Mattress manufacturers here and elsewhere are expected to incur extra costs next month after stricter federal fire-safety regulations go into effect.

&#8220The No. 1 issue that consumers need to know about this new rule, going into effect on July 1, is that it will save lives, prevent injuries and minimize property damage due to mattress fires across this country,” said Scott Wolfson, spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

&#8220Those that have been made up to this point, many of them can completely flash over in a matter of minutes if they catch fire. The pictures are dramatic and stark when you compare a newly compliant mattress and one that’s not,” Wolfson said. &#8220We are going to give people more time to get out of the bedroom and get out of the house if their mattresses catch fire.”

CPSC research showed that between 1995 and 1999 there were an average of 19,400 residential fires each year, causing $273.9 million in damage and 440 deaths – and noting that mattresses were among the first things to ignite during house fires. The commission estimates the new regulations will reduce the number of deaths by 300 or more each year.

Mary Bandy, who has operated local retailer Bandy Bedding and mattress manufacturer King Koil since 1979, said that the new rules will most likely spark higher mattress prices, because manufacturers have to eat the cost of the tests and material changes required by the new regulation.

&#8220By meeting these guidelines, it has increased the cost of the mattresses,” Bandy said. &#8220This is why it will become more and more important that you buy from a reputable business.”

There may be some who try to undercut the new law with clever pitches and other gimmicks, she said, and mattresses made before July 1 of this year can still be legally sold.

Starting next month, though, King Koil and other manufacturers will have to use fire-retardant Kevlar stitching and must design mattresses to withstand open flames for at least 70 seconds.

Trent Randburger, who owns retailer Trent Bedding in Bowling Green, said the federal government stepped up fire regulations four years ago as well, and he hopes to hold prices down through low operational costs.

On the heels of the new regulations, at least one mattress maker is warning the public that chemicals used in fire-retardant mattresses are harmful to the skin. But both Randburger and Bandy that’s misleading.

&#8220It is a scare tactic. Every time the mattress industry makes a change, there are people who don’t want to comply to a certain nature,” Randburger said, adding that the federal government isn’t allowing materials that would endanger anyone to be used in mattress fibers.

The CPSC also says the chemicals used to make flame-retardant mattresses aren’t unsafe.

&#8220The CPSC has done risk analysis of some of the chemicals … and we have not deemed the application or use of those chemicals to pose a health risk to adults or children. It’s also very important for consumers to know that the standard allows for companies to find the most effective way to meet the regulation and in many cases, mattress manufacturers will not even be using flame resistant chemicals in order to make a fire-resistant mattresses,” Wolfson said. &#8220There are other means by which they can create barriers within the mattress that naturally slow down the spread of fire.”

Bandy noted that most local mattress retailers, including her own, Haverty’s, Ford Furniture and others, offer products for people with allergies to specific mattress components, like latex or wool. Randburger said Trent Bedding also offers a number of products for people with such allergies.