Toxic Textiles: The Chemicals in Our Clothing - a report from https://www.earthday.org

Fashion for the Earth

Toxic Textiles: The Chemicals in Our Clothing

November 4, 2022

Every week, the news labels a different consumable as “bad for you.” This trend can be seen in our food, medicine, and drinking water. All of which have been described as riddled with carcinogens, hormone disruptors, forever chemicals, and toxins. Unsurprisingly, all these harmful chemicals can be found within our wardrobes and throughout the textile industry.  More importantly, the health implications of these substances are vast in range, and volume, as approximately 25% of global chemical output originates from the textile industry. Since textiles comprise a significant part of our world, and we are in contact with textiles all day, every day, safety and confidence in these products are vital.  

Good versus Bad 

There is much talk about what is good or bad for you, so before we dive into the specific chemicals in our clothing, it is essential to note that Chemicals are not inherently bad. All matter is made of chemicals! That includes you and me. While it is true that not all chemicals are “good” for us—and even those that are, namely water, can be harmful when exposed to too much of it—the word chemical should not be feared. 

What are these “bad” chemicals?

There are about 8000 synthetic chemicals that are used in the apparel industry manufacturing process, from material acquisition to the finished product. Since we cannot cover every chemical and its function, this article will focus on the most common and deleterious substances. These include, but are not limited to, flame retardants, Polyfluorinated substances (PFAS)^*, lead & chromium, phthalates, chlorine bleach, AZO dyes, and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs)⁺ such as formaldehyde. Please see the infographic below for a more in-depth look at chemicals and associated health concerns. NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list.

Function matters, but at what cost?

These chemicals were not created to be “bad,” but does their intended purpose eclipse their adverse effect? Let’s take a look

• Flame retardants were designed to stop clothing from burning and are required for children’s clothing. This helpful technology has been linked to bioaccumulate (the chemical/material builds up in the bloodstream) health risks, including infertility, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and cancer.
• PFAS materials are fluoropolymer coatings/products that are popular due to their ability to resist water, oil, heat, and stains. You can often find these materials in raincoats, shoes, cosmetics, mattress pads, printed natural and synthetic fabrics, and finished textiles labeled as water or stain-repellents. However, these chemicals have also found their way out of their intended products into our environment, drinking water, and food. Thus, they are known to bioaccumulate and are often recognized as environmentally persistent and carcinogenic.
• Lead & Chromium (VI) are heavy metals that come in different forms. They can be found in rocks, plants, animals, and soil. Lead is a heavy metal found in natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, and flax. In the manufacturing process, Lead and Chromium (VI) materials are used to stabilize the color in the dyeing process. You can find these elements in vividly colored synthetic products. While these are naturally occurring, when high concentrations of these chemicals come into contact with the skin, are absorbed, or ingested, they have been linked to cancer and contact dermatitis. Additionally, when clothing containing these compounds is washed, during both the manufacturing process and later by consumers, they can cause environmental damage.
• Phthalates are used in activewear and anti-odor clothing, printing inks, and processing. Phthalates are a plasticizer, used with rubber to print images onto garments, and are predominately known to be cancerous. They have also been linked to endocrine disruption.
• Chlorine bleach, a whitening and stain removal agent, can cause severe asthma and respiratory problems. It is often used to process natural fibers such as cotton (think denim) and to prepare polyester for dyeing. Chlorine bleach and solvents such as chlorobenzenes can be toxic by inhalation or skin contact.
• AZO dyes make up 60-70% of fabric colorants and are responsible for the vivid colors that can be seen in many textiles, especially clothing concentrated in black and brown pigmentation. Azo dyes can quickly come off fabrics and, once in contact with the skin, break down to release chemicals called aromatic amines, causing skin allergies and dermatitis, some of which have been reported to cause cancer.
• Solvents, adhesives, plastic & metal accessories, synthetic dyes, and fibers used during the production process release VOCs. Some common VOCs are formaldehyde, toluene, ethylene glycol, benzene, methylene chloride, 1,3-butadiene, xylene, and tetrachloroethylene. These chemicals allow for an easy-care finish, such as wrinkle-free products. However, VOCs are a huge occupational hazard, as off-gassing can cause developmental and reproductive system damage, skin/eye irritation, and liver and respiratory problems.

How can I stay safe?

When looking at your wardrobe, seek materials, fabrics, and dyes that are considered natural rather than synthetic materials. Check for third-party certification standards such as the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the EU Ecolabel, or the bluesign® certification.

Fashion for the Earth is EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission to educate consumers and provide them with enough information to be safe and sustainable and ultimately challenge the industry for the better. 

As I have previously written, the best option is to not buy too often  and to buy second hand garments.

The blog song for today is: "Jilted John" by Jilted John

TTFN

 

Brown gold: Treated sewage could heat one-third of Prague - a report from - www.themayor.eu and another from - www.danfoss.com

 

Brown gold: Treated sewage could heat one-third of Prague

After all, this is one energy resource that is literally inexhaustible and domestically produced

The City of Prague has plans to develop a new residential district for 25,000 people on a hundred-hectare brownfield in Bubny-Zátory. This time around though, urban planning is taking into account current crises, such as fossil fuel dependency and energy security, to offer an innovative solution – using treated sewage surplus heat to keep homes warm in winter.

For this purpose, a new energy centre will be built next to the wastewater treatment plant on Císařský island and near the planned district. The idea behind it is simple, install 12 heat pumps and channel the heat where it can be of benefit – 200,000 households.

Don’t let heat go to waste, let waste go for heating

“The (energy centre) project has been in the making for about two years. It uses the heat of wastewater that is treated on Císařsky island. Every second, three cubic meters of treated wastewater leave the treatment plant, which even in the coldest months has a temperature higher than ten degrees. We have a huge opportunity to use this water to obtain heat for up to a third of Prague. It has been working successfully for decades in Denmark or Sweden, and there is no reason why it should not be the same here. Moreover, sewage is the only raw material that Prague will always have enough of," stated Petr Hlaváček, 1^st Deputy Mayor of Prague, as quoted by Prazsky Patriot.

The Bubny-Zátory area sits on a peninsula formed by a bend of Prague’s Vltava River and thus enjoys a fairly central location that has been unutilized for decades. The development, however, apart from granting more housing units has the unique chance to serve as the platform for new future-proof solutions, making it a model district in terms of sustainability.

The first housing units in the residential quarter will be ready by 2025, though the entire district will be completed by 2040. The jewel of the new district will be the upcoming Vltava Philharmonic, which too will be heated and cooled with this sustainable approach.

Here is another report from: www.danfoss.com

Since 2010, Marselisborg wastewater treatment plant has transformed its focus beyond minimizing energy consumed, to maximizing net energy surplus. Nowadays the facility has net production of both electricity and heat, supplying the district heating system in Denmark’s second-largest municipality, Aarhus. The carbon footprint has been reduced by 35 % accordingly.

Water and wastewater treatment facilities are normally the single largest electricity consumer for a municipality. Typically water and wastewater treatment processes account for 25 – 40 % of the municipal electricity consumption. The high consumption is related to the energy intensive processes but also its continuous operation cycle, 24/7 and 365 days annually.

Over the years focus has been on developing new processes and control strategies to reduce energy consumed per litre of water processed. However at the same time the increasing demands upon wastewater treatment quality, for example in nutrient removal, in turn increase net energy consumption.

Energy balance optimization 
Water and wastewater treatment processes are characterized by high load variation during the 24 hour cycle and seasonally throughout the year. The use of frequency converters has therefore steady increased in order to control blowers, pumps and other motorized equipment, to adapt to the changing demand.

Since 2010 Aarhus Water has worked intensively together with water environment consultants to improve the energy balance for Marselisborg wastewater treatment plant.

Key steps in the strategy:

• Optimization of the nitrogen removal process using online sensor control. The frequency converter adapts the level of aeration precisely to the need. This control system reduces energy consumption and increases the amount of carbon left in the system.
• Blower technology upgrade to a high speed turbo blower. The upgrade achieves further reduction of energy consumption in the aeration process.
• Aerobic sludge age control as a function of temperature and load on the plant. Here frequency converter control of the return sludge pumps is the key to achieving energy reduction and increased retained carbon in the system.
• Upgrade of combined heat and power (CHP) process for energy production, with 90 % energy efficiency.

These changes together with improvements including the effective co-production of electricity and heat based on methane gas extracted from the aerobic sludge digestion process have created the impressive results of:

• 130 % electricity production (30 % excess electricity)
• Excess heat production of about 2.5 GWh/year

VLT® in every corner

Frequency converters are installed on almost all rotating equipment at Marselisborg WWTP: blowers, pumps, mixers and dewatering pumps. The frequency converters allow the plant to adapt to load variations, with maximum flexibility. Over 100 motors are controlled by VLT® frequency converters at Marselisborg.

Energy generation vision

The vision for Aarhus City is to extend energy generation even further, to achieve surplus production of energy from its wastewater treatment plants so high, that it can also meet the energy requirement of the city’s potable water supply. This will transform the single largest electricity consumer for the authority into an energy-neutral party.

 

Recycling Mystery: LED Bulbs- an earth911.com report - a short read!

 

Recycling Mystery: LED Bulbs

ByTrey Granger

Feb 13, 2019 led-bulbs-mystery

With limited sunlight during the winter months, increased lighting is a must. And when 75 percent of outdoor lightning is expected to be light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs by 2020, chances are good that you have some LEDs in the house. But what happens when these bulbs burn out?

First, the good news: LED bulbs last up to 50,000 hours, way longer than halogen, fluorescent, and incandescent bulbs. They fit most fixtures and will cut your energy use considerably. So, buying LEDs should limit your need for bulb disposal and save you money.

When it comes to recycling, the news about LEDs isn’t so good. The most commonly accepted light bulbs for recycling are compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and fluorescent tubes, because they contain mercury. This is both a valuable material and hazardous if exposed to humans, so fluorescent bulbs are classified as universal waste and therefore accepted by retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, in addition to local household hazardous waste (HHW) programs.

String Light Recycling Options

After the holidays, you may have some burnt-out string lights you need to recycle. Nowadays, most string lights use LED bulbs. The good news is Home Depot will accept these for recycling, and has recycled more than 2.5 million string lights since 2008.

If you’re willing to pay for shipping, you can mail your string lights to companies like Christmas Light Source and HolidayLEDs. When you send in your lights for recycling, these companies offer a discount coupon towards the purchase of new lights. And the Christmas Light Source donates proceeds from its recycling program to Toys for Tots.

Something else to consider with string lights: You may only need to replace one bulb for the entire string to work again. You can buy replacement bulbs online for easy installation.

Before you give up on your string lights, you might need to replace just one LED bulb for the entire string of lights to work again. Image: StockSnap, Pixabay

Mail-in Programs

For LED bulbs, the best recycling option is going to be mail-in programs. Some of these companies will send you a pre-paid recycling box you can fill with bulbs for recycling. In most cases, they accept all types of bulbs — not just LEDs.

After receiving your bulbs, these programs separate the glass bulb from the metal ballast and send those materials to the appropriate recyclers. The color of the bulb will not affect the recycling process.

The Future of LED Recycling

Much is still to be determined with the recycling of LED bulbs, as their sales have jumped so drastically in the past 10 years. In 2009, there were fewer than 500,000 common home LED bulbs, according to the Department of Energy, and that number jumped to almost 80 million in 2014.

Because they are designed to last so long (just like solar panels), we can expect LED bulb disposal to surge in the next 10 to 20 years. Will manufacturers start offering take-back programs or will legislation be drafted to address the problem? We don’t know yet. But it’s worth noting that neither of these solutions were offered for incandescent bulbs, which LEDs have replaced as the go-to lighting source in America.

What the recycling system here in Spain is uncertain! I normally take mine to the recycling plant on the industrial estate in Ciutadella.

 As with most of these things, it is how to dispose of them in the future, because they are new, we do not know what will happen.

The blog song for today is: "Shake your thing" by Salt n Pepa

TTFN