Everything Goes With Green

Archive for the ‘Chemical Free Pillows’ Category

We all know that a good night sleep is the key to good health, right? Well this depends on what kind of pillow you are sleeping on. Synthetic pillows, commonly found in many big box stores, can contain high amounts of polyuerethane foam which is added to make a pillow fluffy and comfortable. The concern comes from the fact that to create this foam, large amounts of harsh chemicals are used and released while you sleep on your pillow. These noxious VOC chemicals are concerning for healthy adults as they can lead to respiratory problems, but if you have children or anyone who suffers from respiratory concerns, you need to be aware because in studies with rats, the chemicals caused irratation and decreased air flow.

So if you are thinking about buying a new pillow, where do you start. The easiest way is to look for pillows with the following label:

Confidence in Textiles is a global testing and accreditation scheme for the screening of harmful substances within consumer textiles. It is the leading label for textiles that have been screened for harmful substances.

It verifies that the articles listed have been successfully tested according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and satisfy the requirements of a common product class.

Harmful substances banned under the Oeko-tex Standard 100 include:

• Specifically banned AZO dyes
• Carcinogenic and allergy inducing dyes
• Formaldehyde
• Pesticides
• Chlorinated Phenols
• Chloro-orgainc benzenes and toluenes
• Extractable heavy metals
• pH value
• Phthalates in baby articles
• Emission of Volatile components
• Odour
• Organotin compounds (TBT) and (DBT)

For further information visit www.oeko-tex.com.

Or if you don’t want to search pillow labels at the store, check out http://www.thecleanbedroom.com/A_healthy_pillow.htm where they have every type of pillow or mattress that you could want.