latex smell can linger for weeks (and if you put your nose into the rubber it could still have some smell that is semi permanent) … in most cases it isn’t noticed except with very close inspection after a few weeks and many people don’t smell it even after a day or two.
The foamed latex that is used in mattresses is quite different from the latex that is used in gloves and condoms etc and the surface proteins that cause most of the latex allergies have mostly been removed with washing during the course of manufacturing. Of course some people with a type IV allergy may still be sensitive to close contact particularly if they have been sensitized but it would be quite rare. There is more about latex allergies in post #2 here.
That would probably depend on several factors. One of these is the accuracy of the Dunlop ILD rating (they can have a wide variance) and on the ILD of the Talalay you are trying to emulate. With a 2" soft Talalay layer … much of what you feel would be the layer below it coming through while with a 3" dunlop topper most of what you would feel would be the topper itself so it would also depend on what the toppers were on. It would also depend on the weight of the person and how deeply they compressed either topper as well as individual perceptions (it always amazes me how different people’s assessment of what is soft or firm can be so different). All things considered though … on top of your F/M/S Savvy Rest my guess is that for most people the 3" “soft” Dunlop topper would feel firmer than the 2" “soft” Talalay topper.
The featherbeds will generally compress and not re-distribute weight as well as a more resilient material like latex. It is more of a point specific cushioning instead of an overall weight re-distribution. I think you were probably wise to avoid the F/S/S configuration because of the possibility of alignment issues with a comfort layer that was too thick and soft. You’re probably wise to wait until you know how long you will still be affected by the smell of the latex.
You are not likely smelling anything that is “harmful” even though it is clearly affecting you. For some people smells that are unpleasant to them can cause headaches even if the smell itself is not the result of something toxic. You can see from the Savvy Rest testing that there is no Toluene in either the Talalay or the Dunlop and almost all the potential VOC’s are below the detection threshhold of the test. You are probably just smelling the natural smell of rubber itself. I don’t know of any 100% natural Dunlop that contains any SBR (synthetic rubber) and most of the better manufacturers say they don’t use any in their formula. Latex International has also said that their 100% natural Talalay doesn’t use any SBR either. Latex also is a natural material that will have natural variances in color and the baking process can also led to differences in color (you can see the Savvy Rest page about the natural variations here).
None of the odors you are smelling are likely to be from harmful VOC’s (unless you are picking up something that is below the threshhold of the testing) but this doesn’t change that you are probably sensitive to the smell itself and until it goes or at least diminishes somewhat to a tolerable level for you (probably a few weeks) it may continue to affect you.
Phoenix