Is There TDI
(methylenediphenyl diisocyanate) in My Sleep Aid Mattress?
No. When you receive your Sleep Aid
topper or mattress, it contains no dangerous chemicals at all. Although
Sleep Aid uses TDI in their production process, it is also used in
thousands of other products, and poses no risk to consumers. The rumor
of a “risk” associated with TDI was invented as a marketing strategy to
scare consumers into buying one kind of foam over another.
While TDI is used in the production of
virtually all kinds of polyurethane foam, TDI is consumed during the
production process, and therefore does not remain in the finished
product. Companies who claim to make a safer product by using TDI
alternatives are using scare tactics to sell their foam.
TDI Is Used
in Many Products You Already Own
TDI is used in the production of thousands of products around your
home. It is used to make shoe soles, furniture cushions, mattress
padding and countless other foam products that we use every day. TDI is
used to start the chemical reaction that turns liquid foam into a solid.
Once the foam hardens, the TDI has been “used up,” leaving no residue in
your mattress or topper, or your shoes or sofa, for that matter.
A Risk in the
Factory, Not In The Home
Some companies claim that TDI is a dangerous chemical, and in its raw
form it is quite nasty stuff. TDI poses a significant risk for workers
in foam plants*, and there are very strict guidelines for how it
is handled. TDI does not remain in finished products, however, and so it
poses no risk to consumers. Many products have dangerous
chemicals involved in their production. Highly toxic mercury is often
used in the production of gold to separate the metal from impurities,
but that doesn't mean that your wedding ring will harm you. Frankly,
unless you work in a factory that produces foam, you have nothing to
fear from TDI.*
Do You Feel
Sick?
If TDI was truly a health risk, or even a cancer risk as some have
suggested, we would be feeling its effects every day. Approximately
1.5 billion lbs. of TDI were produced in the U.S. in 2000, much of
which was consumed by U.S. manufacturers. The chemical is incredibly
widespread, and is produced in huge quantities in the U.S, where we
have some of the best health guidelines in the world. If TDI caused
cancer, many of the products you use every day would be a serious
health risk. The risks of TDI are simply nonexistent from the perspective
of a consumer.
The Cancer
Myth
According to the EPA, there is some evidence to suggest that TDI in a
concentrated form can lead to cancer in test animals. However, this is
based on research involving the injection of raw TDI into the stomach of
lab rats. Needless to say, no foam consumer would be subjected to that
kind of dosage. In fact, the EPA does not even classify TDI as a human
carcinogen because there have been no human trials.
Is MDI Really
A Safer Alternative?
Some companies put forward MDI as a “safer” alternative to TDI. MDI
could be considered slightly safer for use in the workplace*, but that
has nothing to do with the risks associated with a finished product.
The EPA’s recommended exposure levels
for MDI are virtually identical to those for TDI, and the warnings for
both compounds are directed at workplace risk, not consumer risk. In
fact, the two compounds are so closely related, and the health risks so
similar, that most articles on the subject discuss isocyanate compounds,
which include both MDI and TDI, as a group rather than individually.
Why Do Some
Companies Use MDI?
From a manufacturer’s perspective, one good reason to use MDI in
production is that it makes chemical reactions faster and is therefore
more efficient. Also, because MDI is less volatile and less toxic in the
work environment, it requires fewer costly safety measures like
increased ventilation, etc.
One drawback to MDI, and one reason
why all companies haven’t switched is because the use of MDI makes it
more difficult to make truly durable foam. Don't be tricked by the lofty
health claims of other manufacturers. Most manufacturers using MDI are
more concerned about workplace lawsuits* and their bottom line than they
are about their customer’s safety.
* Sleep Aid cares about its employees
too. There are strict legal guidelines associated with TDI use, and
Sleep Aid goes to great lengths to reduce the risk that TDI poses. Our
work spaces are well ventilated and our employees are well educated on
how to ensure their health and well being. We also adhere to strict
environmental regulations, so that we protect our earth as well as our
work force.
