Without chemist without glass fiber: natural fire barriers for mattresses

What mattresses do And a box of games has in common? It is not only that they are both rectangular, both can be very flammable if you are not careful. The mattresses have historically represented a significant danger of fire and can still without careful attention to the materials used.

In the United States, about 20,800 residential fires occurred due to mattresses and bed linen that light up from exposure to the flame between 1996 and 1998According to Fema. At that time, the fires involving mattresses and bed linen were causing twice the death and injuries of all the fires of the residential structure.

Something had to be done and the solution was the incorporation of fire delaying. While they do not make a bed completely fireproof, they slow down the spread of the fire and eventually prevent the dormant from becoming the human torch. New federal standards for flammability of the mattress They entered into force in July 2007. But some of the new fire delayers used have created concerns about other health effects, especially if the worst is active and turns on. What could you potentially breathe or come into contact-E there are long-term repercussions from that exposure? To understand what makes a safe mattress to and in fires, we must understand the different forms of delay of the flame and how they perform in various scenarios.

Fibergrena: friend or enemy?

The fiberglass was the favorite fire -fighting barrier for many mattresses for a long time. Usually you can find it in one of the two places: The cover of the mattressOr a thin internal sleeve that is usually called “fire sock”. The fiberglass is very good as a flame retardant because it does not burn and has an extremely high melting point, 2,237 degrees Fahrenheit. It is an economic material that is easy to integrate into a mattress.

But glass fiber has some serious disadvantages. If you spend and is inhaled or touched, it can cause significant damage to the skin or internal organs. Consumers have become increasingly aware of this problem and rejection against mattresses with a fiberglass layer has become prevalent on social media, as a fairly recent wave of post On Tiktok.

The mattresses that contain fiberglass must say it on Attached label. The tag of the mattress could, however, not show which fire -delaying chemicals are used in the mattress. This is where the certifications, careful research and the recommendation of trusted testers will be crucial to choose the right product. For example, Wired does not recommend beds that contain fiberglass.

What are the alternatives?

We will choose to test the mattresses that have certifications to see. While things like Certipur-US certification lends itself only to Memory Foam, it still indicates a safer sleep experience. But to completely get around the fiberglass, there are many alternatives to consider. Here are some of the most common in the mattresses we have tested:

Wool It contains two main elements that are not suitable for the flame: nitrogen and water. It requires a little serious heat to catch fire (from about 1,060 to 1,115 degrees Fahrenheit). Also, then it is not the easiest to burn and could take more time to smoke before snorting the fire alone. In the same way, Cashmere and Mohair (courtesy of Angora Goats) are materials naturally resistant to animals that prevent the spread of the flame. They too contain a lot of humidity and will screw themselves like wool if subjected to flame.

Rayon It can be derived from the wood pulp from a variety of vegetable sources, for example, we often see it in bamboo sheets. It is classified as “semi-synthetic fiber“Because it requires rather serious chemical treatment to be transformed by a pulpy stick to the finished material. To make it resistant to fire, however, Rayon requires the use of silica. When it is subjected over, this mineral creates a Coal barriers This interrupts the flames from progress. Silice treatments can also act as a fire barrier in other materials.

Synthetic fibersThat is to say nylon and polyester, they are both heavily based on plastic. In a nutshell, they require very high heat levels to dissolve. “Melt” is the key word here, as if subject to the flame exposure, the first reaction is not to self -hedes.

What to avoid

Aside from the glass fiber, there are some other flame delayers you want to avoid. The good news is that for the most part, you should not meet many of these, since the majority has been prohibited on health problems. But if something feels bad, it’s a Go-With-Your-Gut situation. Are there harmful chemical smells from bed? Is your skin reacting to it? Do you think you are breathing strange after sleeping? Check the legal tag and contact customer service to confirm what is used in bed. But it may still not provide you with all the answers you are looking for. Once again, it is here that the material certifications are so important, because they verify the absence of these things in the finished product.

Polybromilurated Defenillic Eteri (PBDE) They are known as “chemicals forever” because once you enter the body, they are permanently at home. While they work as a fire barrier, they can have long -term health branches After the exhibition, resulting in various forms of neurological and hormonal disorders. However, their use in mattresses was mostly eliminated for these reasons.

Decabromodifenil oxide (Decabde) It is similar to PBDE as it does not leave the body. While it was banned by use Since 2013It was used in mattresses, fabrics and plastic products. Long -term accumulation can lead results similar to those of PBDE, such as reproductive, thyroid, neurological and liver disorders.