Americans live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, yet American children are less likely to live to age 5 than children in comparable nations – and I was shocked to find that America has the highest infant mortality rate in the industrialized world.[1] Our children are especially vulnerable to the presence of …
In response to a post a few weeks back, Susan Lanham wrote to us: “I initially signed on to get this blog because I thought you would give practical ways to avoid these carcinogens. However, they are so pervasive, and there doesn’t seem to be any practical way to avoid them, so that reading your …
I’ll be taking a few weeks off so instead of sitting in front of the computer I’ll be hiking in the mountains and sitting by a lake. Have a wonderful fourth, and see you in August. Last week I promised you the list of things to do to avoid toxins in your life. In putting …
In our ongoing series of looking at the different chemicals used in textile processing, we’re up to the C’s. This week’s topic is chromium. Chromium (Cr) exists in several forms, which are described by different numbers in parentheses. The most common forms are elemental chromium (0), chromium (III), and chromium (VI). Chromium (III) occurs naturally …
We did a post on the use of nanotechnology in the textile industry about two years ago, and new research has just settled the long-standing controversy over the mechanism by which silver nanoparticles (the most widely used nanomaterial in the world) kills bacteria. You know, all those new textiles that advertise that they’re bacteria and …
A half century ago, asbestos – a ” 100% natural” material by the way – was hailed as the wonder fiber of the 20th century. It was principally used for its heat resistant properties and to protect property (and incidentally, human lives) from the ravages of fire. Because of this, asbestos was used in virtually all industrial …
In January 2009, new blue uniforms were issued to Transportation Security Administration officers at hundreds of airports nationwide. [1] The new uniforms – besides giving officers a snazzy new look – also gave them skin rashes, bloody noses, lightheadedness, red eyes, and swollen and cracked lips, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, the …
I just found a website that threw me for a loop: It’s called Sailhome (www.sailhome.org). It was started by a regular guy – a physicist living in San Francisco who was the VP of marketing for a semiconductor intellectual property company – named Ron. Ron’s son, born almost 10 years ago, began to show signs …
I grew up with Scotchgard on sofas, Teflon on non-stick pans and GoreTex on my raincoat. These trademarked items were all made possible through the vast PFC (perfluorocarbon) family of chemicals which has transformed our lives – and the textile industry. When applied to fabrics, they provide water and stain resistance. These perfluorocarbons – commonly …
OEcotextiles 