Fiberglass is a composite material made from plastic reinforced with glass fiber. The flexible material can be easily flattened into a sheet or other shapes for a wide range of uses. Because it’s low-cost and durable, fiberglass is used in all kinds of industries. You can find it in everything from roofing and bathtubs to boats and airplanes.
Fiberglass can also be used for temperature insulation to create thermal barriers. For this reason, mattress manufacturers combine fiberglass with the highly flammable materials that make beds comfy. So if you’re wondering, “Is there fiberglass in memory foam beds?” The answer is probably yes. In the end, it’s a fire safety measure.
Is It Safe For Mattresses To Have Fiberglass?
If you wonder if it’s safe for mattresses to have fiberglass, well, that’s a tricky question. Some forms of fiberglass can be damaging to health if released into a room. But if the mattress and mattress cover stay intact and in place, then any fiberglass inside the bed probably poses no danger to you.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports they are “not aware of any health risks from the type of fiberglass used in textiles.”
“This is a larger diameter continuous fiber,” said Nychelle Fleming with CPSC in an interview with KXAN News. “The type of fiberglass used in household insulation, which has shorter narrower fibers, may cause skin irritation on contact, or throat irritation if inhaled.”
Despite these assurances, there have been reports of fiberglass in mattresses causing health concerns if released from the bed. The important thing is that the mattress cover needs to stay in place and should never be removed. Another concern is if the cover wears out, which could expose the fiberglass from the mattress.
Why Do Beds Have Fiberglass?
The materials that make up many mattresses sold in the U.S. are flammable. To offset this risk, mattresses sold in the U.S. must have some form of fire protection according to Federal Law. So any mattress you buy must have a form of fire protection to keep you safe.
The logic here is that if the mattress catches fire for some reason, the protective layer of fiberglass in the mattress will melt instead of just burning freely. This is supposed to slow the spread of the fire.
The reason why fiberglass is used as a fire stopper in mattresses is that it is inexpensive. It’s common for all-foam mattresses in the lower price range to include fiberglass. You can buy beds with other forms of fire protection besides fiberglass, but these mattresses are generally much more expensive.
Where Is The Fiberglass Inside The Mattress?
The good news is that fiberglass isn’t on the outside of mattresses where it can come into contact with your skin. Fiberglass is used to keep mattresses from catching fire; it’s usually in an insulating layer underneath the outer shell.
The fiberglass layer acts as a kind of sheath around the inside of the mattress. So that if the outer shell does catch fire, the fiberglass will hopefully stop the flames before they reach any highly combustible material inside that mattress.
So although the idea of sleeping on a mattress that contains fiberglass might sound scary, it’s there to keep us safe. And because fire can do severe damage to memory foam, fiberglass is very common in these kinds of mattresses.
Do Zinus Mattresses Have Fiberglass?
Many Zinus mattresses do contain fiberglass in a thin layer that encases the foam interior. This layer is underneath the mattress cover, so if that is intact, the fiberglass shouldn’t pose a problem.
However, we should note that Zinus mattress fiberglass has recently come under scrutiny. In 2020, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Zinus and retailers who sell these mattresses. The lawsuit claims that defective Zinus mattresses have been sold, and these mattresses pose fiberglass-related health risks to the people who bought them.
Final Thoughts
While it can be a bit unsettling to find out that fiberglass is a common component included in many mattresses sold in the U.S., it’s important to remember that there are product safety regulations to protect consumers.
The reason why fiberglass is included in mattresses in the first place is to prevent a fire from spreading into the interior of the bed, which can be made from highly flammable material. Make sure always to keep the mattress cover in place, and if the cover starts to wear out, it’s probably time to buy a new mattress. It’s always smart to have a mattress protector on top of the cover, just to be on the safe side.
Many mattresses sold throughout the U.S., especially those that are less expensive, contain a layer of fiberglass insulation under the mattress cover. If you want to make sure you buy a mattress without fiberglass, look for one that’s marketed as fiberglass-free. Keep in mind that these mattresses are generally more expensive.
Eden Sleep sells organic mattresses made from all-natural materials that do not contain any fiberglass. Naturepedic also sells mattresses that are fiberglass-free. Keep in mind that most of these mattresses run over $1,000.
Many memory foam mattresses sold in the U.S. commonly include fiberglass to meet Federal Laws on fire safety. Check the tag on your memory foam mattress, and it should tell you whether fiberglass is included in the bed.
Mattress manufacturers use fiberglass as a cost-effective thermal barrier. This barrier is important to include in mattresses for fire safety purposes. If the outside of the mattress catches fire, the fiberglass barrier is designed to keep the fire away from the mattress interior.