obecne-odkazy-a-tipy/DOMACNOST-VYBAVENI/memory-foam

Zdravé spaní aneb příběh hledání zdravé matrace pro bolavá bedra

• Po rešerši na internetu jsme našli ortopedicky výborné zdravé matrace z paměťovou pěnou - Viscofoam složka - Memory foam atd.
• Pečlivě jsme si je jeli nejprve prohlédnou a vyzkoušet do obchodu
• Konečně dorazily, 1. noc jsme si skutečně vychutnávali pohodlné spaní
• 2. den jsem již cítila, že v ložnici je zápach a že matrace silně páchnou chemickými látkami
• 2. noc mě z těch pachů rozbolela hlava, nemohla jsem spát, dráždilo mne to v krku bylo mi skoro špatně od žaludku
• Nepomohlo ani intenzivní větrání během noci
• Při každém pohybu pod peřinou mě ovanul ještě silnější zápach VOCs, které se nashromáždily pod peřinou vlivem mého tepla a toho, jak jsem se do matrace prodávala
• Celý povrch mého těla tedy byl vystaven nějakým odporným chemikáliím, které mohly jako těkavé látky celou noc pronikat do mého těla i kůží nikoliv za pokojové teploty, ale ještě efektivněji za vyšší tělesné teploty pod peřinou celým mým povrchem a ještě dýchacími cestami...
• Co teprve děti, které jsou k chemikáliím ještě citlivější a jejich povrch tělíčka v poměru ke hmotnosti těla je ještě větší...

• Uplně nejotřesnější byly anatomické viscofoamové polštářky, které zapáchaly ze všeho nejsilněji
• Když jsem rozepnula jejich obal, abych se podívala co to je za hmotu, zůstalo mi cosi mastného na ruce.
• Téměř identický zápach jako z matrací, kde byla také složka viscofoamu

• Při představě, že bych na tom měla spát i 3. noc, se mi dělá fyzicky špatně. Spali jsme raději v jiné místnosti na guači.
• Přesto, že se v ložnici celou noc a půl dne intenzivně větralo, vzduch tam tak nějak nahořkle nepříjemně zapáchal.
• Když čichnu k matraci, ucítím záhy i odpornou nahořklou pacuhť v ústech.
• I hloupému člověku by snad došlo, že inhalace 8h denně směsi nějakých odporných chemikálií nemá nic společného se zdravým spánkem

• Když jsme si matraci vybírali, nikde jsme nenarazili na žádná varování či podobné informace
• V ochodě nás na toto nikdo neupozornil
• Při zkoušení matrací v leže na zádech nás nikoho nenapadlo matrace zblízka očichávat
• V obchodě byl oběcně takový matracový pach, že naše nosy nic dalšího po chvilce pobytu tam již nevnámaly

• Ctěli jsme z tohoto důvodu matrace frime Purtex reklamovat, ale reklamaci nám zamítnuli s tím, že matrace jsou na míru a nelze je vrátit a polštářky již byly používány a z hygických důvodů je tím pádem také již nelze vrátit a voní prý jenom novotou.
• Chtěla jsem s prodejcem jít do závažného sporu a vrácení oněch odporných matrací si vynutit. Nakonec jsem to pro příliš mnoho starostí neudělala, ale dodnes toho lituju.
• Polštářků jsme se zbavili a matrace jsme nakonec přes půl roku drželi v zahradním domku, dokud z velké části nevyčichly a poté jsme je ještě měli několik týdnů jen tak na zemi jako gauč v mítnosti, kde jsme přes den také větrali, než jsme si je dali do spostele.

• Hledala jsem i na internetu, abych zjistila víc o tom, co za škodliviny se z toho může ještě uvolňovat a jak si s tím poradili ostatní lidé
• Při hledání v českém jazyce člověk najde, že mnozí zákazníci jsou s matracemi hrubě nespokojení a že matrace opravdu smrdí
• Při hledání v agličtině se člověk záhy dozví, že se jedná o závažný problém s mnoha zdravotními riziky a mnoho lidí na internetu sdílí iformace o svých zdravotních potíží, které ze spaní na takovýchto matracích mělo

• Kdybychom toto věděli, nikdy bychom si matraci z tohoto materialu neporidili !!!
• Níže pouze cituji formou copy-paste a odkazy na zdroje

Synonyma

• Memory foam
• Viskoelastický polyuretan
• Viskoelastické „paměťové“ pěny VISCOFOAM® - viscofoam
• Low-resilience polyurethane foam (LRPu)

Historie

• Developed in 1966
• NASA's Ames Research Center to improve the safety of aircraft cushions
• Chiharu Kubokawa and Charles A
• "temper foam" - by feeding gas into a polymer matrix
• An open-cell solid structure [1]
• "There are voices saying that NASA abandoned the material because of chemical volatility issues." [4]
• Další využití:
• X-ray table pads
• Football helmet liners
• 1991 "Tempur-Pedic Swedish Mattress" - Tempur World [1]
• Antidekubitální podložky, polštáře, vycpávky a matrace
• Matrace, deky a polštáře
• Gel visco or gel memory foamn (Peterson Chemical Technology) [1]
• Gel particles fused with visco foam
• Reduce trapped body heat, speed up spring back time
• Help the mattress feel softer
• Aloe vera, green tea extract and activated charcoal combined with the foam
• To reduce odors !!!
• Provide aromatherapy while sleeping
• Bamboo fiber in woven mattress covers over memory foam beds
• To wick moisture away from the body to increase comfort [1]
• A study in 2000 specifically found mattress emissions to be toxic to the lungs of labratory mice. [13]
• "2005, Walter Bader, owner of the "green mattress" company Lifekind and author of the book Toxic Bedrooms, sent several mattresses to an Atlanta-based lab. A memory-foam model was found to emit 61 chemicals, including the carcinogens benzene and naphthalene." [11]
• "There is no proven health risk from the substances in mattresses, however, mostly because tracking their long-term effects is virtually impossible." [11]
• Walter Bader, author of Sleep Safe in a Toxic World and cofounder of Organic Mattresses Inc., sent a conventional mattress to a lab that measured its emissions and found 61 VOCs. "Mattresses are like cigarettes were in the 1930s," Bader says. "Completely unregulated, and everyone thinks they're safe." [14]

Reklama na zdravotní matrace

• "Many customer reviews say that mattress or pillow has helped apnea and fibromyalgia patients, insomniacs and people suffering from back and hip pain. There are no relevant medical studies to back up these effects which is why doctors are still skeptical about recommending (or not recommending) visco mattresses." [5]

Zdravotní rizika

Spánek

• 7-8 hours of sleep means that one third of our life !!!
• Our faces plastered into a pillow and sleeping on a new mattress, we may be literally gassing ourselves to death [3]
• Sleeping on such a mattress or pillow exposes the person to tight contact to the chemical source, fact that increases several times the contamination degree. [4]
• Spánk na takové matraci není jen o vdechování chemikálií, ale pod peřinou ještě za působení tělesného tepla se koncentruje silný zápach z těkavých látek, které mohou celou noc do organismu pronikat i kůží celého povrchu těla i v příadě, že se snažíte intenzivně větrat celou noc
• Most of the hydrocarbons are powerful carcinogenic chemicals and attack, with severe damages, the immune and nervous systems. [4]
• Most autoimmune disorders (like arthritis, lupus, allergies asthma, and others) have been connected with or thought to be boosted by increased exposure to petroleum. Interestingly, in the US there are no exposure limits for carcinogenicity in the case of the polyurethans. [4]
• "If you have had any new health problems immediately after purchasing a new bed it is essential to remove the bed from the living area (ie. to the garage) and seeing if health problems stop. " [6]
• "CHEM-TOX COMMENT: While many environmental factors can contribute to adverse health problems when sleeping (such as the petroleum based chemicals in fabric softeners, Clorox, and very strong chemical based fragrances in some detergents i.e. GAIN), the first step to determine if the bed or sheets are the cause should be to simply sleep somewhere else - couch etc. - This trial and error analysis, when repeated several times, will clearly demonstrate if the bed, detergents or bedroom is the problem." [6]

Emissions from memory foam mattresses

• May directly cause more respiratory irritation than other mattresses [1]
• Mildew and house dust mites
• May not occur as frequently [1]

Viscofoam je hořlavý materiál - zpomalovače hoření - PBDE

• Zákony v USA nařizují odolnost ložního vybavení proti zapálení zapalovačem, cigaretou a svíčkou
• High levels of the fire retardant PBDE, commonly used in memory foam, could cause health problems for users [1]
• PBDEs are no longer used in most bedding foams, especially in the European Union [1]
• Popular flame retardant chemical [7]
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers [7]
• Bio-accumulate in fat tissue, blood, breast milk and wild peregrine falcons [7]
• Cause hyperactivity in mice that were exposed during brain development [7]
• The European Union has banned PBDE [7]

Zadušení se malých dětí

• Varování výrobce: "Caution about leaving babies and small children unattended on memory foam mattresses, as they may find it difficult to turn over, and may suffocate" [1]

Ekologické znečištění výrobou

• The United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Published two documents proposing National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP)
• Hazardous emissions produced during the making of flexible polyurethane foam products

Zápach z matrací - Volatile organic compounds - VOCs

• Chemicals in new polyurethane foam outgas into the air
• You can often smell them until they dissipate
• Most of the VOCs from polyurethane foam dissipate in several weeks to several months, depending on many variables
• Types and amounts of synthetic materials
• Amount of fresh-air exchange in the room
• Temperature and humidity
• Breathability of bedding materials like comforters and bedspreads [3]

HAP emissions associated with polyurethane foam production include:

• Methylene chloride - HAP ABA [8]
• Toluene diisocyanate - TDI [1, 4 ]
• Causing asthma [4]
• Zapáchá [4]
• Methyl chloroform [1]
• Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate - MDI [1, 8]
• Propylene oxide [1]
• Diethanolamine [1]
• Methyl ethyl ketone [1]
• Methanol [1]
• Toluene - methyl benzen [1]
• Inhalation can affect nervous system [9]
• Not all chemical emissions associated with the production of these material have been classified [1]

• Polyol (Poly Ether Gycol) [4]
• Silicone Surfactant [4]
• Tertiary Amine [4]
• Strong odors and are allergenic [4]
• Stannous Octoate [4]
• Flame Retardant [4]
• Pigments/Dyes [4]

Další možné ingredience

• Vinilideine chloride [9]
• Eye and respiratory irritation, possible carcinogen, organ damage [9]
• Dimethylformamide
• Organ damage possible, and possible carcinogen [9]
• Acetone
• Toxic when inhaled in large amounts [9]
• Formaldehyde
• May result as a byproduct of chemical reactions or adhesives [9]

Methylene chloride

• Over 98 percent of the total HAP emissions from this industry [1]
• HAP-based means to contain 5 % (by weight) or more of HAP [8]
• Short-term exposure to high concentrations
• Irritates the nose and throat
• Chronic (long-term) exposure to methylene chloride in humans involve:
• Headaches - bolesti hlavy !!! [1]
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Memory loss - ztrátu paměti !!! [1]
• Animal studies indicate that inhalation of methylene chloride affects the liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system.
• Developmental or reproductive effects of methylene chloride have not been reported in humans, but limited animal studies have reported lowered fetal body weights in rats exposed [1]
• Solvent, mucous membrane irritant and potential carcinogen [9]
• Use has declined in recent years due to EU restrictions and pollution regulations [9]

Diiskoianáty

• Reacts with the polyols and blowing agent to produce a flexible polyurethane foam
• Most commonly used sources are MDI and TDI
• Alone in raw forms can cause respiratory and dermal sensitization and may be carcinogenic
• MDI is regarded as the safer and less toxic [9]
• Least hazardous organic isocyanate [9]
• After reacting they are inert but can offgas [9] ....teoreticky....

Polyuretan

• "any chemist will tell you that even fully reacted polyurethane can produce dust inducing mechanical irritation to the eyes and lungs" [4]
• "there are no industrial processes 100 % complete, you should expect the polyurethane to expel its chemical load" [4]
• "Only the resin blends can expel isocyanates, which were proven to be skin and respiratory sensitizers, causing asthma" [4]
• Polyurethane mattresses have been proven to be pulmonary irritants in laboratory mice. [7]

Zpomalovače hoření - Blowing Agents

• Carbon to create the foam
• Today manufacturers may use water, HFC or other agents [9]
• Pentabde (of the polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) family), was used until 2004. [13]
• Toxic to the liver, thyroid, and nervous system [13]

Napodobeniny viscofoamu

• Beware of imitation manufacturers [2]
• Some factories mix formaldehyde and other fixers into their foam and try to sell it as this product [2]
• These chemicals can create severe allergic reactions and a heavily unpleasant smell [2]
• A good quality product will not visibly flake or break [2]

Lepidla - solvent-based

• The long-term health effects that may occur after prolonged exposure to Volatile Organic Content (VOC) found in Adhesive/Glue solvents include cancers, damage to the heart, liver, central nervous system and kidneys. [10]

Perfumes and Deodorizers

• Certain imported polyurethane memory foam products have industrial perfumes to mask the chemical odour that exists in their products.
• Chemicals Found in Air Fresheners:
• Tributyltin maleate
• Carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity etc. [10]
• Bonded quatermary ammonium chloride compounds
• Decamethcyclopentasiloxane
• Phenolics
• Ozone
• Paradichlorobenzene
• Anticipated to be a carcinogen [10]
• Fragrances

Zdravotní problemy citované na zahraničních webech po spaní na polyuretanových viskoelastických matracích

• "The symptoms vary from rashes to sinus problems, or swollen, inflamed red and itchy eyes and skin, difficult breathing, enlarged lymph nodes (sign of inflammation), irregular heartbeat, vomiting, fever, asthma symptoms, sore throat, nose bleed, diarrhea, joint pain etc."
• " People reported the same symptoms even in pets (like cats). Some even reported lymphoma (blood cancer) in dogs exposed to these mattresses."
• Soupis 235 kasuistik zdravotních potíží z visko-elastických matrací !!!

Oficiální tvrzení

• "The Polyurethane Foam Association, an industry group, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency both say that finished memory foam is inert and does not represent a health hazard. " [9]
• Once the polyols and isocyanates have reacted, they are chemically inert (no longer volatile) and no longer pose the dangers that individual components may. [9]
• "problem noted in a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that points out the EPA lacks information on the toxicity of many chemicals. In fact, last year, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin proposed passage of the Safe Chemicals Act which would force chemical companies to show their products are safe before they hit the market." [12]

Oficialni rady

• If a high percentage of reviewers mention strong odors or side effects, then the mattress may have a higher proportion of VOC content. If they just mention a light non-bothersome smell, or no smell, than the VOC content is likely lower. [9]

• Ask if the foam was made with MDI or TDI, as MDI is known to be safer. [9]
• Ask what kind of blowing agents are used; halogen gases CFCs/HFCs contribute to air pollution. Variable pressure foaming is a newer technique that negates the need for chemical blowing agents. [9]
• See what the memory foam is made of. Blends that have a portion made with plant-based materials (20%+) have less petroleum content and thus less propensity to off-gas. [9]
• Ask how the mattress achieves anti-flammability standards. Rayon treated silica and kevlar fabrics (not just seams) appear to be the safest options for reducing chemicals. [9]
• See if there are any testing standards applicable to the mattress. Oeko-tex and Certipur require a minimum level of VOCs and product safety. [9]
• Know that high-density foams have a greater amount of polymers, and thus are more likely to have stronger odors. [9]
• Ask where the actual memory foam and poly foam layers are manufactured. If it is in the US or EU, they are made under stricter regulations than some imported foams and could be a safer option. [9]

Literatura: