Pages

Adverse Effects Of Laundering At Dry Cleaners

By Ann Hill


One of the millennia old activities in the household is laundry. Water used to be the only way to get clothes clean. As the times changes, so does the way of doing it. Now, detergents are used to clean it and remove its stains. The new age has popped up dry cleaners Apopka in every corner.

In dry cleaning, there is nothing dry involved. They just do not use water in their process. Instead, they use liquid solvents. Clothes are put inside dry cleaning machine and then get soaked in these solvents. After that, the liquid is drained while the clothes tumble around continuously to dry.

However, there are drawbacks in going to these shops. Not only it is non economical, it is also non environmental. There certain ingredients in the solvents they use that are not good for both the person and the environment.

Money is obviously an issue here. This method is a bit costlier than the regular washing machine people have in their homes and at regular laundry shops. This is because the customer pays for the costly solvent they are using. Though it is being filtered for reuse after each session, it does not erase the fact the solvents are from expensive chemicals.

There is a chemical solvent which is well known in the business. In 1930s, PERC or perchloroethylene is developed as a synthetic and nonflammable solvent. Later on, it was found out that it is a toxic chemical highly affecting the environment and the people living in it.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration have made a statement that contact with the chemical gives people exposed to it a high health risk. It is highly carcinogenic even when people have made little contact, especially if it is not properly dried. There is a temporary symptoms trigger of ailments if mildly exposed.

Adverse effects on health have been found by several scientific studies. It is highly common to employees working closely with the cleaning process. Mild effects are muscle incoordination, visual impairments, skin blisters, and headaches. On the opposite side of the scale, there are development of cancer cells and damage to the nervous system.

Improper disposal and handling of the chemical would result to environmental risks. These risks can spread widely via air, land, and water. Let us take spillage as an example. There on the ground is a single drop of PERC spilled. If left unattended, it will only take moments before it seeps into the soil and reaches the water reserves below. Its odor will fly up into the atmosphere affecting the ozone layer. It can even get an innocent passerby inhale it once the wind carries it away.

A green movement explicitly applied in some shops makes use of liquid carbon dioxide as a solvent to safely clean the clothes. It is safe if it is duly regulated. It should be noted that carbon dioxide is still toxic to people. Higher concentrations of this liquid can cause an acidic and sharp odor. When inhaled, it results to stinging of the nose, dizziness, headaches and even rapid breathing. Skin contacts can create frostbite due to its cryogenic property.




About the Author:



0 التعليقات:

Post a Comment

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More