Hidden Chemicals in your Clothes | PFCs (PFASs) in Textiles
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 มิ.ย. 2024
- Hi! I am about to go off the rails about one of my special interests for over 20 minutes straight. Don’t worry though, I brought the receipts. :)
Yes, this history is exceptionally simplified for the sake of brevity and storytelling. No, it was not really as simple as one halogen, then the next, and then the next (they were pretty much all experimented with concurrently). But that doesn’t change the fact that the industry executives responsible knew of the health issues involved and chose to do nothing in the name of profit. They are still only doing their best to do less than the bare minimum.
I do try to avoid PFAS, Teflon, and many other environmental pollutants when I can, but as you can see from our own household examples, we all make mistakes, and I am still going to say yes to clothing I can use from people who can no longer use them themselves. Make each item last as long as possible and all that. Imperfect but trying is so much better than an inability to do anything because of toxic perfectionism. :)
Silent Spring: www.bookdepository.com/Silent...
Dark Waters: • Peitelty Totuus
My published articles: www.researchgate.net/profile/...
Earrings are from Ukranian artist Dingaya on Etsy. I love them. 💛💙 www.etsy.com/no-en/shop/Dingaya
Abbreviations used in this video:
DDT: Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. One of the original 12 “dirty dozen” of persistent organic pollutants was originally targeted by the Stockholm convention for its adverse effects on wildlife. Originally used as a pesticide, now only allowed sparingly as a malaria repellent
PFAS/PFASs: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Man-made chemical structures with one or more fluor elements bound to a carbon “skeletal” structure. Considered “forever chemicals”, very resilient to breaking down, harmful to humans and wildlife, and accumulates in fat tissues. Found all over the world at this point.
PFCs: Polyfluorinated compounds, more used in older articles and some colloquial news articles. See PFAS.
PFOA: Perfluorooctanoic acid (one of the most common PFAS substances). Base structure for making Teflon, among other things. Extremely persistent in nature.
PFOS: Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (another very, very common PFAS). Used in stain repellents, fabric protectors, and fire-fighting foams, among other things. Other PFAS might break down into PFOS, which is highly persistent in nature.
POPs: Persistent organic pollutants. A large group of chemicals that encompasses several PFASs. To be acknowledged as a POP, a substance must persist in nature over several years, cause adverse health effects, or have the potential to cause adverse health effects, get distributed globally through natural processes, and accumulate in the food web
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References:
Yeeeh, the reference list for this video predictably exceeded the TH-cam description character limit, but you can find the whole list on my website: kristinevike.com/hidden-chemi...
Music by Epidemic Sound unless otherwise stated:
Cat Naps - Raymond Grouse
The Way to the Sky - Hampus Naeselius
Spring Morning - Peter Sandberg
Paradigm Shift - Gavin Luke
Secrets of the Earth - Lama House
The Rose And The Thorn - Johannes Bornlöf
Supine - Peter Sandberg
Onthou - Ever So Blue
Out of Darkness - Johannes Bornlöf
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:57 What are PFAS?
3:21 Why do we need PFAS?
6:26 Why are PFAS a problem?
10:24 It all started with DDT
16:19 Dark Waters
17:32 What can we do?
19:12 End - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I also have been recently switching to natural fibers and although I do pay special attention to everything I buy, I try to not be so rigorous when it comes to second-hand clothes. I recently bought a second-hand acrylic sweater in a lovely shade of brown. I did feel bad about it at first but eventually decided that it's way better for me to use it than to have someone throw it away. There's nothing better we can do other than take care of stuff we already have and, if something breaks, get a sturdy replacement that will last us a long long time!
I agree! Second-hand and hand-me-downs I’m much less rigid on, especially since the numbers show we donate more than we shop second-hand, on average. Recent numbers from Norway was that 9/10 items get tossed because people don’t buy as much used as they donate, yikes.
But also yay for lovely sweaters!
Remember to wash acrylics in a Guppyfriend bag that will catch (most of) the microplastics☺
"There is no place on this good Earth that is spared contamination from these chemicals that we, humanity, developed"
This quote stuck out to me. You've brought my full attention to this issue, thank you for opening my eyes.
I also loved the analogy of a shield wall! That really emphasised how they don't break down in nature easily.
It was a pretty hard lesson to me too, I will be honest. I am glad the analogy helped. 😊
Great topic. I subscriped because of your earlier Science content and now I work in the field of PFAs analysis. The general public still isn't aware of how widespread POPs are and the unthinkable amount of compounds included as well as their adverse effects.
Yeah, it’s really sad and underrepresented. Not to mention that safe exposure kevels are usually assessed at a per compound basus, when we know cocktail effects can change that by tenfolds.
Having been on a recent binge watching spree of your channel, this seems like a natural continuation, thanks for the lecture! Science communication suits you 😊
Also thank you for sharing your passion and educating the world, it's super helpful! I will definitely share this video to friends in the future when trying to make a point for natural fibres.
Thank you so much! I always think these videos will be easier with “just a bit of research and talking”, but they are not! Imposter syndrome hits me so hard on these! 😅
This channel is criminally underwatched, such awesome content!
"Fluor is on the far right", why of course PFAS are a cause for concern... ;) but craziness aside, this was a really great and understandable explanation of this complex matter! Oh and PS. I love your earrings!
Oh my gosh, I am so glad you thought like that too! I almost made a point of it, but my script was long enough as it was! 😂
I love the earrings too! I got them from this supersweet Ukrainian artist called Dingaya on Etsy. 💛💙www.etsy.com/no-en/shop/Dingaya
I almost made the same joke XD
Fiber nerd and geochemistry student who actually loved o-chem. This video needs an audience like your tablet weaving video that the algorithm blew up! Such an awesome discussion of a complex topic! I also miss the amazing equipment from when I was doing research 😭
I knoooow. The equipment nostalgia is real!
[hollow laughter] At some point they'll run out of halogens, right? (Yeah, I know, they'll just find something else. Sigh)
Depressing matters aside, your outfit and hairstyle were very nice! Also A+ on the chemistry vulgarisation
Thank ye, thank ye. I do live to bastardize my research field! :D
@@KristineVike as a former genetics person: Oh Same
Terrifying and informative! Like watching a horror movie...but necessary. Thanks for sharing your science with us!
Glad you enjoyed it! It is horrifying to be sure. But where would we be without awareness?
excellent class!!!! and important info for all of us to know and understand and incorporate into our daily lives. for the past 35 years, I have been wearing only repurposed clothing(from thrift stores and clothing swaps and left out on the street for free). I realize that this is no where near a solution, but only a tiny drop in the ocean. Yet I have many friends who also use only repurposed items and do much more for Mother Earth. I'm grateful that you are spreading this information, and I love your creative use of repurposed items. I also make clothing art from 100 percent repurposed items.🤩😍
My city (and my whole region, really) has been having a lot of debate over the last few years because of PFAS runoff primarily from airports (especially military installations, like my local airport has) from the fancy firefighting foam they use and your video gave me more context for why these pollutants do the things they do in the first place than any of the news articles I've read, so thank you very much!! Hooray for public science!!
(also I just came across your channel today via your recent Hallstatt ribbon tablet weave and I'm positively LOVING your videos 💜)
I am happy you found some more clarity through my video! But also sad for what your region is going through. I hope the debates provide some positive outcome.
Thank you so much for this video. I'm terrible at math so I was also bad at science. Your explanation is very easy to understand. I only became aware that certain types of bamboo yarn includes plastic. I was not aware of super wash wool although it makes perfect sense! Also, please forgive me, I was not aware that the rest of the world was also working on these problems. I think Americans are blindly led into an "us, us" attitude! I've watched your video twice already and plan on watching it a lot more in the future and doing some research when I go to buy yarn for future projects! ❤️
I am so happy you found it understandable! It can be a difficult path to tread and you never know what the audience knows already. 😊
When I started Dark Waters I legit thought it was just a drama but finding out it was based on real life was horrifying. It's why the "chemicals are bad" crowd frustrates me so much. Because there are seriously harmful chemicals that are used but it's not as simple as they're bad because they just bear the title of "chemical". Scientific literacy is so important! Thanks for this video, it's good knowledge to have as someone trying to be conscious of what I buy going forward 🙏
It’s a pretty horrifying story when you look into it. Happy to be teaching a little where I can!
Love these videos but thank goodness you show us your beautiful kitty cos I become so disheartened learning that as an end consumer I am next to powerless against the machine. All I can do is my small part, and try to educate people I meet.... but it always feels like its well short of enough. Thank you for doing your bit too, and easing the agony with kitty pics
It can be a bit overwhelming. And I firmly believe that trying to be “perfect” in our environmental efforts will just lead to burnout and giving up. Doing our best with what time, resources, and information we have is good enough. ❤️
Last time I checked wax did the same thing as a pfas coating does. (in water-resistant clothing at least)
Yes, I absolutely think that would work, just like we did historically. Might require a bit more knowledge from the user though? Not necessarily a bad thing. :)
Yes. I agree. I own several pieces of vintage waxed outer clothing, which, having absorbed all of the information in this video, will be appreciated even more than they already are. The thing that tends to put people off about the traditional vintage waxed clothing is the smell, primarily, and the cost of having the item professionally cleaned and re-waxed. However, I can say that it’s possible to buy tins of wax to do the re- waxing yourself, just as it’s possible to buy waterproofing sprays to re-impregnate your modern outdoor gear, which sounds like it’s probably just an aerosol can filled with PFAS 😱. Thinking about it, I probably ought to check the waxing product to ensure that they haven’t snuck any of this plastic poison into it….but at least it’s not under high pressure and in a micro fine spray when you use it…🤔 Another reason for opting for waxed clothing, especially the vintage variety, is that it’s nearly always waxed COTTON.
this is also one of my special interests and i’m SO GLAD i found your channel. i also want to go into biology and study textile sustainability!
I've watched a few of your videos with enjoyment and appreciation for your knowledge, but this video blew me away. And I subbed. I have so much respect for you. This is an amazing presentation with a great deal of information presented clearly and methodically. Holy cow, I had no idea how bad it was and for how long. Thanks for that palate cleanser. Love your humor!
Holy cow! I'm a textile artist and work in an environmental testing lab that tests for PFAS in water, solids, and tissues and just found your video. I do the extraction end for our analysts who use LC MS/MS to analyze the samples for PFAS. :)
LC MS is so much fuuun!!
Also, the overlap between scientists and textile artists is considerable. 👀👀🔥
Wow, this is some scary stuff. Thank you so much for making this video. I know most clothing here has to be treated with fire retardant, but there are a lot of things I didn't know that I learned in this video.
And is it crazy that the biggest thing I got out of it is that I now want to make an umbrella like yours? I wonder if I could use wax to make a pattern?
I think maybe wax might work too? I’m not sure. Might need to be reapplied but it does make sense!
Damn this channel is only bangers. Nice
I just discovered you and I have to say, I adore your voice, so relaxing, and clear enough for a non-native speaker to understand. And know that with this video you are going to give me nightmares tonight (joking, this is not 100% new to me). I really like the barely there hint of hope at the end, lol! (my wardrobe begins with stuff I have since my teenage years -many, MANY years ago- and I don't think I've bought anything in the last 7/10 years? I don't even have a smartphone 'cause I don't need it… so yeah, I totally agree)
Hugs from Italy, great lecture!
Thank you! It is so nice to find other people with similar attitudes!
This is terrifying! An area near where I grew up, nobody can live there because of PFAS. So I knew about it because of the firefighting. But I didn't know it was the same stuff as Teflon and other waterproof fabric coatings. It truly is impossible to avoid :(
It really is! I am sad for you and the area near you being contaminated. :/
@@KristineVike Thank you for your kindness
Welcome to a personal soapbox! Thank you for sharing your knowledge in a way that is pretty accessible to most. It's so important that everyone know how to use the power of choice, and how very much nuance there is in the choosing.
And there is so much nuance to everything! There is still so much I don’t know enough about or haven’t researched yet. Always more to learn.
Please, do continue as hard as possible your good work to make humans understand the consequences of their choices and change already. Spread the word to stop buying what we do not need, sort out what it means to need something, choose to buy what is safer for each and all of us and for the environment on which we and other animals depend. It’s time we demand each other responsibility for our actions. Thank you for your strength ❤ It makes a brighter day to know someone is trying to do good. I believe every drop of information and persuasion is doing its thing to change mentalities 💪
I have a better understanding now
Thankyou. Very well presented.
Imfromative, thank you for speading awareness on this topic. i never knew about this.
I am glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. I love that you're bringing serious science to bear on fibre arts.
Very clear explination, thank you. The planetary boundaries report ranks "novel entities" as our most serious threat. Climate change ranks only third.
“Don’t buy stuff you don’t need” absolutely! 👏👏
Wonderful. Thank you for compiling this for us.
What an interesting vlog,, and very well done. New subscriber,, I am allergic to most fabrics and now I can justify why, you just can’t wash those lovely chemicals out of things. I stick to cotton as much as possible and like vintage clothing. Thanks for sharing ❤
Excellent delivery of very useful knowledge !¡! which in a way is not entirely new to me but one tends to adapt 😢 ... wake up call !!.we continue to put together this sad puzzle of all of the poisons we humans have been subjected to . . .
Thank you so much. I live your videos! This one is the right amount of chemistry for even me (who got her worst grades in chemistry!) to follow. I did so much research before buying my last raincoat. Learning about chemicals in this family is terrifying. I disagree with you on one point. I do not believe that it is humanity that brought these dangerous chemicals into the world, but rather a tiny group of people with a lot of power marketing new products to humanity by telling us that it’s the “wonder-product” that will save us. It’s all of our problem now, but morally, I think it is possible to point fingers. Again, I really enjoy your videos, especially your sense of humor in the face of existential terror.
I think that is a very good point. But I also think it is a difficult balance to tread? While there are certainly key players who hold significantly more responsibility than others, I try to focus less on assigning blame (or what others outside of myself are doing in general), and more on myself and what I actually have the power to do. I can do my best not to buy products I know to be harmful (but we all make mistakes and should not hold judgement over others who may not have the capacity to do the same research as us), and I can make videos like this, trying to share awareness and maybe inspire other people to try to avoid harmful products as well. If that is within their power to do. If enough of us make choices like that, the producers will need to follow suit or loose their precious profits. I don't know if that makes sense in the context. Some times it seems hopeless, but I try to focus on what I can actually achieve. :)
My opinion on this is that it’s the capitalist culture of our societies, that are driven by the industry bosses because they are money mad and power hungry, that are at the heart of the problem. Not only do they use planned obsolescence to keep the consumer buying, but they also use psychological manipulation techniques, that were developed to be used in a therapeutic context, in their marketing campaigns, to keep us spending on stuff that we don’t need. This is fuelled by the knowledge that human beings are inherently herd animals.
Sadly, history shows us that there will always be people hungry for power and money, that will exploit the general population in order to get even more power (influence) and money. This behaviour has been around for 11,000 years, since we stopped being hunter gatherers and started being farmers. There’s nothing we can do about that, and assigning blame to these individuals won’t change anything. The only option that IS available is for us as the general population, to make informed choices, and Kristine is doing her part in providing us with valuable information in order for us to do that. The rest of it is up to us - You can take a horse to water, but can’t make it drink.
I think there’s a place for these PFAS’d products, for example, you wouldn’t attempt to climb Everest wearing environmentally friendly waxed cotton outer wear and wool, because it’s heavy stuff and you’d be knackered before you even got to base camp. However, Joe or Josephine Bloggs who chooses to wear it just for the walk to the village pub wouldn’t be risking life and limb by choosing an alternative garb which is less toxic to themselves and the environment.
Another choice we can make if we really want to wear the PFAS’d outdoorsy gear, is to buy it second hand, which saves money, and, if it’s a year old, will be just as good, but will have already leeched a high proportion of its nastiness away. (if I remember my lessons correctly).
We, as members of the general population need to take back control of our own minds and choices in order that change can happen. The Fat Cats are, after all, a minority, and they need us to fill their pockets for them. I, for one, stepped off the Merry-go-Round about 15 years ago when I got rid of my credit card. It’s been a long and slow process to change, and be the salmon swimming against the current of our modern culture, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in that time and the small contribution that I’ve made to the bigger picture and issues that face us now, and in the future.
This, all of the above, is just my own opinion, based on personal experience and factual evidence. I also freely admit that, being a conformist has never truly been my way. Living as I am now is far more intuitive and so much more comfortable for me.
I've seen some outerwear where the tag specifically says they haven't been treated with fluorocarbons. Does that simply mean they're on to the next halogen? Or are there in fact other compounds that have similar enough water repellant properties *without* the very limited breakdown? Thanks for an informative but horrifying video. :\
That is the big question, isn’t it? Industry being as secretive as they are, we don’t always know what they are replacing problematic stuff with. For a time is was easy to just write “PFOA free” and then use a shorter chain PFAS, as it was assumed to be *slightly* less toxic than their longer chained cousins.
There seems to be some talk about bio-plastics derived from corn, but… in a lot of cases we don’t know. Which is why I am so reluctant (plus it would be needlessly expensive) to replace what we have for an unknown whose only selling point is that it *isn’t* this other thing.
Valid points! It's sad that it's so hard to make better choices even when you want to. 😥
the industries feed on our laziness of not making our clothes anymore, wich, only 50 years ago was still quite a common thing to do. whenever we choose to indulge in mass producyion instead of making most of our things ourself, at home, you can be sure the chemical properties of things will serve our need for ease of use, at the cost of all other properties. you exchange properties by substituting, maximum easr, maximum pollutioning. The properties are inherent of the earth and cannot be maximised at our own convenience without drawbacks.. thats the law of nature. we think we are, but we are not gods.
and thank you for your excellent explanation, i never was strong in chemistry but i can relate to your explanation, your viscose vid. was scarier then the movie the Ring....
My knowledge of pfas, pfos and pfoa comes from listening to the dangers of Teflon, its production and the dangerous chemicals released into the Ohio River during its production(done to cut cost, as removing the dangerous chemicals would be too much of a bother for the company 😒)
It's pretty abhorrent when you learn about it. It seems too horrible to be true, but no.
Thankyou please continue to go off the rails.
Thank You for this very necessary mini-lecture!
You're very welcome!
Wonderful lecture ! Thanks !
Your science videos are my favourite ❤
I am so glad people like them. They are such a labor of love. 🥰
I’m sharing this with all of my science loving friends!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Now we can see how important it is for people to learn some science, even if they are not going to work in those areas: we need those knowledge to make good choices to protect ourselves and others. Hopefully we will not get to the points that only PhDs can protect themselves.
Thanks for this accessible and horrifying explanation.
You’re… welcome? I’m sorry? 😅😂
@@KristineVike 😄💜
Thank you
Can you do a video on Lyocell, Tencel?
I see many children clothing producers now use "bionic finish eco" on their products instead. Bit I can't find any information on what it actually IS. Do you know if it's just something similar?
That is exactly the problem, isn't it? If something is just advertised as *not* being this other thing, that has me suspicious right away. The culture of industrial secrets are still a big problem when it comes to transparency.
❤
Mange takk
Can pfas leach into skin
I have to wear a terrible polyester uniform shirt. 😭
Could these pollutants have a similar long-term effect on the current generations brain development, similar to lead poisoning ( and other unknown, at the time, toxins) issues that the boomers and post industrial revolution generations are now exhibiting in older age?
I have seen little mention of brain development specifically in the articles I’ve read, but since hormones and hormone disruption affects the whole body to varying degrees, it would not be unlikely. The phrases they use are typically “fetal development”, “sexual development”, “puberty” and the like, of which the brain is certainly a central part.
Being peri-menopausal (on top of ADHD) I can 100% attest that hormonal imbalance has an adverse effect on the brain. I really don’t think it matters at what stage of life you are. 😔
it s quite a no-brainer, actually.....
Just in time for me to have to buy a new waterproof wintercoat 🥲too bad that all the coats I find that are pfc free don’t say what they are coated with. I’ve worn my old coat to death though, so I do really need a new one
Trust me, I am not trying to shame anyone for needing to do what they need to do. Much as I wish we were given better options and more transparent information. :)
@@KristineVike haha I understand, I just also wish we had a known better option instead of ‘it is not pfc, so it might be better, equal or worse’
Try buying a coat secondhand if you can. Then chances are it will have less of the chemicals still on it and also you save money.
@@CampingforCool41 This + you can wax your jackets to get them wafterproof. A mix of 10-15 % beeswax + parrafin wax works great, you can also buy ready-made wax from Fjällräven for example. (Parrafin is unfortunately made from petroleum, maybe it could work with linseed oil instead)
@@satori4183I make my own waterproofing wax and currently am making my way through a bar which is paraffin wax and beeswax. I plan on subsistuting the paraffin wax with soy or coconut wax from an art supplies shop when my existing wax is used up.