Hazards
While in search of a new bed for a good night sleep, beware of less obvious dangers that might be detrimental to your health. Polyurethane foam and the chemical adhesives used to bind it into layers slowly off-gas, or release vapours of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), like toluene and hexane; fire retardants and stain-resistant finishes also off-gas chemicals. Inexpensive particle board or plywood frames bound together with urea formaldehyde release vapours while you slumber. Long term exposure to these carcinogenic compounds is suspected to cause damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, respiratory and central nervous systems.

Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Reading labels doesn’t tell the whole story and ‘natural’ isn’t always what it’s made out to be.

• Memory or viscoelastic foam, made from petroleum-based polyurethane, off-gasses toluene (a neurotoxic VOC) and is usually treated with chemical flame retardants. Chemical adhesives may be diluted in water, allowing manufacturers to call their glue ‘water based’
• Biofoam mattresses contain only 2 to 40% soy. Soy can only replace a portion of the polyurethane
• The non-organic cotton growing industry relies heavily on the use of insecticides and pesticides
• That wrinkle-free, new sheet sheen is complements of formaldehyde treatment.

Do your research and check with the manufacturer.