Could Your Baby's Mattress Be a Health Hazard?

It's a parenting challenge that's endured through the ages: getting our babies to sleep. Oh, we've heard the stories about "dream babies" who slumber through the night starting at two months old, who lie in the crib for six or seven hours at a stretch while their lucky parents catch the same uninterrupted, blissful zzzs. For most of us, however, that's more of an urban legend than a reality--at least in the beginning--and we're lucky when our little one agrees to a one-hour nap, tucked away in her nursery, in the middle of the day.
But these challenges--should we sleep train? Ferberize? Cry it out?-- are not what Richard Corsi, chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, is talking about when he says that "understanding the sleeping environment is important to the health of infants and adults." Corsi, in an important piece by the University of Texas at Austin, is concerned with the pollutants present in a child's sleep space, based on a study's recent findings. A team of environmental engineers at the Cockrell School of Engineering found that infants are exposed to high levels of chemicals emitted from the mattresses where they lay their heads.
Foam mattresses were analyzed for the study, and the findings show that these beddings "release significant amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially harmful chemicals also found in household items such as cleaners and scented sprays"--think cloying lemon cleaning scents.
The study determined three alarming conclusions:
1. New crib mattresses release approximately four times as many VOCs as old crib mattresses.
2. Body heat increases chemical emissions.
3. The harmful missions are strongest in the sleeping child's immediate breathing zone.
If we're lucky, our infants sleep up to 60 percent of the day, making these findings seem absolutely terrifying. So what's a parent to do?
We spoke with Robin Wilson, an eco-friendly and healthy space interior designer and wellness expert. Wilson encourages parents to think carefully and thoughtfully about their baby's bedding before purchasing. "Crib bedding and mattresses are among the most important selections for a nursery," Wilson warns. "Many people do not realize that you must first select between foam or innerspring options. And there are different foams, with some less toxic than others - with polyurethane as most toxic, which releases VOCs and is very flammable."
Although the study indicated that older mattresses are less harmful, in fact, researchers noted that older mattresses "might contain other harmful chemicals such as flame retardants now banned in mattress foams."
And the way mattresses are advertised can be misleading. "It is disheartening to learn that a mattress can claim soybean or eco-friendly with only 5% of plant used in foam," says Wilson, who recommends Naturepedic for your baby's mattress.
Of course, before you purchase a crib mattress for your little one, you should do as much research as possible so that you can make an informed decision. The Cockrell study is an important one without question, but little is mentioned within the examination about the damaging effects of VOCs. An expert on indoor air quality, Charles J. Weschler, adjunct professor in environmental and occupational medicine at Rutgers University, said he did not think there was cause for great concern over the chemical levels found in baby mattresses. Furthermore, the current standing of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is that not much is known about the health effects of notable levels of VOCs found in homes.
With all this new information to process, parents should proceed--as always--with caution and care, staying abreast of health alerts and doing research on these kinds of issues before getting overly stressed out.
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