We Tested a Mattress for Flame Retardants: Here’s What We Learned

Written by The LeafScore Team

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The LeafScore Team

This article was written as a collaboration by the LeafScore editorial team.

Updated:

Lots of mattresses claim to be free of toxins, but how can you know for sure? We sent a foam sample from one of our mattresses to Duke for testing.

Many of our readers are concerned with toxins in mattresses.

A lot of mattress review sites say a mattress is “organic and non-toxic” without independent confirmation.

In order to be 100% confident that the Botanical Bliss Mattress was truly non-toxic, we sent a latex foam sample from our Botanical Bliss to the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke.

The results of our Duke testing

We sent a foam sample to Duke to confirm the Plushbeds Botanical Bliss is free of flame retardants.

After about 60 days, we received a letter, a copy of which is embedded below, from Heather Stapleton, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the Nicholas School of the Environment confirming the Botanical Bliss does not contain flame retardants.

Results:

  • ID: 4119
  • Product: mattress
  • Manufacturer: PlushBeds
  • Penta BDE: None detected
  • FM550: None detected
  • FM600: None Detected
  • TCPP: None Detected
  • TDCPP: None detected
  • TBPP: None detected
  • ITP Mix*: None detected
  • MPP: None detected
  • V6: None detected
    • *Note: ITP Mix is used as a flame retardant, but also sometimes as a plasticizer

Do you want to submit a foam sample?

If you’re interested in submitting a foam sample to Duke for a pillow or mattress, you can find instructions, here.

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