Another toxic mattress. 2017 Sertapedic Alesbury Mattress (Maryland): 1,370 ppm Antimony (causes cancer in rats).

Sertapedic Alesbury Mattress

When tested with a high-precision XRF instrument, this [manufactured September, 2017] Sertapedic Alesbury mattress was positive for a fairly high level of Antimony. This was a mattress produced and sold in the State of Maryland.

The full XRF test results for the mattress pictured here are as follows:

• Lead (Pb): Non-Detect
• Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect
• Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect
• Arsenic (As): Non-Detect
• Barium (Ba): Non-Detect
• Chromium (Cr): Non-Detect
• Antimony (Sb): 1,370 +/- 45 ppm
• Selenium (Se): Non-Detect
• Bromine (Br): 6 +/- 3 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 158 +/- 23 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 34 +/- 17 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 147 +/- 30 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 2,643 +/- 367 ppm

This is the full readout of the XRF testing in consumer goods mode for a minimum of 60 seconds. Tests were repeated multiple times to confirm the results. Test results are science-based, accurate, and replicable.

Is that a lot of Antimony?

This level of Antimony found in a mattress suggests that this mattress was sold with Antimony intentionally added in the form of a “flame retardant” treatment. This is a relatively high amount of Antimony compared to many other mattresses I have tested – which frankly surprised me, because it is a fairly recently-manufactured mattress (not yet 3 years old!) While I am not sure why this (a newer mattress) had such a high level of Antimony, the level of Antimony may, in part, be due to the differences in regulatory standards around “flame retardant” chemicals on the East Coast of the United States (vs. the West Coast.) I would not personally be comfortable letting my child sleep on a mattress with an Antimony level this high.

Unsurprisingly, the International Antimony Association contends that Antimony exposure through household sources is not a problem, [an real quote from the linked industry “news” release: “The safe production and use of Sb compounds for human health and the environment has been confirmed in assessments by authorities worldwide…”], but actual science suggests otherwise…

Here are some interesting related articles and studies:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2822166/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037053/
• https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/antimony.pdf
• https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-07-01-0706300004-story.html

Additional posts on this blog that may be of interest:

• More mattresses I have tested
• My personal choice for a safer non-toxic mattress for my family
• My overview post with all of the mattresses and bedding I have tested and reported on
• To learn more about the testing methodology I use and report on this blog, click here.

If you have not yet seen the documentary film Toxic Hot Seat, I encourage you to do so. It is a good crash course in understanding the sordid history of and concerns for the use of “flame retardants” in our bedding and elsewhere in our homes. Here’s a link for that.

Tamara, what mattress do you think I should buy?

Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama