Infrared heat mats

Heated mats are sold for people to lie or sit on at home.

Some are advertised with claims about health, so it helps to know what the mat is before reading what it is said to do.

What the mat is

One such mat is described in a 2017 customs regulation that is still part of UK law.

It is padded, with a heating element inside and a layer of foam underneath. Its top is covered in flat artificial stones containing tourmaline. A controller on a cable sets the temperature, anywhere from 30 to 70 °C.

The regulation says the stones give off far infrared rays once they are heated. Customs classed the mat as an electric heating appliance for use at home.

An electrical appliance first

Electrical equipment sold in Great Britain must come with clear instructions in easily understood English. Shops selling it must check that it carries the right conformity marking and comes with its safety information.

The government keeps a searchable list of product safety alerts and recalls, and electrical appliances have their own category in it.

Checking one before use

A heated mat has a heating element, a cable and a controller, as an electric blanket does. London Fire Brigade gives advice on electric blankets, which have the same parts.

The brigade says to replace a blanket that shows any of these signs.

It also says never to use an electric blanket on an air-flow pressure-relief mattress, or with emollient creams. It advises against buying second-hand blankets.

What the advertising rules say

The UK advertising code says objective claims must be backed by evidence, where relevant from trials on people. Medical claims may be made only for a licensed medicine, or for a medical device with the right conformity marking.

In a 2019 ruling, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) looked at a seller's website for far infrared devices. The site said they helped people with Lyme disease and fibromyalgia. The ASA received no evidence for those claims and found them misleading. It also found the site could discourage essential treatment for ADHD and low blood pressure.

Medical devices and reporting a problem

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says whether a product is a medical device depends on what it is meant to do and how it works. A product counted as a medical device abroad may not count as one in the UK.

Anyone can report a problem with a medical device to the MHRA through its Yellow Card scheme.

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