Sensitivity to VOC's is extremely dependent on the person. My father, for example, had the carpet redone cheaply in his office, and worked there happily 8 hrs/day without smelling anything and without any ill effects.
For me, on the other hand, the smell was noxious but bearable, but I'd start to feel lightheaded after about 15 minutes in there. My brother would get a terrible headache after just 5 minutes. (And this is us as adults, same size as him.)
Memory foam (e.g. in a pillow) also affects me, even after it's offgassed for weeks. I don't smell a thing, but it gives me a burning sore throat after I'm close to it for a couple of hours. But again, zero effect on my dad.
And so my big question is: I'm well aware that people have drastically different responses to VOC's. But does that mean VOC's harm people differently too, or are we all harmed the same?
In other words, does my dad have some kind of "protective" genes where the VOC's don't bother him because they harm him less, so he doesn't avoid them? Or are my brother and I better off because we're super-sensitive to them, so we escape the harm he might be suffering?
It seems like such an urgent public health problem, especially given how many people use memory foam mattresses and pillows. It just boggles my mind that I get a sore throat after just a couple of hours with one, while other people sleep peacefully all night.