This article describes consumer complaints traced to fiberglass fragments shed from an inner mattress cover liner found in some mattresses including certain foam mattress products.

Page top photo: this older mattress was wet by a building flood and, independent of any fiberglass concern, risks mold contamination. It can not be cleaned effectively and should be discarded.

Problem Fiberglass Shedding from Some Mattress Covers

On 2021-04-15 by Anon - glass fibers from a memory foam mattress caused problem?

Hello! I sent an email to you all about help with our problem with glass fibers from a [Zinus] memory foam mattress that we have been living with all over our home for a year and a half and just discovered this. I will be looking out for a response. We are in desperate need of advice/help. Thank you so much

Additional details provided by private email - on file, same date. - Anonymous by private email 2021/04/15

On 2021-04-15 by (mod) - Possible fiberglass hazards at Zinus (and other) Mattress Covers made with an inner fiberglass layer (for fire-retardance)

@Anon

Thanks for the alert - indeed we have seen a photo of a Zinus mattress cover stating

Outer Cover: 100% polyester

Inner Cover: 62% glass fiber, 29% acrylic, 9% cotton.

Photo: an example of a Zinus mattress cover as marketed online, e.g. at Amazon. [We don't know if fiberglass was used in the mattress cover shown in this image captured on 2021/04/15.]

What remains much needed is evidence that in normal use a fire-resistant mattress cover using fiberglass sheds glass fibres at a detectable level, or more-important, at a level that could be irritating or a risk to consumers.

With the outer cover un-damaged, left-alone, and un-disturbed you should not be detecting fiberglass shedding from the Zinus mattress.

Watch out: drawing on the Chandler case cited below, do not try to remove, modify, cut, damage, nor wash your fiberglass-containing mattress cover.

Other than that specific case, and until we have evidence of such shedding of fiberglass it is possible and significant, the anxiety about your mattress could be a worse health hazard for you than the mattress or its cover themselves.

You might get some additional comfort and peace of mind if you add an additional clean safe mattress cover over the factory-provided one. Or put the entire assembly, un-disturbed, out for trash pickup.

Take a look at TEST KIT for DUST, MOLD, PARTICLES: INSTRUCTIONS

and making an exception to our "I've retired" policy, if you can collect two or three representative tape samples of the surface of your Zinus mattress cover, perhaps at the most-suspect or worn locations and at a cover seam, and provided you collect the samples and prepare the according to our instructions (it's easy and very inexpensive) I will take a look at the result in our forensic lab and advise you what I see.

I will also need a photo of the mattress cover and a photo of the mattress label or tag that describes the product. You are welcome to use the "Add Image" button to post photos here (one photo per comment, as many comments as you need).

Also see CHAIN OF CUSTODY FORM for ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES

Also see FIBERGLASS HAZARDS - topic home.

Researching the topic you'll see that there is some fiberglass in just about any indoor residential building dust sample; at high levels such particles can be a skin irritant; there has been considerable argument and research about the hazards of small fiberglass particles that in my OPINION go very under-reported as they're more-difficult to spot in a forensic lab unless the lab is looking for them.

More-recent research argues that very small fiberglass fragments, like their much-larger sisters, are not a significant health risk in buildings.

But though there are some exceptions (e.g. damaged HVAC ductwork), in most situations there is no measurable health hazard from normal fiberglass use and presence in homes.

Class action suit claiming that Zinus mattress covers that leaked fiberglass.

The Zinus - fiberglass shedding mattress cover lawsuit is identified below:

Chandler, et al. v. Amazon.com LLC, et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-00265, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois [PDF] Original source: https://www.classaction.org/media/chandler-et-al-v-amazon-com-llc-et-al.pdf

Excerpt: Several of the most popular models of Defendant Zinus, Inc.’s (“Zinus”) mattresses containing dangerous glass fibers (the “Affected Mattresses”) suffer from potentially catastrophic design defects and inadequate warning labels that can result in large amounts of glass fibers releasing from the mattresses into the surrounding environment. One vulnerable point for glass fibers to exit from the Affected Mattresses is when the removable outer cover of the mattress is unzipped.

Once the outer cover is removed, Zinus’s defective design (the “Defects”) exposes the inner cover which contains a large percentage of glass fibers. Large amounts of glass fibers then can be released into the environment causing serious injuries and property damage.

OPINION: Really? It will be important to review actual data including sampling by an independent expert. And again you can infer a repetition of the common advice: leave the mattress cover alone and cover it with another mattress cover.

Mar 15, 2021 ORDER Granting 69 PLAINTIFFS COMBINED MOTION TO VACATE DISCOVERY ORDER AND LIFT STAY OF ALL DISCOVERY.

Over Defendant's objection, Plaintiffs' motion to lift stay of discovery and to continue trial is GRANTED.

The final pretrial conference is reset to 10:00 a.m. on September 15, 2022, and jury trial is continued to 9:00 a.m. on October 17, 2022.

The stay on discovery is lifted. The parties shall submit a Joint Report of the Parties and Proposed Scheduling and Discovery Order no later than March 29, 2021.

Signed by Judge David W. Dugan on 3/15/2021. (kll)THIS TEXT ENTRY IS AN ORDER OF THE COURT. NO FURTHER DOCUMENTATION WILL BE MAILED. (Entered: 03/15/2021)

Mar 17, 2021 ORDER. Defendant's Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 36 ) is GRANTED in part. Counts I, III, VII and X of Plaintiffs' First Amended Complaint (Doc. 30 ) are hereby DISMISSED without prejudice.

Plaintiffs are granted leave to file a Second Amended Complaint within twenty-one (21) days of this Order. Action due 4/7/2021.

Defendant's Motion to Dismiss is DENIED as to Counts II, V, VIII and IX of the First Amended Complaint.

Defendant's Motion to Dismiss as to Counts IV and VI are DENIED as MOOT.

Because this Court is granting leave to the Plaintiffs to amend, the Defendant's Motion to Strike Class Allegations (Doc. 37 ) is DENIED without prejudice.

Defendant may refile its Motion to Strike Class Allegations directed to Plaintiffs' amended complaint. Signed by Judge David W. Dugan on 3/17/2021. (dmw2) (Entered: 03/17/2021)

OPINON: Facts needed to determine the extent of fiberglass hazard from Zinus or other fiberglass-containing mattress covers

1. Representative samples of settled dust

in areas closest to suspected source of hazardous fiberglass contamination suspected to be coming from the Zinus mattress cover. (Air testing can give some data but is unreliable in this application)

2. Representative samples of potential source of fiberglass fibers

from the Zinus matters cover exterior, interior, fiberglass-based component
(the court case represents that Zinus fiberglass fibers are larger in diameter than home insulation of fiberglass - which is interesting as I see considerable variation in the diameter of fiberglass insulation fibres;

however it is often possible to identify fiberglass in a dust sample by comparing several of its properties (including size range and resin binder) to other fiberglass materials in the building.)

3. Quantitative study of air and dust in the building

suspected to suffer fiberglass contamination, including samples showing dust distribution, fiberglass levels, and distribution pathways

4. Medical confirmation

that fiberglass is the source of or significant contributor to occupant complaints or health concerns.

5. Case history details,

for example pertinent to the means by which the fiberglass cover was opened, damaged, removed, washed, etc. by a consumer.

See also, from the case filing, the additional questions listed at:

55. Existence of common questions.

Common questions of law and fact exist as to all members of the Class and predominate over questions affecting only individual Class members, as is required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(a)(2).

and OPINION: the case that we have copied and provided here could be fatally flawed if it is not supported by actual, credibly-collected, sampled, studied, identified, and reported evidence of the levels of fiberglass released in a building from the treatment of the mattress cover as the case described.

(Owner removed the cover, washed it along with other clothing, dried it indoors, etc. damaging the cover and releasing fiberglass - to some un-specified un-quantified level)

Watch out: do not damage your mattress cover

The court case cited above includes the following excerpt:

... a consumer posted a direct message entitled, “Can I wash my Zinus mattress cover?” to Zinus’s website.

Zinus responded by stating the following:

“Our mattresses are self-contained wonder delivery systems! Removing the mattress cover could jeopardize that system. The mattress cover isn’t washable, and removing it could inhibit the fire safety barrier, so please always leave the cover on.”

OPINION: the company might have warned that removing and washing fiberglass-lined mattress cover is likely to damage it and could thus spread irritating fiberglass in the building where those activities take place.

Research on Fire Retardant Mattress Cover Safety & Fiberglass Hazards

Other research on fire safety, fire retardants, in mattress covers. I have not (yet) found independent, scholarly research asserting that there is a measurable health hazard from fiberglass shedding from mattress covers. Let's both look further.

• Damant, Gordon H., and Said Nurbakhsh. "Heat release tests of mattresses and bedding systems." Journal of fire sciences 10, no. 5 (1992): 386-410.
  Abstract
  
  In part 1 of this study, a comprehensive full-scale fire test pro gram has been conducted on a wide variety of residential and institutional mattress constructions. Innerspring, solid core, futon and jail pad mattresses were included, along with several styles of foundations.
  
  In addition several bed ding systems were tested together with a standard set of bedding components to further evaluate the effects and contribution of those items to the combustion of the mattress/foundation combinations.
  
  The foremost objective of this work was to gather reliable test data on a wide range of bedding material combinations. It is anticipated that this information will assist bedding manufacturers in developing state-of-the-art materials and in producing bedding products with greatly enhanced fire safety.
• Damant, Gordon H. "Flammability and Material Trends in the Furnishings Industry." Flame Retardants 101: Basic Dynamics (1998): 181.
  Excerpt:
  Flocked fiberglass fabrics were available for curtains and drapes, wall coverings, mattress tickings and upholstery fabrics. The range of flocked fabrics available for furniture and mattress applications served the purpose of both an exterior cover fabric and an excellent fire blocker …
• Kleinhenz, Julie, Paul Ferkul, Richard Pettegrew, Kurt R. Sacksteder, and James S. T'ien. "One‐sided flame spread phenomena of a thermally thin composite cotton/fiberglass fabric." Fire and Materials: An International Journal 29, no. 1 (2005): 27-37.
  
• Nurbakhsh, Said, and John Mccormack. "A review of the Technical Bulletin 129 full scale test method for flammability of mattresses for public occupancies." Journal of fire sciences 16, no. 2 (1998): 105-124.
  
• Thomas, Treye A., and Patricia M. Brundage. "Quantitative assessment of potential health effects from the use of fire retardant (FR) chemicals in mattresses." Washington, DC: US Consumer Product Safety Commission (2006).
  

 

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020/09/19 - - by (mod) -

Thanks Itchy; we've referred you to this page.

It would be very helpful to have here photos of your mattress and a photo of each side of its data tag.

Also tell us the country and city of location and the age of the mattress.

On 2021/09/18 : itchy with rash - ZINUS™ Memory Foam Mattress fiberglass particles have been exfoliating through the mattress cover

We purchased a ZINUS™ Memory Foam Mattress, and we discovered that the fiberglass particles have been exfoliating through the mattress cover. We never opened the mattress cover... The shards are simply making their way through the sealed cover. Now our house is contaminated with fiberglass.

Please create an addendum to this article, specifically about memory foam mattress.

On 2020-05-11 - by (mod) -

Annie:

Larger fiberglass particles may be a skin irritant but are not likely to go deep into the lungs. Yes, unless ground up by some physical or mechanical means, most fiberglass particles from a mattress liner would be "large" - that is, bigger in length than diameter, and well above the 1-5 micron range.

Details are at FIBERGLASS HAZARDS - home - https://inspectapedia.com/Fiberglass/Fiberglass_Hazards.php

You can HEPA vac and damp wipe. That, plus bagging and disposing of the source material, should be sufficient.

If you have central air or even window air conditioners, you might also change the air filters and check the blower and ductwork for cleanliness.

I'd be a bit surprised to hear, from an expert, that a tear in a mattress line was itself likely to pose a health hazard unless something unusual occurred that ground up the material and blew it through the home.

Thanks for asking; we welcome any follow-up questions if the article I suggested is unclear or leaves you short.

On 2020-05-11 by Annie

Hello. We had a mattress liner that was made with fiberglass tear and now we have fiberglass fibers all over our house.

They are big enough that I can see them on tables and clothes, blankets etc. You mention that the larger particles are not as harmful, so would these be considered larger particles?

I’m asking because my kids and I have been living in the house and I’m not sure how long ago the tear occurred, probably no more than a few weeks though.

I am concerned that we have been breathing these particles and would like to know of our health risks. I have been cleaning with a hepa filter vacuum and damp cloths.

I would love to hear your thoughts and if you have any other suggestions for how I can get rid of all of the particles. Thank you very much.

On 2018-09-15 by Anonymous - information on why Fiberglass is Used in mattresses: flame or fire resistance

Reader Anonymous comments further

Here’s a little more information which may help. I now have learned that many foam mattresses today are using fiber barriers to act as flame barriers pass fed regulations without using as many pbdes and such. I ordered one of these mattresses and long story short my toddler had an accident so I followed the tag’s instructions to remove the knit cover wash on gentle and spot clean.

I didn’t notice it at the time but now know the sock under the knit cover but surrounding the foam is fiberglass or silica fibers. Between having an moving around the mattress with an fiber sock, washing a knit cover with fibers embedded and then washing clothes, pets and kids touching the fiber sock as well as spot cleaning it with water/vinegar, visible shards of fiber glass were spread all around my home. We just moved into this home and there is little furniture, carpets, linens etc so it’s easily visible with a flashlight.

We left immediately for a hotel so that I could research and process as it was all over the place. I hired a restoration company to remove the fiberglass and clean our hvac ducts, as per their suggestion. I’m not sure if the hepa vac/air scrubber combo they tried didn’t work because they were not meticulous enough or what but it didn’t remove the visible shards or at least not well. They tried wiping with microfiber towels/mop heads and pantyhose but again I wouldn’t say it was meticulous or following a wipe&flip method or anything. The mattresses and all bed linens (and all clothing for that matter) has been bagged and removed. My washer and dryer is filled with it and it’s in clothing that I haven’t even worn yet but was just hanging in the closet.

I’ve contacted other restoration companies, duct professionals and air quality professionals all of which seem to have varying opinions on what to do to move forward. I’m planning on going back in and either cleaning myself or hiring a company capable of abating lead/asbestos. One air quality testing specialists mentioned the possibility of charged particles and thought to try an ionic air filter as the particles seem to be wipeable from the wall but I found a ton attached to the inner seal of my Brand New oven. I’ll attach a picture below. I know it’s from the mattress as it looks like long shards just like the fiber sock covering.

I’m not sure what else to do but clean and then test our air. I feel really unsafe moving my children back in without knowing the levels are at least normal.

Any help is much appreciated as we are starting to feel like we are loosing our home and the insurance companies claim it’s a pollutant and not covered.

This is my oven seal. I’ve tried picking these shards off and it’s impossible to get them off completely.
IMAGE LOST by older version of Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2018-09-14 by (mod) -

by private email I recommended using an adhesive tape test to collect representative settled dust to have characterized for dominant particles and/or high levels of fiberglass in indoor dust. It would be uncommon for a mattress product, having been washed, to contaminate an entire home.

The research articles I can find on fiberglass fabric hazards associated with mattresses focuses on dermatitis

Hogan, Daniel J., and Megan Morrison. "Fiberglass, Dusts." In Kanerva's Occupational Dermatology, pp. 415-426. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2012.
Harvard

Sertoli, A., S. Francalanci, and S. Giorgini. "Fiberglass dermatitis." In Handbook of Occupational Dermatology, pp. 122-134. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2000

If you need someone on site you can find a suitable expert by discussing your needs with some of the professionals listed in directories found at
CONSULTANTS & EXPERTS DIRECTORIES - inspectapedia.com/Expert-Consultants-Directory.php

On 2018-09-14 by (mod) -

Anon:

Fiberglass is not normally used in conventional sleeping mattresses but may be included in an inner, fire-resistant cover in some mattresses, particularly foam products. .

Where we find fiberglass used in mattresses or mattress covers it was in special products (produced in the U.S. as earlhy as 1917) such as fire-resistant mattresses and odd products like a mattress with a patented hidden security container embedded therein.

Are you sure that the fibers of concern are really fiberglass?

Is there evidence that such fibers are present at a high or abnormal level in building air or dust?

And if so are you really sure that they came from a mattress?

I would not spend another cent on investigation before some basic investigation has been done to help assure yourself (and me) that we're barking up the right tree.

That said, IF there is an indoor fiberglass dust and debris problem it can normally be easily cleaned up by

1. fixing or removing the source

2. damp wiping and HEPA vacuuming the surfaces involved

3. if necessary, cleaning HVAC ducts, changing filters, cleaning air handlers/ blowers

Keep in mind that even if you find a lab who will identify fiberglass they may not be using a methodology that identifies other than large filamentous particles.

I have confirmed, however that fiberglass was used in some mattress covers and products as I'll show below. None of those would be likely to form a significant source of indoor fiberglass dust contamination unless the product was removed from the mattress and mechanically macerated or ground up and thus blown into the air or tracked through a building: those would be unusual steps.

Examples of uses of fiberglass in mattresses

Balboni, Allen J. "Electric heating mattress." U.S. Patent 4,162,393, issued July 24, 1979.

Carson, R. "Fluid filled mattress." U.S. Patent 3,736,604, issued June 5, 1973.

Courts, Benjamin D. "Sanitary mattress." U.S. Patent 1,211,548, issued January 9, 1917.

Ferziger, Daniel, and Jerry Lippman. "Coated fabric and mattress ticking." U.S. Patent 4,801,493, issued January 31, 1989.

Ferziger, Daniel, and Jerry Lippman. "Coated fabric and mattress ticking." U.S. Patent 4,526,830, issued July 2, 1985.

Fraige, Richard. "Waterbed mattress." U.S. Patent 4,301,560, issued November 24, 1981.

Klancnik, Alvin R. "Fire-resistant mattress and high strength fire-retardant composite." U.S. Patent 4,504,991, issued March 19, 1985.

Owens Jr, Don E. "Bed mattress having a security container." U.S. Patent 6,684,432, issued February 3, 2004.


At the top of any page you'll find an EXPERTS DIRECTORY that includes links to mold and other forensic labs, most of whom can identify fiberglass - at least at a level sufficient to determine if it's at high levels in building dust.

On 2018-09-14 by (mod) -

RE-posting as anonymous, by request

A mattress has released fiberglass shards in my home. A remediation company has tried to clean it unsuccessfully and we've been displaced from our home. We'd like to hire another one familiar with fiberglass, but are wondering what are the best methods for removal? Also, we feel the need to test samples what would be the most affordable/ effective way to do this? Are there certain labs that have more experience with fiberglass particles?

On 2018-05-10 by (mod) -

Agnes

This sounds awful, I agree, but why a memory foam would have ANY fiberglass in the construction of the mattress itself is baffling.

"Memory foam" is "a polyurethane material that is sensitive to pressure and temperature, used especially in mattresses, where it molds to the shape of an individual's body."

It's not fiberglass.

If there is fiberglass coming from your Zinus mattress it will be from a layer of material, often an inner fabric included for fire resistance and in some cfases, that can break down with age and that might shed fibers.

On 2018-05-10 by Agnes

I purchased mattress from walmart. It is a bed in a box type ... called Spa therapies by Zinus memory foam mattress. I slept on it.. first night was throwing up by morning time. , didnt know it was matress..

was sick for about two days, every 4-5 days the same thing was happening... I went to dr. didnt know what was wrong. felt like i was gonna die.

and began with sinus issues. and headaches, severe nasal, pressure( mistaken for allergies), my 8 yr old slept on bed , threw up. and other illness in addition to that. then came sinus issues for almost two wks. took him to dr.s, to emergency room.

Then my oldest son laid on matress and threw up too within a couple hours after.. then he noticed fiberglass particles on his black tshirt when he went to change his clothes.. he showed me. and it all made sense. I kept wondering what the shiny hair like fibers I had been seeing all over all our clothes was coming from...

We immediately removed matress from our home. The company knew a year and a half ago that a similiar circumstance revealed the fiberglass particles ( the mattress covers are made of them) and yet neither company recalled the product.

I thought it would be good to get this out for public awareness. I hope people check their matresses from now on. please learn from my own experience...

know what your sleeping on. examine memory foam matresses and covers.. thank you.

On 2017-04-10 by (mod) - sparkly little things on your skin?

Anon: please read MORGELLONS SYNDROME

On 2017-04-10 by Anonymous

Hello again .I looked at the links you sent but my landlord won't take any further action .i be been trying to live in my flat for three days another attempt to see if I can cope .

but I'm having to constantly spray walls and ceilings and floors with a large pump sprayer mister every hour to damp it down .as I said I painted walls with pva to try to seal any in ,I keep my clothes in a cupboard and the bed covered in plastic .

.I just have my bed a chair my laptop and that's it as anything else in here is just another thing I'd have to wash down.

I can't really see any sparkly bits anymore but I'm still feeling the horrible irritation on my face .as soon as I walk in after being out .or after I've damped it down and it dries out and starts to circulate again..and I've noticed it too ,as soon as iI walk in to the main entrance to the flats in the foyer ..

not a lot but enough to know it's in the whole building..of I don't damp it down I get covered in it and and it's unbearable .maybee I'm just allergic to very tiny microscope dust and no one can do anything .It doesn't happen anywhere else I go. ie,, other people's houses etc just my building and my flat ,

can the particulates be so small that you would need a microscope to see them and these are what is causing me so much distress ?

Thank you for replying and the links I think I need to speak to a scientist who could maybe understand what is happening .sorry if this all sounds mad but I'm living in it and don't know what to do ,

even friends that understood initially and actually saw the dust and felt it too on their skin and said it was really bad and they couldn't live in it ..are now saying that maybe it's in my head .because it's not very visible much .sincerely Robyn .

On 2017-03-23 by (mod) -

A

Large glass fibers such as constitute most fiberglass insulation may be an itch issue but according to industry-studies are not considered a high health hazard. On the other hand small fragments such as may be produced by walking on fiberglass over years or chopping it up by some accidental means (falls into a fan) can be a more serious health hazard.\

IN any event if you're sure that there is an unusual amount of anything in house dust in your home it makes sense to find the source. If the source is ongoing then cleaning alone won't be adequate.

You might find by contacting RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) an inspector who is familiar with these issues and who could help you out.

see https://inspectapedia.com/home_inspection/International_Home_Inspectors.php BUILDING & HOME INSPECTORS, E.U., U.K., ASIA

On 2017-03-23 by anon

I forgot to mention that I cannot open any Windows to get air in as this is where it's coming in from so not feeling that well .

On 2017-03-23 by Anonymous

Thanks for your reply.
Well I've just spent my first night in my flat
Sleeping on a blow up plastic mattress and low and behold I'm itching again..

.I've not brought much into the flat just some clothes which I'm keeping in a plastic box and a kettle and few bits to survive a day as didn't want to contaminate anything else I checked last night to see if I could see any tell tale sparkling ,,and there was on the air bed ..

I do this with my phone light which shows it up well, I've been doing this for months and praying that I don't find any ..so any way I now feel I'm back to square one and it's got to start all over again with me living in it ..just so tired and depressed .what can I do ?

Do you think if I bought a load of disposable floor wipes and wiped down everywhere .that this would help at this stage.
Obviously it's not as bad as it was but I'm still itching and can feel it on my face as I walk about the flat..or disturb the air...

I thought painting all walls and ceilings with the pva would have gotten rid of it all ..
I have a pump action large garden mister that I use to damp it down in the air so I can wash it off the floor ....

my eyes are sore now and my feet are itching as I've been walking around like you do but hey never mind ..I will continue to try and get this under control and hopefully all out and totally free of the dust just want my life back but totally all focused on this as what else can I do .

and just to add insult to injury the folks round here in my block think I have a psychiatric problem and I've imagined it all ha ha ha as they saw the men come to replace the wall insulation in their protective suits etc and where told that it's all fixed and ok and that I threw all my stuff out as I'm not really very well

I live in the UK ..people here don't seem to be very up on this subject of glass fibre dust ..I don't know why ...this is why I'm on your site as there is nothing like this here .cheers for reading.

 

On 2017-01-13 by (mod) -

Fernando

Is there a brand or label on the mattress that would let you identify it, then find the manufacturer, and then find the specifications for this product?

There is no reason to move out of a home because of spilled fibers, fiberglass or not.

It is normal and harmless to find low levels of fiberglass fragments in most buildings. If fiberglass becomes a significant or dominant particle in indoor dust samples, then further action would be appropriate.

You can certainly

- HEPA Vacuum up dust and debris

- launder your clothing

- if there is a product that's shedding a significant volume of fiberglass or other irritating particles, you may decide to simply dispose of it.

- don't panic or you'll be vulnerable to ripoff artists

On 2017-01-12 by Fernando Cruz

Recently acquired a memory foam mattress from a relative who smoked

. The mattress smelled so we took the zippered cover off to wash and deoderize the mattress.

Little did we know underneath the cover was a quilt that covers the memory foam and this quilt is made completely of fiberglass. It's all over our clothes, and on the surface of almost everything in our home.

It's a very depressing nightmare. We are on the verge of throwing everything we own away and moving out. We don't know what to do.

Question: Walmart mattress fiberglass complaint

2016/02/12 TMC said:

I to have come to realize that this Walmart mattress has been the cause to all the fiberglass in my room as a contractor I I could tell it was fiberglass the day I saw drifting in the sunlight I've been plagued for 3 months of terrible itching trying to figure out what it was and how I kept bring it home.

I've been to the dr. Tried cream for mites

. I washed my bedding and clean and vacuum my room everyday then realized that I wasn't getting anywhere it was only getting worse. Lo and behold 100% without a doubt it is coming from the Walmart memory foam mattress! I think Walmart needs to recall these for health and safety issues.

Reply:

TMC it would be unusual to find a mattress filled with fiberglass.

There are, however, some mattress inner-covers that can shed fiberglass when they age and wear. You wouldn't expect an inner cover whose fabric contains some fiberglass to produce enough fiberglass fragments to be visible in air or on surfaces - not by the naked eye.

I'm not sure you can recognize those fibers simply by looking at dust in sunlight as fabric fibers will appear there too.

Search InspectApedia for MORGELLONS SYNDROME for more information about your complaint. Find a doctor you trust and listen to your doctor.

Question: itch complaint attributed to Spa Sensations Memory Foam mattress cover

(July 19, 2015) CP said:

Just like Leo, I found shiny fibers in my clothing that made me itch after washing my pants with the outer velour mattress cover on my Spa Sensations Memory Foam mattress that I purchased from WalMart.com.

I thought the source was simply the cover until I moved the mattress to do some painting and saw all of the feathery strands under, on, and around the mattress and realized it was the mattress pad cover closest to the mattress was the culprit as it was coming apart in feathery strands.

I had seen feather strands here and there when cleaning but assumed they were from a feather pillow that had a small hole so I threw it away and was puzzled to keep seeing feathers.

Bur when I moved the mattress it became clear what where the feathery strands were coming from. I found a site online when googling information about the bed that listed the composition of the mattress and one of the components was "glass fiber" mattress cover.

I wish I had known because I would not have bought this mattress or would have removed this glass fiber cover so that my child and home would not have been exposed to fiberglass dust and particles.

I am now looking for a safer alternative and have found wool mattresses, silk mattresses, latex, and buckwheat husk filled mattresses. I wonder if there is something else Leo and I can do as the mattress should have been safer.

Has anyone else had the problem with Spa Sensations Memory Foam Mattress? I would like a refund from the company for putting my family's health at risk.

Reply:

CP

It sounds as if it would be valuable to identify as fully as possible the mattress you are discussing (use our page bottom CONTACT link to send us photos of the item, the cover, and any labels on the product). We'd want to know where the product is made, what materials its label says it contains and then perhaps to examine it for its actual contents.

If we were able to rule out an external contaminant and to be confident that the product as sold is contaminated with undesirable and un-listed materials you might be in a reasonable position to ask for a refund.

(Sept 28, 2015) BradM said:
Leo and CP,

I recently acquired a spa sensations matress and immediately started noticing the shiny fibers all over my room.

However the from what I can tell The company is aware of the fiberglass socking around the memory foam is present to pass the fire retardant tests necessary for all mattresses in the US.

However I wonder how bad breathing these fibers into your lungs and throat is? I intend to get a refund for the mattress however I'm afraid to move it now. Shining a flashlight under my bed reveals thousands of the shiny fibers all of the floor this can't be good for your health I don't see how this is legal.

Question: strange particles on clothing

(Mar 20, 2015) Leo said:
I have a rather strange case and am unsure what I should do. There was an earthquake almost a year ago. After the incident I helped clean up at my work and when I went home I had shiny strands and particles on my clothes.

I've cleaned these clothes and all other clothes many many times.

The other night however I noticed all my clothes had shiny fibers on them. They could only be seen when light made them shine. I then inspected my room and found it covered every surface in varying degree.

I don't work with fiber glass but could I still be bringing things home from my work? O

n another note its mainly just in my room and we recently ran the vent. I'm uncertain what I should do. I don't seem to be getting irritated skin despite wearing the clothes

The only other thing I can think of is perhaps I'm bring home Styrofoam fibers since I open many packaged boxes. Since I'm living in these conditions I'm uncertain what I should do. I cant seem to get it out of my clothes I obviously will clean surfaces even though I don't have a hepa vacum but this all worries me for health reasons.

Reply:

Leo from just an e-text I can't say what you're seeing on your clothing. Look for fiber sources where you are spending time

(Mar 21, 2015) leo said:
I believe I've found the culprit and its my mattress. I have a memory foam mattress with some kind of fabric all around it. I look cover and saw the fibers all over it. Then I look in though the hold and the fibers were everywhere.

The top of the mattress were I look was covered and had been for a long time. However the entire mattress was not covered so I suspect that every time I laid on it or put my clothes on it some of these fibers went into the air and over time have been covering the surfaces of my room.

This would explain why it was almost exclusively in my room. under my bed has these fibers as well. So I think my solution is to cover it and clean up. or get a new bed. Thank-you for listening and for your help. Obviously I can't be 100% sure but I'm pretty sure.

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