36: What’s Really Lurking in Your Mattress?

Are you sleeping with the enemy? In this episode, we go undercover – literally – by taking a deep dive into what’s lurking in your mattress and explore the HEATED topic of flame retardants (FRs). After his grandchild was born, Barry A. Cik was fed up with the toxicity of crib mattresses while discovering that the majority of them are made of polyurethane foam and treated with flame retardant chemicals that are linked to endocrine disruption, lowered IQ, hyperactivity, altered sexual development, fertility issues, thyroid dysfunction, and cancer. Barry did what any board-certified environmental engineer and concerned grandfather would do, he founded his own certified organic mattress company, Naturepedic.

Barry reveals natural alternatives to toxic flame retardants, the current laws around FRs, common sources of exposure, and the negative health impacts from dangerous chemical fire retardants. He leaves us with practical tips to avoid exposure in our daily lives.