In 2011, in a report titled The Mattress Matters, Clean and Healthy New York and the American Sustainable Business Council surveyed 28 mattress makers that produced a total of 190 models of standard crib mattress to learn what their products were made of, and how willingly manufacturers disclosed that information. Nine years later, the Getting Ready For Baby campaign is publishing a follow-up report doing the same. Fill out the form below for the full report.
Executive Summary
Lea el resumen ejecutivo en español aquí (PDF)
There’s nothing that new parents care about more than keeping their babies healthy. Much care goes into picking diapers, car seats, clothes—and cribs mattresses. No parent wants those carefully chosen items to include chemicals that could increase the likelihood that their child might face lifelong health challenges like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, learning and developmental disabilities, and asthma. Parents should be confident that items made for babies are free of such harmful chemicals, but too often, that is not the case.
How are product makers doing at prioritizing our health and the environment? To find out, we have zoomed in to focus on crib mattresses, because babies sleep 16-17 hours each day, and their crib is the place they spend most of their time. The Mattress Still Matters, a follow-up to a 2011 report, The Mattress Matters, investigates what companies disclose about the materials they choose and how that compares to laboratory analysis of mattresses. We assess what we can learn about mattresses in specific, and the broader marketplace in general.
We reviewed 227 product webpages from 37 crib mattress brands to determine what we could learn about the materials they use. We sent that information to companies for their review and feedback. 13 mattresses from 13 different brands were analyzed with laboratory tests to compare company disclosures with the chemicals detected. Mattresses were purchased in late 2018 and early 2019. Models can change frequently; this report is a snapshot in time.
First the good news:
Two mattresses by SealyTM without disclosed chemicals of concern are available for less than $100:
· EverLiteTM 2-Stage crib mattress $99
· Premier PostureTM 2-Stage crib mattress $99.
10 mattresses from six brands don’t rely on petroleum and avoid all chemicals of concern. They are made by Lifekind®, Naturepedic®, Obasan, OMI®, Soaring Heart, and White Lotus Home.
Additionally, company information indicates that 19 products from five companies are free of vinyl, polyurethane foam, added flame retardants, PFAS, antimicrobials, or added minerals: Lullaby EarthTM, My Green Mattress, Naturepedic®, Oeuf, and Sealy.
Key chemicals of concern:
PFAS waterproofing chemicals can contribute to immune and thyroid problems, and cancer.
Antimicrobials may appear to help keep babies healthy, but there is no evidence that they reduce disease. They are not needed.
Flame retardants are used in barriers or added to foam to meet federal flammability standards, made with bromine or chlorine (called organohalogens), phosphorus or nitrogen in harmful forms, or the heavy metal antimony trioxide.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) is a cheap waterproof cover material or coating that requires many additives, including bisphenol A and plasticizers. Plasticizers used in crib mattresses no longer include ortho-phthalates, but replacements are not well studied.
Polyurethane, especially when used as foam, contains blowing agents, fillers, additives and inputs that are not disclosed8 and may be harmful.
How transparent are companies?
35% of those surveyed— 10 companies—provided information about each major component of their mattresses.
13% provided information about most of those major components.
However, a majority of companies— 52% — did not disclose most or all of their materials. 22% of companies had significant gaps in their website disclosures.
Only 4 of the 13 items we tested matched test results and brand information on their website.
Chemicals of Concern Findings
Brands reported vinyl in 27% of their crib mattress covers. Of the 13 tested, six were made of vinyl, and all six contained plasticizers.
PFAS chemicals were disclosed for nine products from three companies, and testing found additional PFAS in mattresses made by Nook, Safety 1st®, and Colgate Mattress.
One company, Newton Baby® reported adding a phosphorus-based flame retardant (FRs) chemical to their core and we confirmed that through testing. Another, Bloom Baby reported an ammonium polyphosphate FR layer.
Our testing identified seven mattresses that contained indications of FRs: four had combinations of bromine, chlorine and phosphorus. Five contained antimony at relatively high levels.
Two-thirds of brands now report using flame barriers, and 12% of mattresses are designed without barriers or additives. Two FR barriers and two vinyl covers we tested contained antimony. One company uses modacrylic barriers.
Seven companies make claims about antimicrobial properties. One uses silver, one quaternium compounds, one a zinc-based solution, and four don’t say what imparts that property.
Certifications
We identified three strong certifications, which address a broad range of chemicals of concern with stringent standards:
MADE SAFE®
Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS)
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) (some-times with also USDA Organic certification)
Crib mattress brands use four additional independent certifications with narrower scopes: OEKO-TEX®, UL GREENGUARD®, UL GREENGUARD® Gold, UL Formaldehyde Free.
Be wary of “second party” trade association certifications: for example, the Polyurethane Foam Association-created CertiPUR-US® is based on meeting legal requirements; JPMA’s in-house standard does not address harmful chemicals.
Recommendations
Parents should check for specific information about materials from brands, choose strong certifications, avoid chemicals of concern, and urge brands and retailers to take action.
Child care providers should talk with brands and vendors they use to purchase mattresses to avoid chemicals of concern and urge companies to screen out harmful chemicals for all products.
Manufacturers and brands should redesign products to avoid the chemicals of concern in products at all prices, have this verified by strong independent certifications, and make product descriptions thoroughly disclose all chemicals and components.
Retailers should set chemical policies that include the chemicals of concern in this report, verify compliance through testing, and display full product information. All mattresses offered, regardless of price, should be made of safer materials.
Elected officials should ban chemicals of concern, especially PFAS and flame retardants.
You can learn more about The Ecology Center’s role in the project here. You can also learn about their test methods and results here.
Disclaimer
The content of this report is intended to provide information about materials used in crib mattresses reported by companies via their websites, via email and written communication, or identified through laboratory testing. We do not recommend or reject any specific mattress manufacturer or product. Our survey covers a representative majority of crib mattress manufacturers and their products advertised for sale in the U.S. market on company websites (with limited additions) in late 2019 and early 2020. However, we make no claim that our survey was exhaustive or that all models are still available. Any oversights were entirely unintentional and do not represent discrimination by the authors. Further, we make no claim that a specific chemical or material of concern as identified in this report will cause a specific health outcome for a specific child, or that its absence would prevent any specific health effects. The information herein is intended solely as an educational tool, to provide parents with useful information to consider in their decision-making process. We also intend manufacturers, brands, retailers, child care providers, and government bodies to use this as guidance for best practices in crib mattress construction and ingredient transparency.
Publication date: July 24, 2020