Mattress Forum

However, as soon as the bed came into the house in late October I started getting sick.  By early November, I got a cold/sinus infection that lasted nearly 2 months.  My doctor thought the problem could be mold, and after checking that out thoroughly with numerous medical expenses, I gave away porous possessions, threw out papers and books, etc. and started to improve.  But every morning I awakened with a sinus headache and congestion.  I wasn't willing to throw out the bed, as my house had never had a major mold problem (just a few spots in the basement) and the bed was new.  So we did the following experiment.  

After determining that I could sleep without symptoms on some 1970's  foam cushions on the kitchen floor, last night we took the latex pads out of the cover and put them on the kitchen floor underneath a clean cotton sleep.  I woke up significantly worse than I've ever been.  

My husband, who is not chemically sensitive, said that the latex foam had a strong odor when he took it out on the porch to air it in the sun.  

So, if natrual rubber latex is supposed to be

• hypoallergenic
• free of outgassing
• and this bed is now nearly 8 months old

what am I reacting to? 

Any way I could find out whether it is some kind of preservative or chemical used in the processing, or some contaminant from storage in the warehouse?

Just in case I developed a latex allergy from continuous exposure for the last 8 months, I was retested today with RAST for IgG and IgM reactions to latex.

Meanwhile, is there any market for a very clean, slightly used natural rubber latex bed and if so, how would I find it?  Or do you think I could make a case for returning the bed?

JanisB