Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Polyurethane Mattresses under Variable Environmental Conditions
Study by Kira Oz, Bareket Merav, Sabach Sara and Dubowski Yael (Technion, Israel Institute of Technology), as listed by the journal
Lab Chamber Study · Environmental Science & Technology (Vol. 53, Issue 15, pp. 9171-9180) · DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01557
Key Takeaway
Foam Mattresses Gave Off More Chemicals in Warm, Sleep-Like Air
What was tested: Researchers put pieces of 8 types of polyurethane foam mattresses for infants, toddlers and youth in air-flow chambers. They measured 18 volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, the chemicals behind "new mattress smell," in normal room air and in the warmer, more humid air around a sleeping body (Oz et al., 2019; news release).
What the numbers showed: Emissions rose significantly in sleep-like conditions, and heat mattered most. Most chemicals stayed well below cancer and non-cancer risk reference levels, but for infants and young children a few, such as acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and benzene, could reach levels of concern.
What this means for you: The study measured emissions, not health effects, and the authors call for more research on long-term, low-level exposure. It did not test how fast emissions fade after a mattress is unboxed.
Key Numbers
How the Study Was Done
The team tested mattress pieces in a set of parallel continuous-flow chambers. They changed the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide level to compare room air with the air around a sleeper, and they also checked how mattress covers affected emissions (Oz et al., 2019).
From the measured emissions, they estimated how much adults, children and infants might breathe in while asleep. The chemicals were measured by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, a standard lab method for identifying chemicals in air (news release).
What the Study Compared
Normal Room Conditions
Lower emissions than in sleep-like conditions.
Sleep-Like Conditions (Warmer, More Humid, More Carbon Dioxide)
Emissions rose significantly. Higher temperature was the main reason.
What the Study Found
The 18 chemicals were given off at rates from about 0.0001 to 0.1 milligrams per square meter per hour. Exposure for a sleeper depended strongly on how much air moves between the sleeper's breathing zone and the rest of the bedroom (Oz et al., 2019).
The mattresses released similar amounts overall, except for a flame retardant compound that only one infant mattress gave off. The news release adds that so far there is no evidence of adverse health effects (news release).
The authors acknowledge funding from the Environment and Health Fund in Israel (news release). We read the abstract and the publisher's news release. The full paper is behind a paywall.
An earlier version of this page gave the wrong authors, issue, pages and DOI, and gave a figure for how much emissions dropped within 72 hours. That figure is not in the study and has been removed, along with the mattress product picks.
How to Apply This Study When Choosing a Mattress
What it tells you: Foam mattresses give off more chemicals when they are warm, as they are under a sleeping body, and the study found that airflow around the sleeper affects how much is breathed in.
The study did not test airing out a new mattress or compare brands. If you shop for a foam mattress, check which emissions certifications the maker lists on its own page and what each one covers.
Study Scope and Limitations
8 foam mattress types, tested as pieces in lab chambers rather than whole beds in homes. Exposure was estimated by calculation, not measured in people, and no health effects were studied. We read the abstract and the news release, not the full paper.
Primary Citation
Oz, K., Merav, B., Sara, S., & Yael, D. (2019). Volatile organic compound emissions from polyurethane mattresses under variable environmental conditions. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(15), 9171-9180. https://doi.org/