hazardous materials used to make some products you buy

What are Hazardous Materials?

A hazardous material is any item or agent (biological, chemical, radiological, and/or physical), which has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment, either by itself or through interaction with other factors Hazardous materials are defined and regulated in the United States primarily by laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Each has its own definition of a "hazardous material."

OSHA's definition includes any substance or chemical which is a "health hazard" or "physical hazard," including: chemicals which are carcinogens, toxic agents, irritants, corrosives, sensitizers; agents which act on the hematopoietic system; agents which damage the lungs, skin, eyes, or mucous membranes;

Germs that cause diseases^[1]

Protective clothing

Is it suitable for the conditions of the job?

Does it offer the right level of protection?

Does PPE introduce another health risk? PPE represents personal protection equipment. YES in my opinion!

the above comes from the EPA web site!

We know that every pack of cigarettes sold in the USA has the warning label “hazardous to your health” printed on it for a very good reason, ingesting smoke into the human body will cause a multitude of ailments which can and do result in death.

I decided to draw an analogy between hazardous materials that are used in the manufacture of clothing articles that can be insidious and not necessarily cause direct death to a person but certainly make a person’s life at some point unpleasant. The item of clothing I am referring to is footwear, and the material used in significant numbers of footwear products is a material referred to as “a waterproof and breathable (vapor permeable material). The above definition given by a US government agency notes why this type of material is a hazard to one’s health.

People have, done and will continue to smoke for years to come and all the while they are damaging their bodies. The most obvious is lung cancer, but many and actually all in my opinion suffer other ailments which they may not associate with smoking to begin with such as poor blood flow or more specific the smoke they ingest goes into the blood stream replacing oxygen and it does not nourish the veins, capillaries, muscles or any other area of the body it flows through because it lacks oxygen. And of course when the blood flow reaches the feet they will experience being colder feet than a non-smoker sitting next to them wearing the same footwear. This uncomfortable situation is amplified when you are wearing footwear that absolutely retains the moisture that emanates from your feet. Of course it is important to also understand that the best wool socks are contributors to cold feet, they retain the moisture from your feet. I have met many, many people who experience cold feet even though they are non-smokers. They all tell me they have boots that have goretex in them. Are you surprised to read that, because I am not surprised to have heard it, so I publish the comments!

According to the EPA explanation of hazard to your health by using footwear with these types of films in them that causes a “physical hazard” it is also a “health hazard”. When you retain the moisture in your footwear you are subject to getting “germs in your socks which cause disease” as was observed by the US MARINE CORPS in a 5 year study due to the inordinately high number of foot problems suffered by Marines in the field due to having feet that were not having the opportunity to dry. When you have foot problems your ability to do your job is compromised.

When you wear footwear that contains these materials that are referred to as waterproof and breathable they are responsible for damage to your skin as well as other foot problems not visible just like ingesting smoke is damaging to your lungs also other problems not visible. When you smoke often you notice that your stamina is reduced and when you wear footwear that contains waterproof and breathable membranes in them as a part of their construction you notice that your ability to stay out in cold weather is reduced.

Who is responsible for perpetrating and perpetuating this situation on the general public my opinion the companies that manufacture the footwear. They do not have to buy waterproof materials that are supposedly breathable in the first place. If they did their homework and requested proof of the materials ability to function as described they would have discovered no proof existed and would therefore not be responsible for selling products that cause foot problems for millions of people. But these companies are in love with the advertising dollars that they receive even though they are perpetuating the sales of products that not only do not function as claimed in their advertising but are a hazard to the initial health of ones feet and potentially other areas of the body.

I used to think that the consumer protection agency should be called upon to ask for proof in advertising and now I believe the EPA should be made aware of the hazard these materials that are sold based upon false claims about what they are capable of doing.

You know when I view what companies are promoting as winter outerwear that utilize a fiberfill product that was first used about 1960 or so that has proven not to be particularly efficient even though it is referred to by a variety of different brand names; all of these products are made with chopped staple fiberfill which makes them all the same are inferior to what does work; continuous filament fiberfill which has proven to outperform all other insulations available in the world, so maybe the EPA should question these companies about proving they have a product that works. I mean if you were to get one of these Patagonia or Columbia jackets rated for 0 degree temperatures and it has no chance of keeping you warm doesn’t that constitute a hazard to your health? If you buy a product based upon information that you do not know is misleading shouldn’t the manufacturer take responsibility for your ailments acquired from using it, like a cold and the subsequent doctor’s bills?

Speaking of testing, I do not believe those involved in the testing area of materials used in the manufacture of textile products actually know what they are doing. They the people in the employ of testing companies work hardest at trying to create a machine that will give them some information. Ridiculous, how about making a garment, putting it on and going outside the laboratory and actually experience what it does? That is something they will never do, since they have never done it in the first place ijn the past. This situation is what I call the blind leading the blind!!!

Well we are at the start of a new year, and now we can only see if any in the industry makes any changes, I however, have my doubts.