Green Science Policy Institute Archives

Green Science Policy Institute

April 15, 2025

Unsafe sleeping? Mattresses may expose children to toxins as they sleep, studies find

By Shannon Kelleher

While monsters under the bed may be just childhood fantasy, parents might have real reason to fear what’s lurking in their children’s mattresses.

These mattresses can contain a variety of toxic chemicals including flame retardants and substances called “plasticizers” that make materials softer and more flexible, exposing kids and babies as they sleep to harmful emissions linked to issues with cognitive function, asthma, cancer and other health problems, according to new peer-reviewed research.

In a study published April 15 in the Environmental Science & Technology Letters, scientists detected over two dozen phthalates, flame retardants, and UV-filter chemicals (which protect materials from sunlight) in 25 Canadian children’s bedrooms, with the highest levels in the air around the beds where the children slept.

A related study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology pointed to mattresses as the likely source, finding emissions of 21 semi-volatile organic compounds in 16 newly purchased children’s mattresses when the researchers simulated a child’s body weight and temperature.

While the testing took place with mattresses purchased in Canada, it seems likely that mattresses in the US would contain similar chemicals of concern, since the countries use some of the same brands and likely rely on some of the same suppliers, said Arlene Blum, executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute and an author of one of the studies.

The findings “underscore the role of children’s mattresses as a significant source” of these chemicals in children’s sleeping environments and are “particularly concerning given the substantial amount of time children spend sleeping each day, their tendency for higher exposures and increased susceptibility to harm due to their developmental stage,” the authors write.

December 21, 2022

3M sees “writing on the wall,” says it will stop making PFAS

by Shannon Kelleher

The company 3M, which makes over 60,000 products, said Tuesday it will stop manufacturing toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” and work to discontinue use of PFAS in its products by the end of 2025.

The announcement comes amid a wave of lawsuits against the company and other manufacturers, alleging the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their products have endangered human health and the environment. Meanwhile, more and more states are banning PFAS in a range of consumer goods, with California recently restricting the chemicals in clothing and cosmetics.

More than 20 years ago, 3M committed to phasing out two PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS. But since then the company has manufactured various other PFAS, which belong to a class of thousands of chemicals.

“We know that 3M has known for decades that PFAS were harmful, said Lydia Jahl, a science and policy associate at the Green Science Policy Institute. “The writing was already on the wall and they’re just responding to that. I think they’re seeing that it’s expensive to produce PFAS because of all these lawsuits.”

Scientists have found that PFAS exposure is linked to a range of health problems, including heightened risk for cancer, birth defects, and liver disease. Part of the chemicals’ danger is also how slowly they degrade and how they accumulate in the body over time. Today, PFAS are present in the blood of an estimated 97% of Americans and have been found in many drinking water systems across the country.

Even as it announced its intention to phase out PFAS in a press release, and despite abundant scientific evidence about the chemicals’ health risks, 3M claimed the chemicals are both safe and necessary.