Wednesday 31 October 2012

tragbares

A comprehensive study commissioned by Greenpeace Germany of sports- and outdoor wear articles has determined that virtually all coats, jackets and clothing treated to be weather-proof retain those harmful chemicals.

It is not quite like the formaldehyde that leeches from furniture and carpets over its lifetime and exacerbates chemical sensitivities in people who live with it, but rather poses little risk of harm to those who wear the items—though the news, I suppose, could have been spun to incite a riot. The cumulative run-off of the manufacturing process, however, does present a hazard, with the polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) that don’t degrade naturally and have the potential to build up in the environment, detrimental effects finding their way back to these outdoorsy types—really all and any consumer since it’s hard to find a new piece of clothing without such enhancements, like trying to find a telephone without a camera or a light bulb or a Quittung that is not a poisoned dart. The argument Greenpeace offered was a rather reasoned one: considering that some adventurers and professionals really do need to keep warm and dry even in the most violent weather, governments should not be harnessed with the responsibility of fully detoxing our jackets but consumers should instead take on the social conscience of asking retailers what went into making this or that coat and what traces are left behind and make a choice, since we all don’t need to be fully buffered from the elements at all times. Besides, so girded, one usually just stays dry for the first volley or so and a sustained downpour usually leaves everyone drenched.