Memory foam bedding is made from the material polyurethane plus other materials that can add up to its viscosity and density.
Other common names of this product would be:
1. Visco Elastic Polyurethane Foam
2. Low Resilience Polyurethane Foam
The product provides great comfort and support to the user because it is able to mold the exact body when being pressed and becomes softer as it feels the heat from the person's body.
Common Characteristics of a Memory foam bedding:
• Denser compared to traditional mattresses.
• Gives superior comfort
• Heavier
• Can vary from hard to soft firmness
Hazard Information
This type of product normally has a strong smell especially when the mattress is new. The smell is unpleasant, which is the common problem you may encounter with this kind of mattress. It somehow smells like newly painted walls. However, in time, the unpleasant smell wears off. But not everybody is okay with the waiting time. Some people also claim that this unpleasant smell can be very harmful especially to your respiratory system. But one good thing about this mattress is - attacking of mildew and the annoying dust mites will not be a problem.
Also, the common material of Memory foam bedding - polyurethane is prone to fire. It is extremely combustible. Due to this reason, the US Federal Law imposed rules to mattress manufacturers to make sure that each mattress is resistant to any kind of flame. This rule or policy was imposed on 2010 and manufacturers started to comply.
Another issue that is related to this kind of mattress is the use of this product for children. Even if this kind of mattress is supportive to the adult's back and joints because of the technology it has, it is not suitable for growing kids. The kids especially infants lying on this kind of bed may suffer from suffocation because the mattress is too fitting to the body's form which is also not suitable for growing bones. Aside from that, the chemical smell of this mattress can also harm the children's health especially infants who are just in the stage of developing their body system. This will be very hard for them to take especially if the smell is too strong to the nose. Allergies may also happen that is caused by the irritating smell.
The best age group recommended to use the memory foam bedding would be early teens to adult.