Mattress Flammability

For more than thirty years, the fire hazards posed by mattresses intended for residential use have been recognized but poorly addressed by regulators. Mattress and bedding fires are one of the leading causes of fire related injuries and are second only to upholstered furniture in the numbers of deaths, in the most recent statistics available. Fires fill our nations burn units, destroy thousands of young lives and visit tragedy on our nation's families.

The Federal Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses was enacted in 1973 to reduce the potential for ignition of mattresses. This standard was specifically aimed at one ignition source -- cigarettes. As a result, fires associated with mattresses and bedding caused by cigarettes has declined substantially, while fires caused by other open flame ignition sources, such as lighters, matches and candles, continue to cause a large number of fires, injuries and deaths. In 1991, the proportion of all small open flame fires began to exceed those caused by cigarettes. By 1998, open flame fires accounted for 39 percent of mattress fires.

In an effort to meet the requirements of the flammability standard, the mattress industry discovered the virtues of polyurethane foam which allowed mattresses to pass the cigarette burn test by allowing effective displacement of the heat given off by a cigarette’s glowing ember. However, one inescapable fact is that the most dangerous and destructive fuel element in a mattress fire is the polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foam in a conventional inner-spring mattress is highly combustible. Once the foam ignites, an entire bedroom can erupt in flames in mere minutes, producing deadly cyanide gas. Cyanide is a nerve agent that first disables, and then kills, its victim. Polyurethane foam is made of a mixture of several hazardous chemicals. Some of those chemicals share the same combustibility rating as kerosene and gasoline. Victims are often unconscious and more often die from inhaling the gas and smoke from the burning foam than from the flames themselves. By the time help arrives it is too late for the disabled victims.

Scientific knowledge and technology has advanced significantly since the early 1970's when the present mattress flammability standard was issued. It is clear that a new flame-retardant standard for residential mattresses is technologically feasible. This technology has been available for many years but the industry has simply refused to provide it to residential consumers. During the mid-1980's, flame-retardant technology had advanced to the point that it could be affordably integrated into a mattress. Mattress industry members began selling flame-retardant improved units to institutional purchasers. Unfortunately, even though technology had advanced to make such mattresses easy to manufacture, residential consumers were not given the option to purchase flame-retardant mattresses.

Interestingly, several test methods and standards have also available since the 1980’s. These tests and standards could have been adopted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to handle the necessity to decrease mattress fires caused by open flame sources. Several test methods have been developed by the State of California. Technical Bulletin 129 (1992) and, its predecessor, Technical Bulletin 121 (1980) are both voluntary open flame test procedures for mattresses used in public institutions such as prisons, dormitories, heath care facilities and hotels. Technical Bulletin 117, another State of California flammability test procedure, is a mandatory standard developed in 1980 to test all filling and stuffing materials used in upholstered furniture for its flame retardant and smolder resistant properties. This standard is applicable for mattresses that contain polyurethane foam. However, mattresses can either contain flame resistant polyurethane foam or have a permanent label stating that the mattress contains non-flame resistant foam. There are also test procedures and standards developed and available through the American Society of Testing & Materials, the National Fire Protection Association, Underwriters Laboratories, the States of Michigan and Massachusetts, as well as international standards in the European Committee and the United Kingdom.

In April 2000, the Consumer Product Safety Commission received a petition for rulemaking to modify the flammability standard for mattresses to include additional ignition sources. This rulemaking remains open and ongoing. Even if the CPSC successfully adopts a new standard, the expected useful life of a mattress is 14 years, therefore, hazardous fire prone mattresses will remain in the homes of American homes for many years to come.

Facts about Children and Mattress Fires

• Children under 15 years of age represent over 75% of the deaths in fires ignited by candles, matches and lighters and incurred over 1/3 of the injuries from the fires.
• The ignition source for 78% of the deaths to victims younger than age 5 was candles, matches or lighters.
• The same ignition sources, listed above, were responsible for two-thirds of the deaths among 5 to 14 years old.
• Mattress or bedding ignition due to smoking materials was the most common cause of death among victims 15 years of age and older.

Flammable Mattress Facts

• It is estimated that an open flame standard designed to reduce heat release and prevent ignition of polyurethane foam could reduce the number of victims of all ages by as many as 300 deaths and 1,460 injuries each year.
• An open flame standard could reduce as many as 60 deaths and 130 injuries to children younger than five years of age.
• On average, 28,000 mattress fires occur annually, killing 571 people, injuring 3,000 and causing $334 million in property damage. (The U.S. Home Product Report, 1998, NFPA)