More About Organic Mattresses for Cribs

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Is an organic crib mattress worth it?

Yes. A 2015 study found phthalates, phthalate alternatives, unreacted isocyanates, and flame retardants in a majority of crib mattresses tested. Babies are more vulnerable to harmful compounds than adults for a few reasons: they have thinner skin and can absorb chemicals through it more easily. They also have more skin surface area compared to their size than adults. They breathe faster than adults, so take off-gassing substances into their lungs, and they do more hand-to-mouth contact.

How do the chemicals in a mattress actually get into your body?

There are two ways chemicals used in a mattress leave it, and three ways they get into your body:

The two ways chemicals leave the mattress are into the air and into dust. Polyurethane foam (including memory foam) is made with 2 chemicals as the main building blocks, polyols and diisocyanates. They bond together very tightly, so other additives in foam (like flame retardants and other propriety chemical ingredients) are integrated, but only temporarily— they’re not bonded together tightly, and over time, as foam degrades via friction, they fall out. If they’re lightweight, they can be suspended in dust in the air, and if they’re heavier (like flame retardants are) they settle into dust on the ground. The other way chemicals get out of mattresses is by being volatile— so, a VOC or odor— these are lighter than air. The “new mattress” smell comes from foam and the adhesives used to keep the layers together, and they can off-gas VOCs for quite some time.

The three ways these chemicals get into your body are through inhalation, ingestion, and absorption. You inhale and ingest VOCs and lightweight chemicals suspended in the air — they come in through your breathing passages and are swallowed, as well. Kids ingest 100mg of dust daily by touching dusty surfaces, and through hand-to-mouth contact. Finally, flame retardants and other chemicals are very small and as they make their way out of mattresses, can pass through skin and be dermally absorbed.

What does GOTS certified mean?

GOTS is short for the Global Organic Textile Standard.

It is the gold standard 3rd party certification for organic fabrics made from natural fibers like wool, cotton, linen, and others.

Fabric with the GOTS-certified organic label means that at least 95% of the starting fibers are certified organic, and ensures that the fabric remains healthy throughout the entire manufacturing process. This means the dyes and other chemicals used are safer for human and ecological health than standard fabric processing methods. No harmful finishes may be added to the final product.

What is latex?

Latex is the same thing as natural rubber. It comes from the Hevea brasiliensis tree. It is a milky white liquid that can be baked to form a springy, foam-like substance. It is often confused with synthetic (lab-made) latex, which is the chemical mixture styrene-butadiene.

What is GOLS certified latex?

GOLS, the Global Organic Latex Standard, is the gold standard 3rd party certification for organic rubber latex. Latex with the GOLS-certified organic label means 95% of the final product is organic latex, and also ensures that the processing stages (mixing, baking, etcetera) of the product are safe for human and ecological health.

For GOLS certified Dunlop, the latex must be from an organic latex tree farm, grown without pesticides. The latex rubber “milk” from the tree is poured into a mold, mixed with Zinc, Sulfur, and soaps to make it a “gel,” then is baked into shape. It’s washed to remove impurities, and then is baked again to dry it out. This process has been used for about 100 years, and the result is a dense foam. To meet the the GOLS standard, it must be composed of at least 95% organic latex. Because the Dunlop process uses minimal ingredients, and is from organic trees, it can meet this requirement.