safety and health
Volatile compounds are complex chemical mixtures normally present in all the materials used to manufacture finished products.
The list of the chemicals in the materials is a long one, the best-known elements being: aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons benzene and derivatives), chlorinated hydrocarbons (chloroform, chlorobenzene), alcohol (ethanol, butanol) and formaldehyde.
Everything in our homes (paints, floors, furniture, carpets, insulation and building materials, mastic, shutters and frames, upholstery, fabrics etc) comprises volatile substances which over time are released and easily evaporate at room temperature.
Several countries – not yet Italy – are required to affix to all marketed products a label identifying the level of emission of said volatile compounds. Exposure to products with a high emission of volatile substances can cause severe damage to your health – both acute and chronic – such as headache, eye/nose/throat irritation, damage to kidneys, liver and nervous system, and even much more severe pathologies.
Strict laboratory tests as specified in UNI EN ISO 16000-9 need to be performed in order to determine the emission level of each product.
The product is positioned in a temperature- and humidity-controlled test chamber for 28 days. Subsequently any output air is analysed. The analysis makes it possible to classify the product according to emissions as A+, A, B, C.
When you purchase a new mattress, for the sake of your own health you should always rule out manufacturers that do not perform any tests aimed to determine the emission level of volatile substances and instead opt for Class A+ products. Lordflex’s has had its main catalogue products certified and has achieved the best classification possible.
