It is true that a mattress is just a necessity that we don’t think about very often, but if something goes wrong with it out of the blue, then it hits us, and that’s the thing that happened with a lot of people out there, mainly those who were using Zinus mattresses. Actually, this Zinus Class Action Lawsuit is a big one because the inconvenience was faced by many, so let’s just get to the details and see what really went wrong.
Who Is Zinus And What Mattresses Do They Sell?
Zinus is a mattress brand that offers very affordable memory foam mattresses, you know, primarily through online channels. It’s quite likely that you came across their assortment of products on Amazon or maybe even at an actual aka physical store such as Walmart.
A large majority of Zinus mattresses are marketed as compressed “bed-in-a-box” which means the mattress is rolled tightly and sealed in a box, hence it’s more compact and cheaper for transportation purposes.
The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress is one of their signature products. It was a best-selling mattress on Amazon and has a whopping 130,000+ customer reviews with an average rating of about 4.4 stars. Besides that, it’s the attending price is quite less in comparison to many competitors. For instance, a queen-size mattress has usually been available for approximately $300.
Due to their affordable pricing and easy shipping, Zinus mattresses gained huge popularity throughout the United States.
What Is A “Bed-In-A-Box” Mattress?
You could say that a mattress that comes in a box is exactly what the name implies. The mattress is squished, rolled up very tightly, and then packed in a box.
After opening the box at your home the mattress will slowly regain its original size over a period of several hours.
There are usually several layers inside these mattresses. Most of them have foam comfort layers, a fabric cover on the outside, and a fire-resistant barrier which is there to slow down the spread of flames if there is a fire.
Why Do Mattresses Contain Fiberglass?
US mattress manufacturers have to comply with fire safety standards issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These regulations are aimed at lowering the chances of house fires spreading rapidly.
Sadly, residential fires continue to take place quite frequently and result in thousands of injuries and fatalities each year. Since mattresses and bedding can catch fire effortlessly, they are mandated to contain fire retardant substances that resist ignition and stabilize flame propagation.
That is why sometimes fiberglass is used.
Fiberglass consists of glass fibers derived from the melting of glass and sand. It can withstand very high temperatures without being damaged and is capable of helping to reduce the speed at which the flames spread. Some mattress manufacturers decide to use fiberglass sheets as fire barriers since they are relatively cheap and efficient in terms of fire prevention.
When Did The Lawsuits Start?
It was not until about 2020 that the problem started becoming a matter of public discussion.
Amanda Chandler & Robert Durham attracted a lot of attention by one of their cases. Chandler bought a Zinus mattress through Walmart in the summer of 2019 with the intention of giving it to her kid. She took off the mattress cover to be able to wash it on January 20, 2020.
Afterwards, the family noticed changes in their health and environment. Their skins got itchy and red, and they found some little fibers in their house. The complaint paper states that the fibers became infiltrated in clothes, carpets, furniture, and electronic devices.
In March 2020, the suit was brought up in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, alleging the mattress emitted fiberglass into their home.
Soon after that, in the same year, the complaint got amended and a few retailers were taken out of the case. Nevertheless, the allegations against Zinus were sustained.
