At a glance
| Chemical family | A tertiary-amine catalyst — an industrial reactive compound used to manufacture polyurethane foam |
| CAS number | 3033-62-3 (formula C₈H₂₀N₂O) |
| Classification | Not a carcinogen (OSHA database: carcinogenic classification not listed). A potent irritant with very low occupational limits — ACGIH TLV 0.05 ppm with a skin notation |
| Where you encounter it | As a blowing catalyst in flexible polyurethane foam manufacture (e.g. Niax A-1); a processing aid, not a deliberate finished-product ingredient |
| Sleep micro-environment relevance | Mostly consumed during the foaming reaction; the open question is trace residual amine emission from new foam — far below the occupational levels behind the hazard numbers |
| Activated carbon capture | Amines are reasonably well-adsorbed; airing and ventilating new foam is the main practical lever |
What it is
BDMAEE is a tertiary amine — a small, volatile molecule whose job is to make a chemical reaction go faster. In polyurethane foam, two reactions compete: the gelling reaction that builds the polymer, and the blowing reaction in which water reacts with isocyanate to release carbon dioxide and inflate the foam. BDMAEE is a strongly selective blowing catalyst — by industry's own description one of the most active urethane-foam amine catalysts known, and the active ingredient (around 70%) in classic products such as Niax Catalyst A-1. Industry — Momentive Niax A-1 TDS Without a catalyst like it, the liquid mix would not rise into foam properly.
As a raw chemical it deserves respect. A 1997 acute-toxicity study found severe skin injury — erythema, oedema, ulceration, and necrosis in most rabbits after only a three-minute contact — along with severe eye injury and a six-hour inhalation LC50 of 166 ppm in rats, with signs of respiratory and eye irritation. Peer-reviewed — Ballantyne 1997, Vet. Hum. Toxicol. Occupational limits reflect that potency: the ACGIH threshold limit value is just 0.05 ppm with a skin notation. Regulatory — OSHA Occupational Chemical Database What it is not is a carcinogen — the OSHA database lists its carcinogenic classification as not listed. Regulatory — OSHA
How it relates to the bedroom
A catalyst in the foam recipe
BDMAEE's place in the Atlas is the same as TEDA/DABCO's: it is one of the amine catalysts that turn a liquid mix into the foam in a mattress. Industry — Momentive It is dosed in small amounts and is meant to do its work during manufacture, not to remain in the product. That framing matters, because the chemical's headline hazards belong to the factory, where workers handle the neat catalyst, far more than to the bedroom, where the catalyst has mostly already reacted.
Residual emissions and the amine note
Tertiary-amine catalysts are volatile, and not every molecule is consumed in the reaction. The leftover can be released slowly from fresh foam, contributing to the faint amine character some people notice in a brand-new product. Inferred — from BDMAEE's volatility and the known emission behaviour of amine foam catalysts This residual-emission problem is precisely why the foam industry developed lower-emission and reactive (built-in) catalysts that chemically anchor into the polymer so they cannot off-gas. Inferred — the rationale behind reactive-catalyst development How much BDMAEE actually reaches the air of a bedroom from a finished consumer mattress has not, to our knowledge, been quantified — that is an open measurement, not an established exposure.
Reading the hazard numbers honestly
This is the page's real lesson. The severe-injury findings and the 0.05 ppm air limit describe the concentrated industrial liquid being handled, splashed, or breathed in a manufacturing setting. Peer-reviewed — Ballantyne 1997 Regulatory — OSHA They are worker-protection numbers. They do not describe sleeping on cured foam, where any residual amine is present at a tiny fraction of those levels. Stating the hazard plainly and then placing it in the right context — occupational, not consumer — is the honest move. Inferred — calibrating neat-chemical hazard to finished-product exposure
What the research says
- The raw chemical is a potent irritant. Severe skin and eye injury; inhalation LC50 166 ppm in rats. Peer-reviewed — Ballantyne 1997
- Occupational limits are very low; it is not a carcinogen. ACGIH TLV 0.05 ppm with skin notation; carcinogenicity not listed. Regulatory — OSHA
- It is a high-activity foam blowing catalyst. The active ingredient in Niax A-1 and similar products. Industry — Momentive
- Residual emission from finished foam is plausible but unquantified. Inferred
What helps reduce it
Air out new foam. Unwrap and ventilate a new foam product in a well-aired space before sleeping on it, and keep the room ventilated for the first days to weeks — the standard remedy for any new-foam amine note.
Favour low-emission foam. Foams made with reactive or lower-emission catalysts leave less residual amine to release; certification programs that test finished-foam emissions address this at the source. Inferred — reactive catalysts anchor the amine into the polymer
Ventilate. Fresh-air exchange clears residual amines along with the rest of the new-foam VOC mix.
What does NOT help
- Reading occupational numbers as bedroom exposures. The LC50 and the 0.05 ppm limit are factory-handling figures; treating them as what you breathe in bed badly overstates the consumer picture. Inferred
- Worrying about cancer here. BDMAEE is not classified as a carcinogen; the real attribute is irritancy of the raw chemical. Regulatory — OSHA
Open research questions
- How much residual BDMAEE is actually emitted from a finished consumer mattress, and over what timescale. Speculation
- The relative contribution of BDMAEE versus other tertiary-amine catalysts to the amine character of new-foam odour. Speculation
Citations
- Ballantyne B (1997). The acute toxicity and irritancy of bis[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]ether. Veterinary and Human Toxicology, 39(5):290–295. PMID 9311086 Peer-reviewed
- U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl) ether — Occupational Chemical Database (CAS 3033-62-3). ACGIH TLV-TWA 0.05 ppm, STEL 0.15 ppm, skin notation; Cal/OSHA PEL-TWA 0.05 ppm; carcinogenic classification not listed. osha.gov Regulatory
- Momentive. Niax Catalyst A-1 — Technical Data Sheet for a high-activity flexible-foam blowing catalyst containing approximately 70% bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl) ether. momentive.com Industry
Frequently asked questions
What is BDMAEE used for?
BDMAEE — bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl) ether — is a tertiary-amine catalyst, one of the most active known for making polyurethane foam. It accelerates the water–isocyanate reaction that generates the gas which makes foam rise, so it is sometimes called a blowing catalyst (it is the active ingredient in products such as Niax A-1). It is a manufacturing aid: most of it is consumed or bound during the foaming reaction rather than remaining as a finished-product ingredient.
Is BDMAEE dangerous in my mattress?
The dramatic toxicity figures for BDMAEE describe the neat industrial chemical handled in a foam plant — severe skin and eye injury, and a low occupational air limit. Those are worker-protection numbers, not a description of sleeping on cured foam. In a finished mattress most of the catalyst has already reacted, and only trace residual amine can be emitted, at levels far below occupational limits. It is worth airing out new foam, but the alarming raw-chemical hazard does not transfer to the consumer product.
Is BDMAEE a carcinogen?
No. The U.S. OSHA Occupational Chemical Database lists its carcinogenic classification as "not listed," and it does not carry an IARC cancer classification. The genuine concern with BDMAEE is irritation and acute toxicity of the raw chemical, reflected in its very low occupational exposure limit (an ACGIH TLV of 0.05 ppm with a skin notation), not cancer.
How do I reduce BDMAEE from new foam?
The same simple steps that handle any new-foam amine note: unwrap and air out new foam products in a well-ventilated space before sleeping on them, and keep the bedroom ventilated for the first days to weeks. Because residual amine catalysts are part of why the foam industry developed low-emission and reactive (built-in) catalysts, choosing low-emission or independently emission-tested foam also reduces the residue at the source.
Related compounds
Embr is a sleep environment company researching and addressing the chemistry of the bedroom. Research and product development in progress.
Last reviewed 2026-06-27. If you find a factual error, contact us.