Scientists recommend safer furniture and mattresses
Stricter requirements for fire testing of cushions and mattresses will probably save five to ten lives a year in Norway according to SINTEF NBL.
SINTEF NBL recommends in a recent report paid for Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DSB) stricter requirements for unpolstered furniture and mattresses (read more).
A lot of the furniture we use in our sitting rooms and bed rooms are such products, and they are filled with foamed plastic to make cushions and mattresses more soft. These products release much heat and smoke in a fire.