Coconut mattresses - another scam

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

A huge number of children's mattresses in Russia today are produced using the so-called "coconut" (other names are "coconut fiber", "coir", or coir). Sellers of "coconut mattresses" convince customers that they are offered "completely natural and safe products."

But this is cheating … Perhaps the most cynical and brazen of all marketing cheats, because it is about the health and safety of babies.

Unfortunately, the one who most of all wants to gain confidence in safety and … And puts his baby on the "rubber" for several years!.. The civilized world, in contrast from third world countries, has long abandoned such "environmental friendliness". And "coconut" goes to Russia in tons …

The trick is pretty simple: coconut fiber is actually relatively safe. They really are of plant origin. Furniture specialists really call "coconut" - "wool", "grass", "hay". Indeed, coconut is a fiber from the intercarp of coconut palm nuts, lignified vascular bundles 15-33 cm long, 0.05-0.3 mm thick. All this is really so.

However, for the production of a coconut plate for a children's mattress, not the coconut itself is used in its pure form, but a "synthetic mixture": fibers held together by a latex emulsion (otherwise, they simply do not join - it is important to somehow and somehow hold them together).

The proportion of such bonding in "natural" coconut filler is (!!!) 50-60% and more (information about this can be found in open sources and even on the websites of manufacturers and suppliers of such "a la natural surrogate").

Here is a short video of the coconut coir production process from one of the manufacturers:

But the point is that Recently, natural latex has been replaced by synthetic latex (according to the resource, it is almost impossible to find natural latex in products.

As we saw in the video, synthetic latexes adhere to coconut fiber in the form of dispersion particles. That is why children's mattresses have a persistent, indestructible smell of "rubber". There is no need to conduct laboratory experiments to verify this. It is enough just to smell a children's mattress in the store - the smell of a car tire will simply debunk the myth of naturalness.

Moreover, if manufacturers promise you natural latex (i.e., with a rubber content of over 60%) in a mattress at a higher price - most likely, this is just an advertising gimmick.

Coconut fillers may or may not be latex-sealed. There are, for example, needle-stitched mats. But, alas, they often disappoint users with their quality. Here is what the sellers of mattresses write about such coconut: “Some manufacturers, trying to reduce the cost of goods, save on latex and stuff mattresses with pressed coconut fiber. What is the difference? Unlike latex coconut filling, needle-punched coir is not as resistant to stress. With constant mechanical stress, the needle-punched coir crumbles strongly, the fiber particles disintegrate, turning into dust. As a result of this irreversible process, such a coconut mattress “sags” and it becomes extremely harmful to sleep on it”….

"Coconut" - exfoliates, its fibers break and crumble. Moreover, the crumbled fractions can be extremely small (dusty), which poses a huge threat to allergy sufferers.

Paradoxically, millions of children are now sleeping on "natural deception."Is this why so many skin and bone diseases have been observed in newborns (under the age of 3 years) in recent years?

Here's an example of an ad for an infant mattress:

An example is the Dreamline company, whose website is very active in selling coconut mattresses. As in any business, reviews on the Dreamline website pages are, of course, left by the employees themselves. One of our readers had the imprudence to order Dreamline mattresses. After opening the sealed bag in which the mattress was packed, a pungent smell of chemical production hit the nose. This smell has not disappeared in a week! And after the demand to replace the mattress, Dreamline did it for extra money, although it confessed to marriage, allegedly because the mattress smelled of glue. It's no wonder that negative reviews for Dreamline mattresses are simply absent on their website.

Allergy to latex is, alas, a reality. The ability of latex to cause allergies has been known for a long time. Back in 1927, Stern described a reaction to latex that is characteristic of allergies. But only in recent decades this problem has become especially urgent, due to a sharp increase in the number of people with allergic reactions caused by hypersensitivity (sensitization) to latex, as well as an increase in the use of latex products. Children's mattresses with coconut soaked in latex are no exception. Latex proteins (proteins) in infrequent cases (hereditary predisposition + sensitization) can cause allergies, which usually manifests itself in the form of rashes on the skin in the place of contact with latex (and further), difficulty breathing + drop in blood pressure (anaphylactic shock), irritation of the nasal passages, in rare cases, it can even be fatal. An effective way to treat latex allergies is to avoid contact with the provoking allergen. If a person has an allergy, then he should try to avoid contact with any products containing latex. Instead, medical and household personal protective equipment is used, consisting of synthetic elastic substances: isoprene, neoprene, nitrile, etc.

The myth about the minimal hygroscopicity of "coconut" also raises huge doubts. Despite the fact that plant coconut fibers are processed mainly with artificial latex ("rubberized", as experts conventionally define), such fillers are not only hygroscopic, but also strongly absorb moisture (they simply swell, because they consist of plant fibers, and, accordingly, exfoliate), which, if it is impossible to dry or ventilate, creates the prerequisites for quick caking, and for the formation of mold, product decay, and the spread of "fungus". By the way, the high hygroscopicity of "coconut" is actively used by agricultural producers, they note the high water-holding capacity of "coconut". Alas, this property is NOT VERY beneficial for the same mattresses.

At the same time, leading mattress manufacturers that care about their reputation still refuse to use coconut coir: here is a quote from one of the manufacturers:

“Do you have coconut mattresses for sale?

- Not. The world's leading producers have long abandoned coconut for two reasons. Firstly, coconut causes severe allergies. If you take a sample of coconut coir in your hands and rub its fibers with your fingers, you will see how easily they crumble, and during the operation of the mattress, all these particles break down into smaller particles and turn into dust, which easily gets into your lungs, settles there, causing discomfort and various diseases. In addition, coconut is a beneficial habitat for dust mites, whose waste products also cause allergies. Secondly, the reason why coconut has not been used for the production of orthopedic mattresses for more than 15 years is its weak orthopedic properties. As a rule, coconut coir is a rather stiff material and if you put it on independent springs, it will not allow the springs to adapt to your body. It's like putting a board on the springs and trying to sleep on this structure."

And here is a quote from another manufacturer, Ascona:

… One of the most popular materials used in mattresses in Russia is coconut fiber. It is made from grated coconut shells. But remember that coconut fiber on children's mattresses must not belatexed. A "synthetic blend" is used to hold the coconut fibers together, not natural latex. Gloves, balls, etc. are made of approximately the same latex. There is no more naturalness in such a mattress. Also in latex coconut formaldehyde detectedharmful to the body of your kids. Therefore, in Europe and the United States, most manufacturers of children's mattresses, including due to strict laws, abandoned the use of coconut in children's mattresses.

Summarize.

Coconut fillers are quite expensive and have many alternatives on the market. But the myth of the naturalness of coconut continues to be actively cultivated. Sellers deliberately keep repeating to buyers: "Naturally … Safe … Environmentally friendly …". Obviously, someone is actively lobbying this topic, trying to keep the market, guided solely by the principle of profit and not paying attention to what harm on a national scale this can lead to entire generations who grew up and grow up on "rubber". Unfortunately, this is just an episode from the life of modern civilization, which has departed from nature as far as possible. A similar situation, but in the food industry, we have already examined in the video Palm oil is an ubiquitous poison disguised as food.