At a glance
| Chemical family | A volatile tertiary amine (also called DMAE / dimethylethanolamine) — used as a polyurethane foam catalyst |
| CAS number | 108-01-0 (formula C₄H₁₁NO) |
| Classification | Not a carcinogen (not listed by IARC, NTP, or OSHA). An eye and upper-respiratory irritant at high vapour concentrations; flammable liquid with a fishy, ammonia-like odour |
| Where you encounter it | A catalyst and acid-neutraliser in flexible and rigid polyurethane foam; also in water-based paints, coatings, and boiler-water treatment. It is the volatile amine behind the "fishy" note of some new foam |
| Sleep micro-environment relevance | Residual DMEA off-gasses from fresh foam; detected in indoor air from polyurethane foam furnishings. Home levels are far below the factory air levels (0.02–0.22 ppm) and the animal no-effect level (24 ppm) |
| Activated carbon capture | Amines are reasonably well-adsorbed; airing and ventilating new foam is the main practical lever |
Regulatory & certification status
Where DMEA stands across the major regulatory systems and the certifications a bedroom product might carry. Each row links to the governing instrument; where a jurisdiction has no specific measure, that is stated plainly rather than left blank.
| European Union | DMEA carries a harmonised CLP classification in Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (Index 603-047-00-0): Flam. Liq. 3 (H226); Acute Tox. 4 oral (H302) and Acute Tox. 4 dermal (H312); Acute Tox. 3 inhalation (H331, 'toxic if inhaled'); Skin Corr. 1B (H314); and Eye Dam. 1 (H318). The harmonised entry carries no CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive-toxicity) classification. It is a REACH-registered substance, and no SVHC Candidate List, Authorisation List (Annex XIV) or Restriction List (Annex XVII) entry was identified for it. Regulatory — EUR-Lex · Safety data sheet quoting |
| United States | DMEA is on the EPA TSCA Inventory and is subject to Chemical Data Reporting; no TSCA risk evaluation or risk-management rule specific to it was identified. It is not on the California Proposition 65 list: CAS 108-01-0 does not appear on the current OEHHA Proposition 65 list (the only 'dimethylamino' entry on that list is the unrelated compound 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, CAS 60-11-7). Regulatory — OEHHA |
| Canada | Available references indicate DMEA is on Canada's Domestic Substances List (DSL). No Chemicals Management Plan screening assessment specific to it was identified, and it does not appear on the CEPA Schedule 1 List of Toxic Substances. (The primary DSL/Schedule 1 search tool could not be queried directly to fully confirm; the DSL listing is reported from secondary references.) Regulatory — Government of Canada · ECCC/Health Canada Substan |
| Australia | DMEA (Ethanol, 2-(dimethylamino)-) is an existing chemical on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals and was assessed by NICNAS (now AICIS) under the IMAP framework in a Human Health Tier II assessment. The available record of that assessment reports it is acutely toxic by the oral route (harmful if swallowed) and a skin/eye irritant-corrosive, and concludes it is not genotoxic and is not classified as a reproductive or developmental toxicant; no carcinogenicity classification was identified. (The primary AICIS assessment PDF could not be opened directly to verify the recommendation verbatim.) Regulatory — AICIS |
| United Kingdom | Under GB CLP, DMEA inherits the EU mandatory (harmonised) classification retained at the end of the transition period: Flam. Liq. 3, Acute Tox. 4 (oral and dermal), Acute Tox. 3 (inhalation), Skin Corr. 1B and Eye Dam. 1. No GB-specific UK REACH restriction, SVHC entry or authorisation requirement beyond the inherited EU position was identified. Regulatory — HSE |
| Certifications | CertiPUR-US: DMEA is not named on its prohibited/restricted-substances list, which targets PBDE and certain chlorinated/brominated flame retardants (e.g. TCEP, TDCPP), mercury/lead and other heavy metals, formaldehyde, CPSC-regulated phthalates, and ozone depleters (CFCs), and sets a total-VOC emissions ceiling below 0.5 ppm — not amine catalysts/neutralisers like DMEA. OEKO-TEX Standard 100: no DMEA-specific limit value was identified, though its general emission/odour and amine criteria could in principle apply. GREENGUARD Gold: a low-VOC emissions certification with total-VOC/aldehyde ceilings that does not screen for DMEA by name. Industry — CertiPUR-US · OEKO-TEX |
| The 72-hour test window | Partially captured. DMEA is a volatile amino-alcohol (boiling point ~133 C, characteristic fishy amine odour) used as a foam catalyst/neutraliser, so a short ~72-hour VOC chamber test can detect it while it is off-gassing, though early-life emissions fade over time. Inferred — from the compound's volatility/emission profile versus the VOC focus of short chamber tests |
What it is
DMEA — 2-dimethylaminoethanol, also written DMAE — is a small, water-soluble, volatile amine with a distinctly fishy, ammonia-like smell. Industry — Sigma-Aldrich, Jeffcat DMEA Like TEDA/DABCO and BDMAEE, it is a tertiary-amine catalyst: it speeds the chemistry that turns a liquid mix into polyurethane foam, and it also neutralises acidic components to keep the catalyst system active. About a fifth of all DMEA produced goes into making flexible and rigid polyurethane foams and lacquers. Regulatory — NTP review document
What it is not is a carcinogen. It is not classified by IARC, the National Toxicology Program, or OSHA, and NTP's review found no statistically significant carcinogenic response. Regulatory — NTP Its real attribute is irritancy. According to PubMed, a 1987 set of rat inhalation studies found DMEA acts primarily as an ocular and upper-respiratory-tract irritant: the four-hour lethal concentration was 1641 ppm, irritation and nasal-tissue changes appeared at 76 ppm, and the no-observable-effect level over 13 weeks was 24 ppm. Peer-reviewed — Klonne et al. 1987, Fundam. Appl. Toxicol.
How it relates to the bedroom
The fishy note in new foam
DMEA's signature is its smell. Because it is volatile and not every molecule is consumed in the reaction, a residual amount off-gasses from fresh foam, contributing the sharp, fishy, ammonia-like character that sometimes sits under the general new-foam odour. Inferred — from DMEA's volatility and characteristic odour combined with its role as a residual foam catalyst This is the same residual-amine issue that drove the industry toward lower-emission and reactive (built-in) catalysts that anchor into the polymer so they cannot off-gas. Inferred
How much actually reaches a home
This is where the honest calibration matters. NIOSH industrial-hygiene surveys inside polyurethane foam plants measured DMEA in factory air at 0.02 to 0.22 ppm, and the compound has been detected in indoor air from polyurethane foam furnishings in homes and offices. Regulatory — NTP review (NIOSH surveys) Set those numbers against the toxicology: irritation in animals begins around 76 ppm, with no effect at 24 ppm. Peer-reviewed — Klonne et al. 1987 Even the inside of a foam factory sat far below the no-effect level, and the residual that drifts from a finished mattress into a ventilated bedroom is lower again. The smell can be noticeable while the actual exposure is very small. Inferred — comparing measured home/occupational levels to the animal no-effect level
Smell is not the same as harm
DMEA is a clean illustration of a theme worth keeping in mind across the Atlas: odour and hazard are different axes. An amine like DMEA is detectable by smell at concentrations far below those that irritate, so a fishy note is a cue to ventilate, not a measure of danger. Inferred — amine odour thresholds sit well below irritant thresholds The right response is the calm one: air it out.
What the research says
- It is an eye and respiratory irritant — at industrial concentrations. No effect at 24 ppm; irritation at 76 ppm; not a carcinogen. Peer-reviewed — Klonne et al. 1987
- It is a major polyurethane-foam catalyst. About 20% of production goes into foam and lacquers. Regulatory — NTP
- Measured air levels are low. 0.02–0.22 ppm even inside foam plants; detected at lower levels in homes with foam furnishings. Regulatory — NTP (NIOSH surveys)
- The smell precedes any hazard. Detectable by odour well below irritant levels. Inferred
What helps reduce it
Air it out — the fishy note fades. DMEA's signature is its faint fish-like amine smell. Unwrapping a new foam product and ventilating the room over the first days to weeks lets that odour dissipate along with the rest of the new-foam mixture — the smell is the part you'll actually notice clearing.
Favour reactive-catalyst foams. Catalyst systems that bond the amine into the polymer leave less free DMEA to off-gas, so the fishy note is fainter to begin with and clears faster. Inferred — reactive catalysts anchor the amine into the polymer
Ventilate. Ordinary fresh-air exchange is the lever that removes DMEA, the odour, and the broader new-foam VOC mix together.
What does NOT help
- Treating the smell as a measure of danger. DMEA is detectable by odour far below any irritant level; a fishy note is a prompt to ventilate, not evidence of harm. Inferred
- Masking it with fragrance. Covering the amine note with scent adds more reactive VOCs to the room without removing the amine. Inferred
Open research questions
- Typical residual DMEA concentrations in the air above a finished consumer mattress, and how quickly they decay. Speculation
- The relative contribution of DMEA versus other amine catalysts to the overall amine character of new-foam odour. Speculation
The Embr Exposure Ledger: 2-Dimethylaminoethanol (DMEA)
One chemical, several public questions, answered from independent datasets and joined here — the environment it shows up in, the body burden it carries, how it is regulated, and what actually reduces it.
Detection and body-burden figures are occurrence data, not a personal measurement or a health diagnosis. Part of the Embr Exposure Ledger — an open, cross-dataset chemical join (download the data), reusable with attribution.
Citations
- Klonne DR, Dodd DE, Pritts IM, Nachreiner DJ, Fowler EH, Troup CM, Homan ER, Ballantyne B (1987). Dimethylethanolamine: acute, 2-week, and 13-week inhalation toxicity studies in rats. Fundamental and Applied Toxicology, 9(3):512–521. DOI 10.1016/0272-0590(87)90033-9 (PMID 3692010). Via PubMed. Peer-reviewed
- U.S. National Toxicology Program. Dimethylethanolamine (DMAE) [108-01-0] and Selected Salts and Esters — review/background document (production and use in polyurethane foam; NIOSH foam-plant air 0.02–0.22 ppm; detection in indoor air from foam furnishings; no statistically significant carcinogenicity). ntp.niehs.nih.gov Regulatory
- Sigma-Aldrich. 2-Dimethylaminoethanol (Jeffcat DMEA), CAS 108-01-0 — product documentation describing its use as a polyurethane foam amine catalyst and its fishy, ammonia-like odour. sigmaaldrich.com Industry
Frequently asked questions
What causes the fishy smell in new foam?
A common culprit is a residual amine catalyst such as DMEA (dimethylethanolamine), a volatile amine with a characteristic fishy, ammonia-like odour. Amine catalysts are used to drive the foam-forming reaction, and a small amount left over after manufacture can off-gas from fresh foam, producing that distinctive note. It usually fades as the foam airs out.
Is DMEA dangerous in a mattress?
DMEA is an eye and upper-respiratory irritant, but the concentrations that cause those effects are industrial. In rat studies the no-effect level over 13 weeks was 24 ppm, and irritation appeared at 76 ppm and above. By contrast, NIOSH surveys inside foam factories measured DMEA at only 0.02 to 0.22 ppm, and the residual that reaches a home from a finished mattress is lower still. It is not a carcinogen. Airing out new foam handles the smell and the trace exposure together.
Is DMEA a carcinogen?
No. DMEA is not classified as a carcinogen by IARC, the National Toxicology Program, or OSHA, and NTP review found no statistically significant carcinogenic response. The genuine concern with DMEA is irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract at high vapour concentrations, not cancer.
How do I get rid of the amine smell?
Treat it like any new-foam odour: unwrap and air the product out in a well-ventilated space, and keep the bedroom ventilated for the first days to weeks while the residual amine dissipates. Foams made with low-emission or reactive (built-in) catalysts leave less residual amine to release, so the smell is fainter and clears faster.
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.