I recently accompanied my family on a rare adventure as a family – to shop for trousers for our sons as they prepare to return to secondary school. Our sons cannot stand the crowded stores so this was a rare treat to be out together in very crowded stores. It is a blessing, however, that they still have to wear “uniforms” to school (not designer clothing), though given that they both are now in their “A” level classes, there is some leeway for brands that will still fit the “uniform” mode.
But back to the purchase of school trousers: as we rummaged through the vast array of what was available. Out of interest I peeked at the label to learn more about the material that these trousers in the school section were made of and where they were produced. What struck me was the fact that they all were made from a “teflon” based material. I have since learned that one of reasons put forward for the use of teflon is that it makes the material tougher and there is no need to do ironing. But having just read through my latest issue of New Internationalist (September 2008) on “Drowning in Plastic”, I was more than conscious of the ways our lives are being ruined by the variety of petro-chemical products, including “teflon”.
Teflon is the trademarked name for Polytetrafluoroethylene , helpfully abbreviatyed as PTFE to avoid hurting our tongues. We need to thank Dr. Roy Plunkett (1938) at the DuPont research laboratories for discovering PTFE. This chemical used to make teflon (which makes things “non-stick”) in its use is considered a “likely carcinogen” (cancer-causing substance) according to some experts. Yet the stuff is not banned. It has taken over our lives, with the mere caveat that producers who use the stuff are obligated to ensure that it does not break down and leak into our lives – be it cooking utensils, pizza boxes, and clothes etc. Can you imagine such irresponsibility? Any science student at secondary school will know that within a few minutes under the heat of the stove, a Teflon coated frying can see the breakdown of the material possibly emitting toxic particles/gases.
Yet, this is not the only place where these deadly non-stick chemicals can be found. They are also there in the school trousers of our children with the promise of durability and stain proof. But, those non-ironing and stainmaster promises are actually deadly for our children as they cover up/carry toxic and cancer-causing chemicals. Whom can we trust to take our interest and well-being at heart? As parents we have been fooled into toxifying our children’s bodies with some scary chemical stuff that can have serious future health consequences (besides the environmental ones). This is not to mention that one may have wait in vain to see grandchildren as the fertility of our children will also be affected. At least there will be no need for contraceptives! While some of us can afford to buy clothing made of organic fibres, I wonder how many parents will be able to do so. My Rasta friend with his jute bag clothing was certainly forward thinking on the matter of generations!
Here is a moral question for government and businesses - for all of us: what consideration do we give to the rights of future generations? Do our present thinking unwittingly contribute to their erasure ? Do the rights of the future generation ever feature our radar screens in our business deals and making of policies?
© copyright Jagessar September 22, 2008
