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:

Additional posts on this blog that may be of interest:

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?

There are a lot of great mattresses now available – organic brands without toxic “flame retardant” treatments out there, and – as with all things – I encourage you to do your own research before you shop (don’t just take my word for what I like and use in my home!) Naturepedic is the organic / non-toxic mattress brand I have chosen to support my work (because I already loved their products and invited them to work with me) and they agreed, so I am thrilled to have this relationship with them. Naturepedic also has a lower price-point brand called Happsy and if you cannot find a Naturepedic product in your price range you might want to look into the Happsy options (although I haven’t tried them yet and I don’t have any personal experience with that line of products.)

If you were/are already considering purchasing a Naturepedic mattress, please start your shopping at THIS LINK [http://shrsl.com/1y8l6] — and just use the code LEADSAFEMAMA10, for a 10% discount! If you use this link and code, Naturepedic will also contribute 5% of your purchase price to help cover the cost of my independent consumer goods testing and advocacy work here on this blog!

Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.

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

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

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One Comment

Nidhi says:

February 9, 2021 at 5:53 pm

Have you ever tested any IkEA mattress? I would love to buy naturepedic, but at this point I can’t afford it. Ikea is an affordable option and I’m wondering if you have any opinion on that? Specially their crib mattress.