How to improve your child’s sleep and health – remove toxic mattresses

Recently, when the prices of geiger-counters finally became affordable enough, I purchased a geiger-counter of my own and together with a friend who owned a military-grade geiger-counter (as control and to obtain a baseline) we went through the entire house and garden to measure the levels of post-Fukushima radiation.

For the most part the radiation levels were near background levels of radiation, however, we received a huge shock when we found that the two spring-coil-mattresses my two children slept showed highly elevated readings. My friend’s geiger-counter jumped 2 decimal points (1.33 mSv/hr) whilst mine jumped a whole decimal point. The two futons that my husband and I slept on however, maintained normal levels.

I ruled out X-ray contamination because my daughter has never had an X-ray in her life, my son only a limited X-ray on a fracture many years ago, and if X-rays were the cause, logically, the two futons should have been far more irradiated since both my husband and I have received many X-ray check-ups in the course of our lives.

In any event, this led to an investigation on my part on why the mattresses were irradiated.

My conclusions as to the possible causes why the two mattresses showed higher readings based on the readings I did (linked and excerpted below) are as follows:

Metal springs in mattresses are a cause for concern as they focus EMF to the immediate area; As we slumber on a metal coil-spring mattress, a wave of electromagnetic radiation envelops our bodies so that the maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress in the middle of our bodies.
The mattresses are made of synthetic materials (compared to our all-natural futons) and according to some research, the mattresses could be giving off toxic chemical emissions;
The last possibility is one I hate to consider, as it would mean that my children have been irradiated by Fukushima’s events (however, we live away from Fukushima and away from irradiated zones according previously released data) and the mattresses hold the radionuclides that have been excreted through their sweat, etc. It is possible, however, both my husband and I also live here, and our all-natural futons being more absorbent, should show similar radiation levels, but do not.

As precautions, I have since discarded one of the mattresses (with the higher reading), and replaced it with a new futon, and for the other, I have lined the surface of the mattress with aluminium sheets, and placed a futon and futon-protector on top of it to block any emissions or EMFs.

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Your Boxspring Could Be Acting as a Gigantic, Cancer-Causing Radiation Antenna

The breast cancer rate is 10% higher on people’s left side than right. Why? Some researchers think it’s because people tend to sleep on their right side, and their boxsprings are pulling in electromagnetic radiation from FM and TV transmissions.

Yes, everything around us is killing us, including our beds. Our beds!

Thus, as we sleep on our coil-spring mattresses, we are in effect sleeping on an antenna that amplifies the intensity of the broadcast FM/TV radiation. Asleep on these antennas, our bodies are exposed to the amplified electromagnetic radiation for a third of our life spans. As we slumber on a metal coil-spring mattress, a wave of electromagnetic radiation envelops our bodies so that the maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress in the middle of our bodies. When sleeping on the right side, the body’s left side will thereby be exposed to field strength about twice as strong as what the right side absorbs.

The solution? Get a bed without metal springs. Or never sleep. [Scientific American via Kottke]

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What can you do about electromagnetic pollution?
Time spent in bed during sleep is one that should have as little geopathic stressors and spurious EMF as possible. This means that the area will need to be dowsed for stressors and the bed placed in a neutral zone. This is where adequate preparation in building and constructing your home is vital. Obviously existing building will need some kind of remediation. Various materials may be placed under the bed to counteract the geopathic stressors but it is best to simply move the bed to a better location. Also, any electrical equipment, outlets and wall wiring must be considered. The head needs to be as far away from any of these as possible. Here is where battery powered clocks come into usage. Twisted pair wiring is used to reduce EMF. DC rather than AC house wiring is preferred. Locate large appliances in locations where one does not spend any appreciable time and not next to a bedroom wall. Metal springs in mattresses are a cause for concern as they focus EMF to the immediate area. Cotton filled futon type mattresses are preferred. Also, metal bed frames are to be avoided for the same reason. Supposedly, waterbeds with a high salt content in the water will focus EMF in the immediate area as well. Definitely do not use an electric blanket as it brings AC and its EMF close to you as you sleep. If you use it to warm the bed before use, remove the electric blanket from the bed after warming, do not sleep under it.

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Toxic mattresses

Standard Mattresses are Toxic

Did you know that there are actually more chemicals in a conventional mattress today than are contained in a barrel of oil? Yes, that’s right, most mattresses are made entirely of petrochemicals! Most people today sleep on mattresses made of synthetic materials like polyurethane, polyester and flame retardant chemicals.* These synthetic materials and the flame retardant chemicals in the mattresses cause us to breathe in toxins all night long, including PBDEs (polyborminated diphenyl ethers), formaldehyde and more.

* A 1973 law required mattresses to not ignite from a burning cigarette, but a new law requires mattresses to not ignite after being exposed to a 12 inch wide flame on the side for 50 seconds, and a simultaneous 10 inch wide flame on the top for 70 seconds. So how many more chemicals do you think will be in your mattress so it can withstand a couple blow torches aimed at it for around a minute??

Mattress Flame Retardant Chemicals

PBDE, a flame retardant chemical, has actually been banned in Europe because of toxicity. It will be banned in California starting in 2008, but for now they are letting the mattress manufacturers sell out their stock to the unsuspecting public. PBDE has been shown to cause all sorts of health problems, including cognitive and behavior changes during development, thyroid problems, permanent learning and memory impairment, ADHD, higher cancer rates and immune system problems. It is now found in high levels in mother’s breast milk, undoubtedly due to its presence in our mattresses, and so is being ingested by babies, even though it has been shown to be much more toxic for infants and children.

Some other flame retardant chemicals used in mattress production include formaldehyde, antimony trioxide, boric acid (the roach killer) melamine and decabromodiphenyl oxide (a brominated flame retardant also being found in women’s breast milk). Formaldehyde can cause headaches, insomnia, fatigue, excessive thirst, respiratory problems and more. Boric acid was found to be very toxic and even caused some deaths when used in a 3% diluted solution as a topical solution for diaper rash, but now it is used on mattresses, even crib mattresses! Many of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens. Some cause reproductive, liver, kidney, heart muscle and other damage. In addition, although flame retardant chemicals will keep the mattress from catching fire, you may not realize that if there is a fire, poisonous gases such as cyanide and carbon monoxide will be created that you will breathe in if you are near your mattress.

Other Chemicals in Mattress Materials

The chemicals used in making polyester that is a common mattress material that is possibly carcinogenic and may also damage the kidneys, the heart and the nervous system. All sorts of chemicals in conventional mattresses cause negative health effects ranging from headaches to cancer. Nighttime is when our bodies are supposed to be detoxifying, repairing and rejuvenating themselves. Do you really want to be sleeping on a mattress that is full of toxic chemicals, including ones banned for health reasons in other countries?

Metals in Your Bed and Bed Frame

Many people have mattresses and box springs with coils in them, as well as metal frames for their beds. These metal mattress coils are used for buoyancy, but it seems that they not only provide an unnatural type of support, but they also disrupt our natural electromagnetic field, which can cause all sorts of physical and other stresses of a subtle, yet profound nature. This is of course hard to prove, but there are many people who say they sleep so much better with no metal in their mattress or bed frame and no electrical current running near their mattress, like an alarm clock.

Synthetic Mattresses and Mildew

As if the disturbance of the electro-magnetic fields and the chemicals in mattresses were not enough, synthetic mattress materials also can easily form mildew as excess moisture is absorbed and often does not dry quickly enough to get rid of the moisture before the mildew forms. If the mildew is mild, like it often is, you may sleep next to this mildew without knowing it, but it is still harmful to your immune system.

Synthetic foam mattresses, like the memory foam, are all the rage today, and they are touted as helping people to get a better night’s sleep. However, they not only off-gas toxic chemicals, but they also provide a non-breathing surface, which causes overheating and moisture build-up and a less than ideal sleeping experience.

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