Earlier this year, Toxin Free USA filed a consumer protection lawsuit in Washington DC against Nook Sleep Systems. Read our press release HERE.
Nook was a manufacturer and seller of mattresses for children, including infant crib mattresses, both in stores and online. Nook marketed these products as “pure,” “organic,” “natural,” “non-toxic,” and “safe.” Nook also used third-party certifications to market itself as a sustainable company.
In reality, Nook’s mattresses contain toxic synthetic chemicals that are not natural or safe for humans or the environment.
As a consumer watchdog with a goal of eliminating false advertising and promoting transparency in the marketplace, we sent the mattresses to an accredited lab for testing. The lab found high levels of fluorine, an indicator of PFAS forever chemicals. Further testing found two specific PFAS chemicals, 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA).
PFAS are a class of synthetic chemicals that are used in household products, including bedding and other textiles, for stain and water resistance. PFAS are known to be toxic to humans, even at ultra low levels. The chemicals bioaccumulate in the human body and are linked to a long list of nasty health harms including testicular and other cancers, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, liver damage, high blood pressure, obesity, hormone disruption, decreased immunity, decreased fertility, and birth defects and harmful developmental effects in infants. And they don’t break down in the environment, causing widespread pollution. (If you aren’t up to speed on PFAS, check out our PFAS education page HERE.)
Some of our supporters reached out to us after learning of our lawsuit, alarmed because they had purchased mattresses from Nook. We have an update.
Many times, our consumer protection lawsuits are successful. We are able to put a stop to false advertising claims that trick consumers into buying products that aren’t what they’re advertised as. Unfortunately, this is not one of those times.
Our legal counsel informed us that Nook recently filed for bankruptcy. The company will be liquidated and proceeds distributed among its creditors. At this stage our lawsuit will be dropped and from our understanding, customers who have purchased products from Nook have no legal recourse.
As part of the liquidation process, the remaining inventory of mattresses and other products are being sold on Amazon and potentially by other retailers. Sadly, there are no warnings about the PFAS, and legally, apart from a warning posted as a mattress review, we can’t change that.
If you purchased a Nook crib or youth mattress, we’re very sorry that more cannot be done. If you’re shopping for a non-toxic crib or youth mattress, DO NOT BUY NOOK. Do not buy any Nook-branded bedding products. The safest bedding is dual certified by both GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and MadeSafe.
Please pass this warning on to everyone you know who has an interest in non-toxic mattresses for babies or children.
If you see any other retailers selling Nook products, ask them to remove those products from their stores. Point them to our blog and our press release.
Babies are our future. We are currently doing a further investigation and testing of another organic crib mattress and will let you know if there are any concerns.
As always, thank you for your support!
Diana Reeves,
Executive Director
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