Share this on

Rise in asthma, allergies prompts new mattress line

Spring Air line also helps allergy sufferers

David Perry -- Furniture Today, January 23, 2012

BOSTON - Spring Air's new Back Supporter Breathe line, certified as being "asthma and allergy friendly," can help the more than 70 million Americans with asthma or allergy problems get a better night of sleep, officials said.
     Executives with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America said the development of the Breathe line is a "major leap forward" in the fight against asthma and allergies, offering solutions for the mattress that have not been addressed until now.
     AAFA says that more than 50 million Americans live with allergies and more than 22 million have asthma. Numbers like those make allergies and asthma among the most common and costly health conditions in the country.
     "Unfortunately, allergic diseases aren't rare anymore, they're mainstream," said Mike Tringale, AAFA's vice president of external affairs. "And the numbers are rising. More and more families, schools and workplaces are dealing with the allergy epidemic."
     Reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a substantial increase in the number of new asthma cases among children.
     Americans spend nearly 80% of their time indoors, where the air can be five times more polluted than outdoor air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
     Health experts have identified a direct link between indoor allergens and irritants and the severity of asthma and allergy symptoms. Triggers like dust mites, volatile organic compounds and pet dander are typically found in every room in the home. That's why allergen avoidance and reduction products - known as "environmental control" products - are important, experts say.
     "In the home, the bedroom is ground zero for dust mites," Tringale said, "and the mattress is ground zero in the bedroom."
     While allergen reduction has been offered in products like mattress encasements, pillows and sheets, he said, solutions for the mattress, until now, have not been offered.
     "That's why we're so pleased that Spring Air has taken this major leap forward," he said.
     Spring Air President Rick Robinson said the new Breathe line can help many people sleep better.
     "Breathe beds are not medical products in the conventional sense because everyone - even people without asthma and allergy issues - can benefit from a healthier sleep environment," he said. "And while Breathe mattresses are extremely comfortable, we don't define them by feel or specification. Their performance is determined by the type, placement and quality - not quantity - of raw materials in each of the beds."
     The asthma and allergy friendly certification program includes a new certification standard for mattresses. That standard looks at several issues:
► Raw materials. It ensures that they do not contain chemicals or allergenic material above minimal levels.
► Construction. It ensures that the outer layer is an effective allergen barrier.
► Allergen accumulation. The standard addresses the rate at which dust mites accumulate and the ease of removal of any allergens that accumulate over time.
► Product quality, durability, comfort and performance.
     The certification program is a joint program of AAFA and Allergy Standards Limited, a Dublin, Ireland-based international, physician-led research and certification organization that develops laboratory standards and protocols for a variety of environmental control products.
     Robinson said the benefits of the Breathe mattresses cannot be duplicated by simply using a mattress cover or protector.
     "Most mattress covers only ‘mask' potential problems and don't assure that the bed's internal components are free of harmful VOCs or other key allergen triggers," he said.

Share this on

New Spring Air mattresses certified as asthma, allergy friendly

Jan 23, 2012

Asthma-friendly bedding

Jan 27, 2012

Also by this author

Also by David Perry

Featured Company

Wright Labels

Bill and Tom Wright founded Wright of Thomasville in 1961 on the idea that printing was a creative medium and the belief that "a promise made is a promise kept." The Wright brothers focused their attention on providing exceptional printing for the... more