Does Latex “Outgass”?
The manufacture of latex rubber requires the application of heat as a necessary step, just as does the manufacture of all poly foam. Here is the difference between the two.
Heat for the processing of poly foam is done with “chemicals” that cause the poly foam to heat up internally. When the expanded “bun” of poly foam is placed in an open area to complete its curing there will be some outgasing while it cools down from the inside of the bun.
In the manufacture of all “latex”, be it blended or natural, no chemicals are used to create the heat needed to formulate and expand the latex. The heat is applied by actually heating up the pincore prongs that entend into the mold containing the liquid latex. The prongs entend from the top of mold and the bottom of mold and are heated by external thermal methods. The latex mattress cores are then washed and allowed to cure as they reach normal room temperature. The fact that a portion of synthetic liquid latex was blended in with the natural latex in no way produces harmful outgasing. The natural and synthetic latex is inert.
Outgasing is a function of applying heat to a substance just before it ignites into flames. Outgasing does not occur until the item in question is heated to the point well above normal temperatures. Wood, metal, foam, cloth, all begin to outgas just before burning but each with a different threshold. You would have to apply several hundred of degrees of heat for latex to begin to outgas. When you reach that level you have a lot more to worry about than the mythical outgasing problem.
Outgasinging in the manufacture of blended latex and natural latex, is simply a myth put forth by uninformed individuals in an effort to sell latex that is 100% natural but manufactured by the less expensive “dunlop or standard” process. In many cases these sellers have only one supplier or don’t have access to the manufacturers of talalay latex.