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checmical free
March 2008 
Are You Sleeping on a Chemical Bed?
Posted on Mar 28th, 2008
by 
jvmediadesign
jvmediadesign
Since I've very into natural health it struck me as kind of odd that I had a traditional mattress - which by law is bathed in a mix of fire-retardant chemicals. I've tried to reduce chemicals from other areas of my life, yet I was spending 8+/- hours a night exposing myself to ones that are known carcinogens.
So I went on search of a more organic solution and everything was pointing in the direction of natural latex. I was a bit shocked at the prices, but I'm a firm believer in, 'you get what you pay for". I wanted to try these natural, organic latex mattresses out in person so my next step was to find a store nearby which carried them.
This led me to a place in Eugene, OR called Riley's Real Wood Furniture.
Long story short, the guy's at Riley's were awesome and I ended up getting a totally organic, chemical free new mattress.
On a somewhat unrelated note, my company (JV Media Design - http://www.jvmediadesign.com) just redid their website for the mattresses and I thought I'd post some info from the site here for anyone else interested in one of these mattresses....
"Did you know that natural latex foam mattresses, made from the latex sap of the rubber tree, are a much safer alternative to the popular memory foam mattresses?
Memory foam mattresses, like most commercially available mattresses, are made from petroleum based polyurethane foam, an extremely flammable material. Known as "solid gasoline: by firefighters, the polyurethane foam in most commercially available mattresses burns so furiously that strict new fire resistance standards have been written into law, which started with California in 2005 and went nationwide in 2006. These strict new fire resistance standards are being met by tripling the amount of fire retardant chemicals, called PDBEs, which are added to manufacture memory foam mattresses and mattress toppers.
Most mattress purchasers are unaware of the fire danger posed by polyurethane mattresses. But the greater danger may be the higher concentrations of PDBEs used to help prevent combustion in memory foam mattresses. PDBEs build up in the body in ways similar to banned PCBs, and they have been linked to cancer and other illnesses. PDBEs have already been banned in Europe, but not in North America. Some medical researchers believe that the extra load of PDBEs in newly made mattresses will cause millions of cancer cases in the coming decades. Because you lie directly on your mattress for 8 hours every night, your body has its greatest contact with the dangerous PDBEs while you sleep, and they pass right through your skin.
The solution to the PDBE problem is to do what the Europeans already do, sleep on natural latex mattresses. Natural latex mattresses are made from the sap of the tropical rubber tree. Natural latex foam does not burn well, and most natural latex mattresses are also quilted with organic cotton and wool which makes them very fire resistant, complying with all current fire codes.
Compare a regular mattresses with a natural latex and you will "feel" and "live" the difference. Made from natural rubber derived from the milk of rubber trees, there are no synthetic blends in a 100% natural latex mattress. In a natural, organic mattress there are also no pesticides, chemical fertilizers or dyes, which make them perfect for anyone with allergies or anyone wanting a healthy nights sleep.
Natural latex is inherently hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial, dust mite resistant, mold and mildew resistant, making it perfect for anyone with chemical sensitivities or allergies.
The body AND the mind will experience the luxury of total sleep comfort as you breathe fresh, clean air while sleeping on an all-natural fiber mattress.
You can also be assured of a rest full sleep on the natural latex mattress as it provides proper alignment of the spine, in any sleeping position, relieving all pressure points. Natural latex dynamically conforms to you, providing superior back support. This helps guarantee an undisturbed, regenerative nights sleep. A natural latex mattress also absorbs approximately 85% of normal sleeping movements. It is renowned for its durability for up to 30 years."
If you're in the area of western Oregon, check out http://www.oregonorganicmattress.com
So I went on search of a more organic solution and everything was pointing in the direction of natural latex. I was a bit shocked at the prices, but I'm a firm believer in, 'you get what you pay for". I wanted to try these natural, organic latex mattresses out in person so my next step was to find a store nearby which carried them.
This led me to a place in Eugene, OR called Riley's Real Wood Furniture.
Long story short, the guy's at Riley's were awesome and I ended up getting a totally organic, chemical free new mattress.
On a somewhat unrelated note, my company (JV Media Design - http://www.jvmediadesign.com) just redid their website for the mattresses and I thought I'd post some info from the site here for anyone else interested in one of these mattresses....
"Did you know that natural latex foam mattresses, made from the latex sap of the rubber tree, are a much safer alternative to the popular memory foam mattresses?
Memory foam mattresses, like most commercially available mattresses, are made from petroleum based polyurethane foam, an extremely flammable material. Known as "solid gasoline: by firefighters, the polyurethane foam in most commercially available mattresses burns so furiously that strict new fire resistance standards have been written into law, which started with California in 2005 and went nationwide in 2006. These strict new fire resistance standards are being met by tripling the amount of fire retardant chemicals, called PDBEs, which are added to manufacture memory foam mattresses and mattress toppers.
Most mattress purchasers are unaware of the fire danger posed by polyurethane mattresses. But the greater danger may be the higher concentrations of PDBEs used to help prevent combustion in memory foam mattresses. PDBEs build up in the body in ways similar to banned PCBs, and they have been linked to cancer and other illnesses. PDBEs have already been banned in Europe, but not in North America. Some medical researchers believe that the extra load of PDBEs in newly made mattresses will cause millions of cancer cases in the coming decades. Because you lie directly on your mattress for 8 hours every night, your body has its greatest contact with the dangerous PDBEs while you sleep, and they pass right through your skin.
The solution to the PDBE problem is to do what the Europeans already do, sleep on natural latex mattresses. Natural latex mattresses are made from the sap of the tropical rubber tree. Natural latex foam does not burn well, and most natural latex mattresses are also quilted with organic cotton and wool which makes them very fire resistant, complying with all current fire codes.
Compare a regular mattresses with a natural latex and you will "feel" and "live" the difference. Made from natural rubber derived from the milk of rubber trees, there are no synthetic blends in a 100% natural latex mattress. In a natural, organic mattress there are also no pesticides, chemical fertilizers or dyes, which make them perfect for anyone with allergies or anyone wanting a healthy nights sleep.
Natural latex is inherently hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial, dust mite resistant, mold and mildew resistant, making it perfect for anyone with chemical sensitivities or allergies.
The body AND the mind will experience the luxury of total sleep comfort as you breathe fresh, clean air while sleeping on an all-natural fiber mattress.
You can also be assured of a rest full sleep on the natural latex mattress as it provides proper alignment of the spine, in any sleeping position, relieving all pressure points. Natural latex dynamically conforms to you, providing superior back support. This helps guarantee an undisturbed, regenerative nights sleep. A natural latex mattress also absorbs approximately 85% of normal sleeping movements. It is renowned for its durability for up to 30 years."
If you're in the area of western Oregon, check out http://www.oregonorganicmattress.com
Access: Public
Great article. This is exactly why I purchased a natural latex mattress myself. I bought mine about 2.5 years ago and love it. Before that I was considering memory foam, but decided against it because I wanted something all natural. Here is the natural latex mattress I purchased. It is 100% all natural and I can tell the difference. I sleep well and live well.