Mattress Forum

This link is specifically talking about the chemicals used in processing latex gloves, not natural latex foam rubber (although there are some similarities), but the % of people that potentially can be affected should be a whole order of magnitude lower.  I would reference test results from companies like Eco Institut as proof enough that there are high quality natural foam rubbers that do not offgas.  

Great to hear from you, Budgy, on this point! Could you please explain a little more fully for us novices why you think the affected percentage of people would be a whole order of magnitude lower with latex mattresses than latex gloves?

Thanks!

The real natural rubber allergy is when people develop breathing problems, and potential anaphylactic conditions.  This sounds like what 'might' be happening to the OP...this is not because of chemicals in the latex, or off-gassing, this is because of the protein itself.  Not saying it isn't bad but we need to be factual about what may be causing the issue...life isn't fair :( 

"Type I (Immediate) Hypersensitivity. This is an IgE antibody mediated reaction to some of the protein antigen inherent in the latex. These reactions typically cause urticaria, angioedema, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, bronchospasm, asthma and, rarely, anaphylaxis. Affected persons must eliminate latex exposure altogether.(6) Although the amount of exposure needed to cause sensitization or symptoms is not known, exposures at even very low levels can trigger allergic reactions in some sensitized individuals. A common factor in anaphylactic episodes is exposure of mucosal tissues to latex--a situation inherent in dentistry.(7) The potential for a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction underscores the importance of recognizing Type I immediate reactions. "

On the chart this is listed as less than 1% of general population.  

The chart says 7~18% of general population can react to type IV 'sensitivities' which is caused by the chemicals used in processing gloves. Continued exposure to this overtime has the potential of leading to a real rubber allergy particularly when powdered gloves are being used as they increase sensitivity overtime.

"Type IV (Delayed) Hypersensitivity. Allergic Contact (Chemical Sensitivity) Dermatitis results from exposure to chemicals added to latex during harvesting, processing or manufacturing. Latex glove products utilize coagulants, accelerators, antioxidants, emulsifiers, stabilizers, extenders, colorants, stiffeners, biocides, fragrances, etc.(4) These chemicals can cause skin reactions similar to those caused by poison ivy. As with poison ivy, the rash usually begins 24 to 48 hours after contact, and may progress to oozing skin blisters or may spread away from the area of skin touched by the latex. This contact urticaria may represent a transitional stage in a progression between contact dermatitis and immediate hypersensitivity. Some patients initially develop delayed-type contact dermatitis, then urticaria, and finally (months to years later) systemic immediate hypersensitivity.(5) "

Thank you, though, Budgy! Your posts are always informative and you are a tremendous asset to this forum.

We are interested in the truth here, indeed!

Apparently I have heard that the powder they give off will absorb some of the protein from the gloves which is why they recommend not using powdered gloves now. Im not even sure why they are powdered to begin with and what advantage that has.  

Thanks, Budgy!
 

Here's one snippet from a study I found on pubmed.  (journal is Ann Med. 1994 Aug;26(4):297-300.)

"Because the natural rubber of the mattresses contains latex allergens, these allergens are a potential source of sensitization and could constitute a risk, at least to allergic individuals."

Then this is one post from a chemist (she says, anyway- http://www.livingreefs.com/members/tankedchemist.html) "So... I would never buy a latex bed. Why? Because you will eventually develop an allergy to latex. Here's the thing that's odd about latex-- natural or synthetic... the longer and more frequently your skin is exposed to it, the more likely you are to develop an allergy.

Now you're going to say "but my skin doesn't touch it"... doesn't matter. Like all polymers, latex does release little bits of itself in the form of gas, constantly. The difference between the memory foam polymer and latex polymer is that you can't smell the little bitty molecules released by latex-- but that does not mean they aren't there. SO, you're still exposing yourself to latex, and IME, you can still develop an allergy later." [emphasis added and I cropped out a bit]

Then, this is from Savvy's blog, from Michael Penny I believe:

"As purity testing shows, even natural latex (and ours is as natural as it gets) is about 95% percent pure rubber. To make the sap into foam, the manufacturing process requires small amounts of sulfur as the primary vulcanization agent, and zinc oxide as an accelerator. These are both natural ingredients.

The vulcanization process also requires adding minute amounts of synthetic chemicals. Which ones? Latex manufacturers still regard that information as proprietary and realistically, that probably will not change in the short term. But we can tell you that the presence of the tiny amounts of additives necessary to turn raw sap into supple, comfortable foam is not something to fear. What’s “tiny”? Their volume is referenced in micrograms per cubic meter, which is like a fraction of a grain of sand. More importantly, as you can see in the test results, “volatile organic compounds” (“volatile” means unstable, which means they off-gas) are routinely tested for. Note the designation “ND” for the vast majority, which means: Not Detected.

If a manufacturer, salesperson or web site tells you that their latex production process uses zero chemicals, consider this Wikipedia article on vulcanization. As it states, if one tried to make natural latex without using an accelerator, the resulting product would be of poor quality." [emphasis added]

I hope some of this helps.  Let us know what your allergy results are.  I'm curious whether it's a chemical sensitivity or a latex allergy (for both your case and mine). 

Ironically I've visited design sleep also and had no problems in the store even though I was there about 2 hours and we opened up the beds, touched the latex, talked with it open, etc.  Could be something about their store ventilation though as someone else mentioned.  I lay on memory foam beds comfortably in the store even though it seems toxic to me at home.

Design sleep isn't 100% natural ingredients and they were upfront about this when I was there, but I doubt any of the other things they use are big enough to be a problem.  There was some polyester in the spring pockets, teflon-like coating in the side wall thread for FR, I think non-organic wool (could be wrong- think 'natural' but not organic), etc.  But I think you said you didn't feel well on just the latex slabs, so I guess the rest of the bed doesn't matter.

Thank you, CMQ - very informative and important information. Much appreciated!
 

Even in our OP's case (as well as any other I have heard of someone reacting to a natural latex bed) the reactions began basically straight away or within a few days type of thing (delayed hypersensitivity).