CONSUMER WATCH
05:00 PM EDT on Monday, August 22, 2005
You and your family spend hours every night unconscious, asleep on
something the Consumer Product Safety Commission says may not be safe.
From 1980 to 1998, mattress and bedding fires killed 12,712 Americans,
10 times more than those killed by tornadoes and hurricanes combined.
During that period, mattress and bedding fires injured almost 56,000
people.
In order to reduce your risk of dying or being seriously injured due to
a mattress fire, a new law is being enacted nationwide by the CPSC this
year. It is already in effect in California.
It requires all mattresses to resist ignition from open flames. But in
order to make your mattress more resistant to fire, Mark Strobel, a
bedding manufacturer in Jeffersonville Indiana, says toxic chemicals are
required; one, boric acid, is used in rat poison.
Strobel sites test after test that point to dangers associated with
sleeping on chemically treated materials and says he feels consumers
should have a choice.
"We are putting 300 million at risk to sleeping in toxic chemicals to
save 300 from fire," he says.
Strobel says mattresses that adhere to the commission standards will
cost you about $100 more. Many of the major manufacturers have already
made the switch.
Strobel is leading a campaign to reverse the CPSC's requirements.
Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.
Also Online
View this story
People for Clean Beds
Forums, Photos & More
Browse: Visit Web sites mentioned on our newscast in our NewsLinks section.
Report: Send anonymous tips on area crime to our Crime Trackers.
Contact: E-mail our I-Team of investigative reporters.
Sound off: Make your opinion known in our online surveys.
Discuss: Debate politics and the news behind the headlines in our discussion forums.
More Consumer Watch
Today's Most Read Stories
More than 60,000 NRA members expected in Louisville, with the option of being armed.
LMPD officers under investigation in pornography scandal
Today's Most E-mailed Stories
Are granite countertops bad for your health?
Jeffersontown firefighter charged with molesting a 4-year-old relative and raping woman
The Latest: Kentucky Ford Truck Plant cutting shifts due to gas prices and economy
WHAS11 Update: Others fall victim to same home improvement scam
Don't fall victim to a home repair scam, it could cost you big






