Here’s another one of these nasty and unhealthy little
secrets that surround global clothing manufacturing. Natural fibers can be grown organically and garments
can then be manufactured according to emerging organic guidelines but when the
garments are shipped internationally from the garment manufacturer to a
distributor or retailer, the garments might become tainted during shipping
from pesticides intended to prevent insects, rodents, fungi, nematodes, and various
disease causing organisms from accidentally being imported in the shipping
materials along with that beautiful organic cotton shirt or merino wool jacket. The most likely culprit in the lineup of
usual suspects is Methyl Bromide – aka MeBr, MB,
bromomethane, Brom-o-Gask Embafume, Haltox and Zytox.
By the early 1990’s, methyl bromide was one of the top five
most widely used pesticides in the world and was used by farmers prior to
planting to destroy all fungus, nematodes, micro-organisms, insects, and weeds
in the soil. The theory was that this
chemically scorched earth policy would then provide a sterile medium into which
farmers could plop seeds free from any “foreign” intruders. Of course, the farmers must liberally add
synthetic fertilizers so that the seeds would have some nutrition for the
tomatoes, strawberries and bell peppers to grow. After these nutrition-less, cardboard veggies
were harvested, they would then be gassed with methyl bromide again during
packaging for shipping to protect them from pesky insects. Imported foods were routinely gassed with
methyl bromides to protect American soil from being contaminated by foreign
insects. Methyl bromides were also
generously used to fumigate homes and buildings to eradicate termites, insects
and rodent infestations.
Methyl bromide is also very toxic to humans and
animals. At room temperatures in low
concentrations, it is a colorless, odorless gas. At high concentrations, greater than 1,000
ppm, it has a musty or fruity odor. Because Methyl bromide is highly toxic and lacks adequate physiological
warning properties, up to 2% chloropicrin is generally added to methyl bromide
gas as a warning agent. Chloropicrin is
a lacrimator that irritates the eyes and causes tearing.
Common initial symptoms from inhaling smaller amounts of methyl
bromide include weakness, despondency, headache, mental confusion, nausea,
vomiting, double vision, tremors, lack of co-ordination and slurred speech.
Repeated mild exposures accumulate and cause skin rashes.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, prolonged and
concentrated exposure to methyl bromide can cause injury to the brain and
nerves, lungs, throat, kidneys and liver. It can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin and contributes to
systemic toxicity and conditions such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. Acute exposure can cause severe chemical
burns of the skin, eyes and airways, and delayed chemical pneumonia which
produces water in the lungs. Overexposure can be fatal and numerous deaths have occurred among farm pesticide
appliers, fumigators applying methyl bromides, and building occupants who
prematurely reentered fumigated building.
A highly effective and toxic fumigant for controlling a wide
variety of pests, methyl bromide was also identified as a contributor to the
depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer and classified as a Class I
ozone-depleting substance. By 1991,
scientific researchers determined that methyl bromide was destroying the ozone
layer at a rate fifty times faster than CFC’s
(ChloroFluoroCarbons manufactured under the trade name Freon). The United Nations, through the Montreal
Protocol, has signatures from more than 160 countries banning methyl bromide by
the year 2015. The Clean Air Act in the U.S.
initiated a phase out period beginning in 1999. The amount of methyl bromides produced and imported in the U.S.
was incrementally reduced until the phase-out was supposed to be complete on January 1, 2005. An allowable
(but not defensible) exception to the ban on methyl bromides is for their use
in fumigating international shipping materials made from wood.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protect Agency (CBP) requires
that all wood packing materials such as pallets, crates and boxes used for
shipments being imported into the United States be heat treated to a minimum
wood core temperature of 56 degrees Celsius (132.8 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30
minutes or be fumigated with methyl bromide. Of course, fumigating with nasty methyl bromide is the preferred method
and far easier than putting wood crates and pallets in a huge oven to be heated
to 133 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Wood is used to help transport 70 percent of cargo shipped around the
world so this requirement has significant impact on global shipping.
Similar requirements are being enforced by many governments around the world
that contend that the requirements are vital to the welfare of the world’s
forests. The United
States adopted quarantine measures to stop
the spread of the Asian long-horned beetles in wood packing material from China.
China, in
return, has requirements for wood packing material from the U.S.
that might harbor the pinewood nematode. The European Union adopted regulations
to control the spread of the nematode from both the U.S.
and China. Any shipments arriving in the United
States with wood packing that has not been
properly treated by heat or fumigation is subject to being immediately returned
to its country of origin.
Most organic clothing manufacturers and distributors who are importing
clothing produced from natural fibers grown to organic agriculture standards
and regulations and manufactured according to organic textile guidelines and
principles will individually wrap garments in plastic and store the plastic
wrapped garments in cardboard boxes before placing them on wooden pallets for
shipping to the U.S. If the shippers
uses wooden pallets recently fumigated with methyl bromide, the pallets will
still be off-gassing the methyl bromide which easily permeates plastic wrapping
and even protective materials such as rubber and leather. The result will be that the garments placed
nearest the wooden pallets can be contaminated by the off-gassing methyl
bromide. This might help explain why
some chemically sensitive people will find some imported organic garments
intolerable and other similar garments in the same shipment to be comfortable
and wearable.
Also, methyl bromide is 3.4 times heavier than air so if there is any free,
off-gassed methyl bromide floating around the hull of a container ship or
airplane cargo hold, it will collect and concentrate at the bottom of the cargo
space where it more likely to contaminate the cargo lower in the shipment. Methyl bromide has also been used to fumigate
the cargo holds in ships and aircraft, especially those used to transport
fruits and vegetables, to eradicate rodents and other pests. For shipments from developing countries where
methyl bromide is still not completely phased out and banned, the use might
still continue to varying degrees. Even
in the U.S.,
methyl bromide is not phased out as the Bush Administration has requested
numerous exemptions because they claim there are not adequate
alternatives. And so the tempo of the
global warming dance picks up.
What is the consumer who wants pure and healthy clothing to do? Here are some options:
-
Buy organic clothing made in the U.S. Shipments within country are not subject to
fumigation. Even clothing purchased from
U.S. Internet companies and shipped to other countries via the mail systems is
safe from warrantless fumigations.
- Ask your organic clothing retailer if their
overseas organic clothing is individually wrapped in protective plastic
bags. Even though methyl bromide can
pass through plastics, the bag will provide some deterrent and will also
protect from other fumes and pollutants emanating from ships, planes and
trucks.
- Take a chance. Our experience has been that only about one in every 30 organic garments
manufactured overseas and shipped to the U.S.
is subjected to levels of chemicals that can be noticed by a chemically
sensitive person and the odds are slowly improving. A growing number of importers are shipping on
heat treated wooden pallets rather than fumigated wooden pallets and the cost
of alternative pallets made from materials which are pest-free is declining
thus making them more cost-effective alternatives.
If you do receive a garment that has gained some bad air, it
is possible to greatly reduce or eliminate the problem. The good news is that gases such as methyl
bromide do not chemically bond with clothing fibers. They just become trapped in air spaces and
washing and airing the clothing will remove the pollutants. Clothing should always be laundered after
purchasing and before wearing. Imagine
the handling and messy environments during manufacturing, shipping, and storage
that your new shirt or skirt has endured before arriving in your home.
If you are machine or hand washing your new organic clothes,
allow the washing machine or sink to fill with cool water, add your favorite
eco-laundry detergent, and allow your new garments to soak for an hour or two
before completing the wash cycle. Dry
the garment appropriately and then allow the garment to air out for a few hours
before wearing or storing in your closet.
People must demand that their governments stop allowing these ecologically disastrous practices. It really is the responsibility of everyone.
Never stop demanding a healthy world.
Michael
LotusOrganics.com
Purely Beautiful & Healthy Clothing