Non Toxic Pillows

More About Non-Toxic Pillows

Are organic pillows worth it?

Yes! Your pillow is probably the object you’re in the closest contact with in your entire house — even your toothbrush you only spend a few minutes with every day. Meanwhile, your pillow is snuggled right up against your face for one third of your life, including your nose and mouth, which of course lead to your airway and gut. With skin contact as well, the materials its made of have a huge impact on your health. For these reason, I even recommend buying organic pillows before investing in an organic mattress when budgeting is a concern.

Are memory foam pillows toxic?

Yes, most likely. While I’m tempted to say with certainty that all PU foam is toxic, I can’t quite say 100% yes because of the lack of transparency in the ever-changing ingredients lists. The lists are considered a proprietary secret, so that different companies can create different textures and types of foam without being copied. The little that we do know about the ingredients is unflattering when they are revealed, and they keep changing in reaction to updated health and environmental policy rules. For example, the blowing agents used in foam manufacturing changed in 2020 from hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) because HFCs were causing environmental harm (now, the new HFOs may be banned because they qualify as a forever chemical in some states). The main catalyst used in foam, stannous octoate, was declared a reprotoxic 1B chemical that may damage unborn children (fetuses) and some (not all) foam started being made without it in 2023. Flame retardants are no longer allowed in some foam in some states as we’ve learned how harmful they are to the human body and the environment. The level of VOCs foam emits is also lower now than it used to be, because consumers were bothered by the fact that foam off-gasses toluene, xylene, and acetone, among many other compounds, and the industry adjusted to make their foams less smelly. While all of the above certainly qualifies foam, in my opinion, as 100% yes, toxic — if you choose foam made without any of these things, is it still toxic? My hunch is: probably! There are very likely more unsavory chemicals being used in it now that we may discover and ban in the future. But, without knowing what they are, and how they interact with the body, I can’t say for sure. For this reason, I practice the Precautionary Principle with foam, and avoid it as often as I can.

How do foam chemicals get into my body?

There are two ways chemicals leave the foam, and three ways they get into your body:

The two ways chemicals leave the foam are into the air and into dust. Polyurethane foam (including memory foam) is made with 2 chemicals as the main building blocks, polyols and isocyanates (see more above). 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. You ingest about 50mg of dust daily (children ingest 100mg daily!) by touching dusty surfaces and 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 OEKO TEX?

OEKO TEX certification applies to the finished product only, and is for both natural and synthetic textiles. Organic fibers, as well as man-made fabrics like polyester can both qualify, depending on what chemicals, and how much of them, are left in the final product. It does allow for some harmful chemicals, but in much lower quantities than are used in standard textile processing. You can see their limits, which are updated annually, here.

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 Dunlop latex? How is Dunlop latex foam made?

First, 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.

What is Talalay latex? How is Talalay latex foam made?

To make a less dense, softer, latex foam, the Talalay method was created in the 1940s. The natural rubber “milk” is poured into a mold, but only filled partway. At this point, chemicals are added to the mixture, and a vacuum seal is applied so that the foam puffs up and the air pockets are dispersed evenly. Then, it is flash-frozen with carbon dioxide to hold its shape, and baked. This process makes an airier foam than Dunlop, which is how it gets its softness.

Talalay latex isn’t organic, so cannot be GOLS certified. This can be OK, and truly natural Talalay is a fantastic choice compared to regular polyurethane foam. The only issue is that some manufacturers do not disclose what additives are used. Unfortunately, and confusing to many, this can still be sold as “100% natural latex,” even with additives.

Unless they have third party certification! Look for ecoINSTITUT, or C2C Gold or Platinum, certification, which ensures that 100% of the ingredients have been disclosed and confirmed that they are safe for humanhealth. If you are choosing a mattress made with Talalay, make sure the company states exactly where it is from, and if it has legitimate certifications like C2C or ecoINSTITUT.

Finally, because Talalay is less dense than Dunlop, a large single sheet (the size of a mattress, for example) is harder to achieve. Instead, several smaller pieces may be glued together. This can be avoided by mattresses that come in slabs that you stack yourself. Or, some brands will use safe adhesives, even sometimes using a liquid version of latex.

To sum it up, Talalay can sometimes be almost as healthy as Dunlop, but you have to make sure it was processed correctly, and that the company isn’t using it as a healthwashing technique.