More Knowledge Has Come to Me

MORE ABOUT CHEMICALS APPLIED TO FABRICS

I was speaking with a friend who had until recent years when he retired been the person who ran the manufacturing facility of a company Holubar located in Boulder Co. I met Terry in the mid 1960’s. Holubar made in their day the best down sleeping bags and clothing money could buy. Every now and then one of my customers will tell me he has a Holubar bag. When I told Terry about the chemicals being used these days and I mentioned Tris (see the article “do you really want to buy a backpacking tent” for the full explanation of Tris) to my surprise he knew all about it. To my surprise Holubar used fabric with Tris applied to it until they found out how dangerous a chemical it was. He noted all of what was stated in the Duke University report. This was in the early 1970’s. So why was it continued to be used there after?

I also think it was banned by the EPA for use in the USA. I do not know but I suspect it was banned from even being made in the USA. As Terry told me they found out it is a carcinogenic or cancer causing chemical. Handling the materials and breathing the fumes then and now is not healthy. If all of this information was available for these many years why rei would and they are not alone still have product made with it applied in finished products, tents and sleeping bags and I would not bet against jackets as well. To the best of my knowledge rei is still getting product made with Tris; so much for their integrity. I include jackets because if the Chinese factories producing product for American buyers has excess materials that have the chemicals applied to them they will use that fabric for other items such as clothing. The reality is you have the tent with the chemicals, the sleeping bag with the chemicals and very possibly the jacket with the chemicals. And if the fabrics are polyester versus nylon they are combustible as well.

The American buyers are as we know bottom line profit fixated so the Chinese suppliers are accommodating their customers with the lowest pricing and if they have surplus materials from tent or sleeping bag production they will not hesitate to make jackets from the fabric. The American buyers would not care even if they knew because the price dictates everything.

When you are using products made with cancer causing chemicals from the age of 20 years and you develop cancer when you are in your 50’s will you think back about the tent and sleeping bag or jacket from 20 to 30 years ago being the start of the accumulation process of carcinogens?

In China there is no EPA to regulate the use of toxic chemicals so anything goes.

In the past few weeks I have learned quite a lot about chemicals being applied to fabrics used for consumer products and what I have learned supports the many women who have requested from me answers to questions as to whether or not the products manufactured by Wiggy’s have chemicals in them. Their primary motivation is not to buy products for the children’s use that are laden with chemicals. I tell them Wiggy’s products are made with “PURE FINISHED” fabrics. And they are all domestically produced. The mills that weave, dye and finish the fabrics I use are all located in the USA. They are given very specific instructions by me that once the fabrics are dyed and finished nothing is to be applied to them; they always ask about water repellency and the answer is always NO!!! It is for this reason Wiggy’s sleeping bags are the primary sleeping bag purchased by people who are chemically sensitive or do not want to become chemically sensitive (I know for fact that a person who is not chemically sensitive can develop chemical sensitive’s as a result of being subjected to chemicals).

I became aware of pure finish fabrics years ago and started buying them because they were less expensive and actually stronger because they were not ever subjected to the drying process if a water repellent was applied to them after the dyeing and finishing took place. This would mean a second exposure to the heat of the dryers and each time that is done the fabric is weakened. My attitude was the benefits to my customers; keeping the prices lower, and not subjecting them to harmful chemicals.

Wiggy’s is the only manufacturer of outdoor related products sleeping bags and clothing that are not subjected to chemicals.

THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION ---GSA

I opened the GSA Advantage web site and typed in sleeping bags and found several brands listed that show bags using polyester fabrics; i.e. snugpak, western mountaineering, kelty to mention three.

I called the GSA office in Washington DC or Virginia, do not know which state is the location and advised them that they were making available for purchase for use by soldiers sleeping bags that were made with polyester fabric which is combustible and should not be used for this purpose. I told the person who I am and gave them my contact information. I further wanted this person to know who I was because I do not do things anonymously. I am awaiting a call from someone at GSA.

I also told her while I served in the army and was not a combat veteran I was aware that combat was dangerous and if our soldiers were not issued proper sleeping bags so they could get good rest their abilities would be compromised. If someone contacts me I will then go into the poor non-insulations used to make the “no sleep sleeping bags”.

ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTER?

If so you know that fighting fires during the winter months can be very hard on your feet.

In a textile publication I received Friday I read about a new boot manufactured by Globe called and I quote [the “SUPRAFLEX” the lightest weight, moist flexible firefighter boot available.] One of the components is the following gore product. The following information taken directly from the gore web site

And I quote;

“GORE® CROSSTECH® products deliver protection against penetration of blood, body fluids, water, and common chemicals while still offering breathability and superior comfort. That’s why GORE® CROSSTECH® products are trusted enough to be the first choice for head-to-toe personal protective equipment for fire and safety professionals”

I am willing to bet there is no difference between the crosstech film and all of the other gore films, because I think they only have one film and they give it different names depending upon the market they sell into. The end result is that they can- not demonstrate and therefore prove the opening line of the above statement.

This boot cost in about $500.00 plus or minus.

If you are a fire fighter and need warm feet when fighting a fire during the winter months then you need the Nomex FR Lamilite/Climashield over boots or muk luks.

You wear them over you existing boots and your feet will be comfortable in a range of temperatures from +32 degrees F to -50 F. All you have to do is put them on when you get to the fire and take them off when you finish your work. You put them on over your existing boots.

These same two products are excellent for oil field workers especially you men who work in the oil fields of North Dakota. We also manufacture and have for several years Nomex parkas, bibs and mittens used on the north slope of Alaska. I believe we are the number one brand of Nomex arctic clothing sold in Alaska today.

The FR over boots are $150.00

The FR muk luks are $165.00

The price for my footwear is a substantial savings and is more versatile and will keep your feet warmer than any other footwear you can get.