by David Steinman

The more than I learn about the effects of toxic chemicals, the more convinced I am that whatever we can do to reduce such exposures, the better.  One good place to start is where you sleep and what you sleep on.  If you’re seeking new bedding, I urge you to consider purchasing a quality organic mattress.  Sleeping safe makes a lot of healthy sense.

A conventionally purchased modern-day mattress is actually a petrochemical toxic soup, containing not only toxic solvents such as formaldehyde and foaming agents like urethane but also highly toxic flame retardants.  No wonder, then, almost every American today has toxic flame retardant molecules circulating in their bloodstreams. 

When you consider that researchers are finding toxic reproductive effects at levels at around only one part per billion (equivalent to a drop of sand in a lake) and that some people harbor flame retardant levels measured in the parts per million range (equivalent to a drop of water in a pool), it is easy to see why taking a precautionary step to buy an economically priced completely flame retardant totally natural mattress (for yourself, your children or a newborn), free from petrochemical toxins, is smart. 

“As our skin is our largest and most porous entry point into the body, it is important to remember that what goes onto the skin will also go through the skin,” says Walt Bader, founder of the only certified organic mattress manufacturing facility in the United States.

“It is often said that what touches our skin ends up in our cells, a frightening adage to consider the next time you are pondering a purchase of bedding, clothing, or cosmetics.  Without realizing it, we may make hundreds of decisions each day that place convenience over our health.” 

Although mattress manufacturers are now required to switch from dangerous polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) to other synthetic flame retardant materials, a review of federal regulatory documents indicates the newer materials, which are chemically related to PBDEs, might be just as dangerous, especially since their health effects remain largely unstudied.

Purchasing an organic mattress is without a doubt, the best way to reduce your exposure to toxins and improve the overall quality of your sleep and health. 

Organic Mattress Shopping Tips

§         Some companies are “garage-type manufacturers,” that basically purchase the components of a mattress, assemble them, and sell them.  These manufacturers offer little in the way of a guarantee regarding the origins of their product because they do not have enough purchasing clout. 

§         There are just a handful of manufacturers that truly claim to sell organic mattresses.  Of these, several major manufacturers also manufacture non-organic mattresses in the same facilities.  This means that these so called “organic” mattresses are actually exposed to the toxic chemicals from non-organic fibers and components throughout their production. 

§         There is one organic mattress company that is unique:  Lifekind.  They manufacture what they sell.  They extensively interview the customer, and make a recommendation.  If their expert recommendation is incorrect, customers have three months to do a no-charge comfort exchange. 

§         Lifekind is also the only company to offer a pillow-top exchange program, so customers can try an expensive pillow top in their home before they buy it. 

§         Lifekind created an ozone sanitization program and has third party organic certification of their factory where, there, they make only organic products.

§         Lifekind mattresses are produced in the only certified mattress Eco-Factory™ in America.  Absolutely no synthetic materials or products derived from petroleum, natural gas or chemicals will be found on our premises. 

§         In addition, Lifekind mattresses meet all state and federal flammability standards.  (A natural rubber mattress covered with 100 percent certified organic cotton ticking and batting, along with chemical-free naturally safer wool will allow the product to meet federal flammability standards without toxic fire retardants.  Organic cotton and wool fibers are very important in the manufacturing of an organic mattress.)

If you’re seeking a truly safe and healthy lifestyle, having an organic mattress just makes sense.  Superior comfort of a natural expert-recommended mattress aside, you’ll probably sleep better just knowing you’re sleep is so much safer.  I urge you to make this priority in your own healthy lifestyle choices.