What makes up a crib mattress

Karen Woods
Jul 14
4 min read

Studies show mattresses release into the air up to 30 types of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, plus other potentially harmful chemicals, including phthalates and fragrance mixtures. These are known to disrupt the hormone system.

A typical crib mattress also contains foam made of polyurethane, a petroleum-based synthetic material. It contains adhesives and other chemicals. That foam core is often enclosed in a waterproof cover, which can also release toxic VOCs.

These chemicals can potentially damage respiratory and nervous systems.

Babies are at greater risk

Exposure to these substances in mattresses is especially harmful for babies and toddlers, who typically spend a significant amount of time in their crib. Newborns sleep on average more than 13 hours a day, and toddlers sleep as much as 12 hours. They may often spend more time in their crib when awake, including at day care centers.

Babies and toddlers are also experiencing greater exposure in other ways. Their bodies aren’t on the surface or the mattress, so they’re closer to the source of the chemicals. Because of their low body weight, infants and toddlers breathe comparatively higher volumes of air than older children and adults.

Babies and toddlers are especially vulnerable to harm from exposure to toxic substances because of the sensitivity of developing bodies.

*According to 2 new studies, babies’ and children’s mattresses and bedding emit toxic chemicals and flame retardants associated with developmental and hormonal disorders.

“We measured chemicals in the air of 25 children’s bedrooms between the ages of 6 months and 4 years and found worrisome levels of more than two dozen phthalates, flame retardants and UV filters,” said senior study author Miriam Diamond, a professor in the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Toronto.

Even something as simple as a child’s body heat and weight on a mattress can increase the release of toxic chemicals into the air they breathe while sleeping – a factor that current safety standards don’t consider.

Be concerned

To help you navigate any chemical confusion, we’re identifying a few of the top material offenders commonly found in crib mattresses:

Flame Retardants – Many crib mattresses utilize polyurethane foam and/or vinyl. Flame retardant chemicals such as organophosphorus, halogenated, and tris flame retardants are typically added to these materials to compensate for their high flammability. The specific harmful impacts vary based upon the variety used, but chemical flame retardants have been associated with fertility issues , endocrine disruption, lower IQ , hyperactivity , thyroid dysfunction and cancer . The efficacy of flame retardant chemicals has been met with serious skepticism, as it has been found that flame retardants do not provide a substantial enough increase in time to exit a burning building in order to justify the widespread use of these harmful chemicals.

Toxic Adhesives – Adhesives are used to bind mattress materials together during manufacturing in lieu of traditional stitching. N-propyl bromide (nPB), a once popular adhesive, has been linked to irritation of mucous membranes , neurotoxicity , and cancer . In 2020, the EPA granted petitions to add nPB (also known as 1-BP) to the list of hazardous air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act due to overwhelming evidence of toxicity, meaning its future use in the U.S. will be highly regulated and restricted. Manufacturers have also been known to use other adhesive chemicals like hot melt adhesives, water-based adhesives, acetone adhesives, acrylate resins, and even formaldehyde. Due to the fact that adhesive formulations are often considered proprietary information, there is regrettably little known about what exactly comprises most mattress glues, though the information that is available does not appear favorable from a toxicity standpoint.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – PFAS are a group of thousands of substances utilized for their ability to repel liquid, and may therefore also be used in waterproofing crib mattresses. Unfortunately, because PFAS chemicals are commonly used to treat the materials used to make the mattresses, you will not always find their use disclosed by the manufacturer or listed as an “ingredient.” This group of chemicals has been associated with numerous detrimental effects including cancer ^[ and endocrine disruption . PFAS are also considered persistent pollutants because they do not break down in the environment, thus earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” These widely-used chemicals have also been known to build up in the human body, as a 2007 study found PFOA (a type of PFAS chemical) in the blood of 99.7 percent of Americans .

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – Polyvinyl chloride, also known as vinyl or PVC, is sometimes used in crib mattresses to make them waterproof. From start to finish, it is one of the most toxic plastics for health and the environment. Vinyl chloride, one of the chemicals used to make PVC, has been linked to numerous deleterious health effects and the manufacturing of PVC is known to release numerous toxic chemicals such as dioxins, lead, and more. Once in your home, PVC can leach endocrine-disrupting phthalates, which are added to the PVC to make it more flexible. Many of the chemicals leached throughout the lifecycle of PVC including vinyl chloride, dioxins , and phthalates have been found to harm human health.

Research has connected phthalates with reproductive problems, such as genital malformations and undescended testes in baby boys and lower sperm counts and testosterone levels in adult males. Studies have also linked phthalates to childhood obesity, asthma, cardiovascular issues, premature deaths and cancer.