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Report Summary
A 28 YOF Consumer reported that when they opened mattress cover, glass fibers have spread & covered her & her 35 YOM fiancé. They both suffered painful itching & asthma-related symptoms. Consumer had throat & neck swelling. She received medical treatment.
Product Details
- Product Description: Zinus Memory Foam 10 Inch Green Tea Mattress, King Size
- Manufacturer/Importer/Private Labeler Name: ZINUS INC
- Brand Name: Zinus
- Model Name or Number: <AZ-FMS-10>
- Serial Number:
- UPC Code:
- SKU#:
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Date Manufactured:
4/29/2016
- Retailer: Amazon.com
- Retailer State:
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Purchase Date:
9/28/2016
- Product Category: Furniture, Furnishings & Decorations
- Product Type: Bedroom, Bedding & Bath
- Product Code: Nonbaby Mattresses (4009)
Incident Details
- Incident Description: On September 28, 2016, my fiancé and I purchased the Zinus Memory Foam 10 Inch Green Tea Mattress (via Amazon). A few nights ago, while changing our sheets and mattress protector, we noticed the large (easily accessible) zipper on the bottom of the mattress. Doubtful that the zipper was merely for aesthetic purposes, we decided to unzip and remove this cover to more easily reach the area we wanted to spot clean. The tag's Care Instructions refer to both an "outer cover" and a "cover," and also states, "do not put foam in washer or dryer" (not sure how one fits an entire mattress inside a washer or dryer). In light of the above ambiguities, I interpreted "do not remove cover" to mean "do not remove the fire retardant mesh cover" (as that would presumably make the mattress flammable). Therefore, my fiance and I proceeded to unzip and remove the knitted cover. ]
Little did we know that doing so would reveal a defective fiberglass mesh covering. We immediately put the cover back on. Nevertheless, fiberglass particles had already spread throughout our room; floors, walls, furniture, clothing and our skin were all covered in it. Despite showering and our best cleaning efforts, we've been extremely uncomfortable for days - in addition to the painful itching and asthma-related symptoms, my throat has become alarmingly irritated.
Moreover, upon removal of the outer cover, we noticed multiple areas where the mattress’ protective mesh (fiberglass) was breached/had worn off. We have no way of knowing precisely when or how this could have happened, or whether it was simply delivered in this condition. What I do know is that (1) I’ve been sleeping directly above these areas for the last 10-12 months, and (2) I've had to undergo multiple medical exams over the past 10-12 months for unexplained throat and neck swelling and irritation. I intend on scheduling an appointment with my ENT as soon as I can.
How and to what extent this defective fiberglass material has affected our health is not yet clear.
The fiberglass particles are seemingly impossible to get rid of -- they continue to spread through our A/C and washer/dryer use.
I've been attempting to contact Zinus since September 6th, to no avail. I've called and emailed customer support (no response to my email or voicemail). I've also attempted to reach them through their online chat feature (no response).
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Incident Date:
10/17/2016
- Incident Location: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Victims Involved
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- Injury Information: Injury - Seen by Medical Professional
- My Relationship to the Victim: Self
- Sex: Female
- Victim's Age When Incident Occurred: 28 years
Comments from the Manufacturer/Private Labeler
- General Comment Re: Report No 20170913-7FE84-2147397459.
Thank you for the report regarding the Zinus Memory Foam 10 Inch Green Tea Mattress. Zinus takes reports of potential product safety issues seriously and is investigating the matter.
In this case, the consumer reported that a memory foam mattress purchased on 9/28/2016 caused fiberglass to be spread throughout the consumer’s bedroom, furniture and clothing. The consumer attempted to “spot-cleaned” a small amount of paint that had spilled on the mattress a few weeks after purchase. Then in September 2017, the consumer decided to clean the mattress again by removing and laundering the mattress cover. Removing the mattress cover exposed the fiberglass mesh that surrounds the foam. The fiberglass then spread to the consumer’s skin, clothes and bedroom, causing itchy cuts and allegedly asthma-related symptoms.
The report characterizes the fiberglass mesh as being “defective.” However, the fiberglass is neither defective nor hazardous. Zinus manufactures bedding products that meet mandatory federal and state regulations, including the Federal mattress flammability regulations (16 CFR 1633) and the California open flame ignition resistance regulations (California Technical Bulletin 117). Fiberglass is contained in the inner fire retardant (FR) barrier around the foam, as a qualified high-loft barrier in compliance with 16 CFR 1633. The fiberglass used as an FR barrier does not pose a risk of inhalation because it is “continuous filament” fiberglass and is not considered hazardous. (16 CFR 1633, Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 50, Section H3(c), p. 13479) However, some of the continuous filaments may have been broken at the location of the consumer’s spot cleaning. The fiberglass fire barrier is the healthier alternative to fabrics treated with fire retardant chemicals, such as brominated retardants, chlorinated tris, antimony or boric acid.
The incident report simply describes the consequences of the consumer’s misuse of the mattress. The fiberglass in the fire retardant barrier cannot cause itching or asthma-related symptoms if it is not disrupted by removal of the mattress cover. As the incident report admits, the care instructions on the mattress state: “To Clean Mattress Outer Cover . . . DO NOT REMOVE COVER”. To prevent the consumer from opening the zipper, the location of the slider body at the end of the closed zipper has been sewn over, as is apparent in the image of the mattress cover attached by the consumer. In addition, Zinus removed the zipper pull tab as an added deterrence to opening the zipper and removing the cover. Fiberglass will not be a safety issue if the care instructions are followed and the mattress cover is not removed, as warned against on the product labeling.
Additional Details
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Submitter has product?:
Yes
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Product was damaged before incident?:
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Product was modified before incident?:
No
- If yes to any, explanation: Still have the mattress - manufacturer has not responded to my messages
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Have you contacted the manufacturer?:
Yes
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If Not, Do you plan to?:
- Report Number: 20170913-7FE84-2147397459
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Report Date:
9/15/2017
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Sent to Manufacturer/Importer/Private Labeler:
9/22/2017
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Report First Publication Date:
10/6/2017
- Category of Submitter: Consumer
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