Infants may be exposed to high levels of chemicals emitted by their crib mattresses while they are sleeping, according to a recent study Fox News reported.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that crib mattresses release large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - "potentially harmful chemicals also found in household cleaning and consumer products," Fox News reported.

This makes infants highly susceptible to the inverse effects of these indoor air pollutants.

"I wanted to know more about the chemicals they may inhale as they sleep during their early stages of development," study author Brandon Boor, a graduate student in the school's department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, said in a statement. "This research also helps to raise awareness about the various chemicals that may be found in crib mattresses, which are not typically listed by manufacturers."

For the study, researchers studied samples of polyurethane foam and polyester foam padding from 20 new and old crib mattresses.  

Boor and his team identified more than 30 VOCs in the mattresses and found that new crib mattresses release about four times as many VOCs as old mattresses.

They also found that VOC levels, or chemical emissions, were strongest in a sleeping infant's breathing zone when compared with air in the room. This means infants are exposed to twice as many VOC levels in their crib as people standing in the same room, Fox News reported.

Researchers said that since infants inhale significantly higher air volume per body weight than adults and sleep approximately 50 to 60 percent of their day, "they experience about 10 times as much VOC inhalation exposure as adults who are exposed to the same levels," Fox News reported.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there is currently little known about the health effects of VOCs found in homes.

"Our findings suggest the re-use of an older crib or an extended airing-out period may help reduce infant VOC exposures," study supervisor and assistant professor Ying Xu told Fox News.

However, older crib mattresses may contain other harmful chemicals now banned in mattress foams, such as flame retardants.

Researchers said more research is needed to better understand an individual's sleeping environment.

"We need to better understand the complex sleep microenvironment to improve it and reduce the harmful effects of related pollutants on infants," Richard Corsi, chair of the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, said in a statement.

The findings were recently published in the February issue of Environmental Science & Technology.