I would be happy to offer you some information that may be useful, though some of the questions you are asking may require specific answers that only Tempur-Pedic can address. Regarding the removable cover, it is true that many brands do not allow a removal of their mattress covering. It is not a method that I subscribe to, figuring that I would be happy for anyone to see what we use in our mattresses and we want to be able to make any changes within a mattress structure, should we need to customize or fix a warranty claim. Other companies may opt to hide their contents this way.
Regarding both question 1 and 3, that is something that I have sought to address over my over 20 years as mattress designer. From all the way back about 18 years ago with our Tempflow mattress, we were one of the first companies that sought foam that was tested for V.O.C.s (Volatile Organic Compounds) and dubbed our foam Biogreen after it passed a V.O.C. off-gassing test that couldn’t detect the V.O.C.s. Years later, Greenguard came around and had a way of testing hundreds of specific V.O.C.s that could emit from a finished product and we had both our Biogreen foam and our full mattresses and pillows tested to verify that they not only passed the to the low V.O.C. standards of the industry, but they we received a Greenguard Gold certification showing that it was even half or less than the industry standard low V.O.C. requirement (See this link for more info on that: Biogreen® Eco-Friendly Foam | Tempflow Memory Foam Mattress).
Additionally, Tempflow utilizes foam that is CertiPur-US Certified to be made without Ozone depleters, PBDEs or certain Tris flame retardants (TCEP, DBPP, TDCPP, TEPA), Mercury, lead and other heavy metals, Formaldehyde and Phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Though that said, CertiPur-US Certification, as well as Oeko-Tex certifications do still allow for twice the V.O.C.s of GreenGuard Gold’s Certification requirements.
That said, I don’t see that Tempur-Pedic has had this testing and/or certification, so I once again could not speak to what standards they uphold.
Regarding the potential for fiberglass in their flame resistant protection that is mandated by the government to extinguish a cigarette, should it drop on the bed while sleeping, that was a component that was originally purported to be safe when in a socking type of foam within a mattress, since it did not require any spray-on chemicals and it came in the form of a woven thread that seemed to have virtually no odor to it. What we did not know at the time, is that the threads would start to break apart over time and even though the strands are still supposed to be very different than loose fiberglass, most of the industry moved away from using any form of glass in their fire protection over the last few years. Once again, I cannot speak to Tempur’s choice as to whether they are using that type of fire resistant protection, though if it does reflect, that certainly is a possibility. California has a new law that is supposed to go into effect preventing use of any fiberglass thread that is not corespun (think the core inside an apple), for future mattresses that are sold in the state, but a corepsun product would not reflect like glass, since the fiberglass is permanently trapped inside the fibers. Ultimately, you have to decide as a consumer what is most important to you when choosing a mattress and what safety standards you will require from a mattress you purchase.
Feel free to write back with any questions and keep in mind that the newest Tempflow mattress models compare very well against the feel of Tempur-Pedic mattresses and are both Greenguard Gold Certified and glass-free. Also, we offer a 10% off discount on the Tempflow mattress to all Mattress Underground members when you use the discount code TMU10.
Thanks!
Dr. Rick Swartzburg, D.C.
Head Of Product Design