LAYTON, Utah — A Layton family has been forced out of their home after discovering widespread fiberglass contamination from their children's mattress, leaving them with mounting expenses and health concerns. It’s been four days and counting of paying for a hotel room, cleaning supplies, protective gear, new items, and lost wages.
Amie Putnam said the problem began when they unzipped and washed the cover that came with a mattress in her sons' room, unknowingly releasing tiny fiberglass particles throughout their home.
"Fiberglass, if it’s not touche,d sits by itself, but when it’s exposed like that and it’s all over furnishings and toys and you’re moving, trying to clean, it just kind of gets in the air,” explained Putnam. “I started getting like really itchy eyes, and I got some embedded in my fingers.”
The family has temporarily relocated to a hotel while they attempt to clean their home and dispose of contaminated items. Making matters worse, their renters' insurance won't cover the expenses.
"Our renters' policy has an exclusion for hazardous particulate matter,” explained Putnam. “And this falls under that, so I was devastated."
Fiberglass is sometimes used in mattresses as a fire retardant, but Putnam had no idea it was present in their mattress or that it could be released in this manner.
"We have a houseful of microscopic fiberglass and no insurance coverage, and four children, two of whom have asthma, I have asthma, and we didn’t know what to do,” added Putnam. “I don’t know that I’ve ever felt that powerless.”
She and her husband, Aaron, spent Tuesday evening wearing protective gear, clearing items from their home, and trying to salvage what they could. The family is now faced with the difficult task of cleaning their home while replacing many contaminated items. They also have to accept that items with sentimental value, like their stuffed animals, might have to end up in the trash, too.
She hopes more people are aware that this can happen, and that things get better soon.
"We're together and I’m very thankful for that. There’s way worse things that could be happening to people, so it’s doable, it’s just ridiculously overwhelming,” added Putnam.
There's a GoFundMe page to help the Putnam family get back on their feet. It can be found HERE.
