So why are you even blogging about this, you ask? I'm glad you asked. I work in a dental office where I wear scrubs and a lab jacket. I wash my scrubs at home, and my employer pays for everyone's lab jackets to be picked up weekly, dry-cleaned, and returned to us. I have been wearing these jackets for almost 2 years. This is the first time in my life that I have regularly worn anything dry-cleaned.
I have been noticing a trend for the last year or so: all of us complain regularly about having headaches at work. I know what you're thinking: DUH. You're at work. However, I consider myself majorly blessed to love what I do and to love even more the people I work with. So I don't feel so much "stress" at work simply from being at work. I thought maybe it was a product I used there? Then I realized I temp at other offices where the same products are used, and I don't get a headache. But I am wearing a jacket laundered from my own home. It's the only major difference I can find on my non-headache work days.
I have decided to stop sending my jackets to the dry cleaners. I brought a jacket home last night to wash in my washing machine. I washed it once. I opened the lid. Soap was weirdly stuck to it and would not wash off. I had to put that jacket through the rinse cycle 3 times before it rinsed correctly. I washed it again for good measure. Yuck. I will update in a few weeks and let you know if this makes a difference! Some of my co-workers are going to try this with me and I will give you their input as well.
So that's just my personal experience. Here's the facts, Jack!
Dry cleaning uses chemicals that are not water soluble to "clean" the clothes. The most commonly used one is called Perchloroethylene, or perc for short. This volatile organic compound is not removed from your clothes. You continue to wear it after your clothes have been dry-cleaned. Amongst other things, it can cause skin irritation, dizziness, and -GASP- headaches!
I looked perc up on the OSHA (agency that protects workers) website and this is what it said:
There is some evidence of an association between perc and increased risk of certain cancers in dry cleaning workers exposed for many years. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has designated perc a "potential occupational carcinogen." The National Toxicology Program has designated it as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen." The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has designated perc as a "probable human carcinogen."
Those of you who work in the medical field are familiar with an MDSD sheet. It basically gives you all the information you need to know about a chemical. I looked up the MSDS on perc and found:
KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT, SPARKS, FLAME. DO NOT GET IN EYES, ON SKIN, ON CLOTHING. AVOID BREATHING VAPOR. KEEP IN TIGHTLY CLOSED CONTAINER. USE WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. WASH THOROUGHLY AFTER HANDLING.
Anyone else find the irony in "do not get on clothing?!"
Also, our friends in California may not be as fruity and nutty as we like to think, according to The Las Angeles Times:
In 2007, the California Air Resources Board adopted the Airborne Toxic Control Measure to phase out dry cleaners' use of perchloroethylene, or perc, by 2023.
The good new is that there are alternatives to perc. Eco friendly dry cleaners are using materials better for you and the environment. If you can find one that uses Liquid CO2, that's even better! It's safer for you, gentler on your clothes, and there is no risk of groundwater contamination! You can go to nodryclean.com to find one nearest you.
It is recommended that if you must dry clean, unwrap the clothes from the package and hang them outside or in your garage to degas. Studies have shown that levels of perc stay in your home for a couple of days. (again, see MSDS sheet's "avoid breathing vapor.")
So that's change #1. No more percolating. :) I'll tell you what we ARE using to clean our clothes in the next post!
Laura
I have been noticing a trend for the last year or so: all of us complain regularly about having headaches at work. I know what you're thinking: DUH. You're at work. However, I consider myself majorly blessed to love what I do and to love even more the people I work with. So I don't feel so much "stress" at work simply from being at work. I thought maybe it was a product I used there? Then I realized I temp at other offices where the same products are used, and I don't get a headache. But I am wearing a jacket laundered from my own home. It's the only major difference I can find on my non-headache work days.
I have decided to stop sending my jackets to the dry cleaners. I brought a jacket home last night to wash in my washing machine. I washed it once. I opened the lid. Soap was weirdly stuck to it and would not wash off. I had to put that jacket through the rinse cycle 3 times before it rinsed correctly. I washed it again for good measure. Yuck. I will update in a few weeks and let you know if this makes a difference! Some of my co-workers are going to try this with me and I will give you their input as well.
So that's just my personal experience. Here's the facts, Jack!
Dry cleaning uses chemicals that are not water soluble to "clean" the clothes. The most commonly used one is called Perchloroethylene, or perc for short. This volatile organic compound is not removed from your clothes. You continue to wear it after your clothes have been dry-cleaned. Amongst other things, it can cause skin irritation, dizziness, and -GASP- headaches!
I looked perc up on the OSHA (agency that protects workers) website and this is what it said:
There is some evidence of an association between perc and increased risk of certain cancers in dry cleaning workers exposed for many years. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has designated perc a "potential occupational carcinogen." The National Toxicology Program has designated it as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen." The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has designated perc as a "probable human carcinogen."
Those of you who work in the medical field are familiar with an MDSD sheet. It basically gives you all the information you need to know about a chemical. I looked up the MSDS on perc and found:
KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT, SPARKS, FLAME. DO NOT GET IN EYES, ON SKIN, ON CLOTHING. AVOID BREATHING VAPOR. KEEP IN TIGHTLY CLOSED CONTAINER. USE WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. WASH THOROUGHLY AFTER HANDLING.
Anyone else find the irony in "do not get on clothing?!"
Also, our friends in California may not be as fruity and nutty as we like to think, according to The Las Angeles Times:
In 2007, the California Air Resources Board adopted the Airborne Toxic Control Measure to phase out dry cleaners' use of perchloroethylene, or perc, by 2023.
The good new is that there are alternatives to perc. Eco friendly dry cleaners are using materials better for you and the environment. If you can find one that uses Liquid CO2, that's even better! It's safer for you, gentler on your clothes, and there is no risk of groundwater contamination! You can go to nodryclean.com to find one nearest you.
It is recommended that if you must dry clean, unwrap the clothes from the package and hang them outside or in your garage to degas. Studies have shown that levels of perc stay in your home for a couple of days. (again, see MSDS sheet's "avoid breathing vapor.")
So that's change #1. No more percolating. :) I'll tell you what we ARE using to clean our clothes in the next post!
Laura
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