Study finds hazardous PFCs are widespread in outdoor equipment.

So all these wp coatings are killing us???

What should I expect to die from now? And what will be the first symptoms… just so I know…

Gee… glad I bought several cans of it to spray on to my rain jackets… and in the air i breathe while doing it…  :)

Billy

I did not see a link to the study in the article. Although they have other links, not one to the study. I am suspicious of the use of the term “traces”.

Using my critical thinking cap, I think this article may lack the necessary evidence to support the claim that “Your sleeping bag may be toxic”.

Let’s not forget that toxicity depends on many factors.

I have come to the conclusion that the only safe thing on the planet is pop corn.

It IS a worry.

Read <http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html
for more details. The level of corruption at the corporate level is disturbing.

Cheers
EDIT: link fixed – RNC

And yet consumers demand it … As flurocarbon DWR is still the longest lasting

sure theres nikwax, but tests have shown those to wear out faster, which means reapplying it more often

Even patagucci isnt moving away from flurocarbons quite yet despite their often touted “green credentials” … Theres nothing as effective to replace it with

It should also be noted that weve mostly moved away from the c8 flurocarbons to the c6 with a corresponding decrease in DWR durability

The current aftermarket flurocarbon additives are also bluesign certified (grangers)

;)

As that is the study from last year, here a link to the latest report.

“I have come to the conclusion that the only safe thing on the planet is pop corn.”

Sorry, nope…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/the-chemical-marketplace_b_1943728.html

“Last month a jury in Colorado awarded 59-year-old Wayne Watson $7.2 million from three companies for damages caused by microwave popcorn. The reason? In 2007 Mr. Watson contracted a rare but serious lung disease, in which inflammation and scarring block airways, severely restricting air flow, as in Watson’s case, by as much as 60 percent. This disease, called bronchiolitis obliterans, is irreversible and, when it becomes life-threatening, the only treatment is a lung transplant.

What’s the popcorn connection? As Watson’s lawyers successfully argued, their client’s bronchiolitis oblitereans had been caused by eating and, more specifically,inhaling the vapors from microwave popcorn.”

Yes… it has been known for many years now that microwaving popcorn produces toxic substances…. Google it…

billy

Roger… that link did not work…

billy

Thanks Billy – link is now fixed. Just some junk at the end. – RNC

Microwave popcorn isn’t popcorn, its industrial waste.

Best option is an air popper. But using safe oil and no chemical laced topping, pop corn is healthy. I enjoy popcorn so much, I bought this appliance.

Even non-microwave popcorn isn’t safe. You could choke on it. You probably could put an eye out with it. You could crack a tooth on an unpopped kernel. We’re doomed.

Back to the OP’s point, I wonder how much exposure to C8 toxicity some of us suffer from eating food every day cooked in non-stick cookware compared to a few weeks a year sleeping in our backpacking quilt.

I don’t use non-stick cookware, you can’t but stoves and other stuff in them unless you wrap them in something, which of course is extra weight.

I don’t know how long we have had this C8 stuff in our gear. But I’ve been backpacking for over 50 years and feel great.

Seems like a lot of these organizations want us to go back to wearing animal skins and cooking over fire – get rid of all our technological advances.

Wait… fire causes pollution and PETA says we can use animals for anything. Sigh, we’re doomed.

To me this article was heavy on inflammatory statements and light on facts.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html

I will repost that link just to reiterate that everyone should read it. C8 & PFCs are certainly worrying. And yes we certainly all have some level of it in our bodies. The story is really astounding.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/ski-clothing-waterproof-pfoa-pfcs-perfluourochemicals-health-risks

I’m sorry about Wayne Watson contracting a serious lung disease but be rewarded money over overconsumption of “terrible food” (being microwave popcorn) is absolutely ridiculous, as we may already know. As a consumer, I take a risk consuming certain products that may or may not be hazardous to myself. Wayne Watson and his lawyers are leaching scumbags IMHO. Have some respect for yourself and stop eating like crap.

why else would the Houdini be so amazing.

Seems like everything is bad for you. It’s sad. I’m gong walking, that’s still good for me.

Just curious, what sort of sleeping bags would have such chemicals?  Does Pertex Shield contain them?  Regular nylon taffeta?  Hydrophobic down treatment?

Everything with a fluor-carbon bond has them: ePTFE-based things like e.g. GTX, eVent, …; most DWR’s;…, if there is no such bond …

Does Pertex Shield have these ? Not that I know, but the DWR on stuff with Shield might.

If it beads WATAH, itll likely have …

• encapsulation like epic
• wax based treatment
• c6 flurocarbon

chances are its the latter

theres a reason why that paragon of enviroweenies, patagucci, still uses flurocarbons

because despite the nikwax propaganda, nothing works as well

;)

I guess hydrophobic-treated down would have it.  Gore-Tex, eVent, Pertex Quantum, and Schoeller Nanosphere as well.

Not sure about Shield, but this article sort of implies it:  https://backpackinglight.com/00139-2/

That Shield never came to the market. That was supposed to be a DWR; the Shield you see everywhere is a waterproof thing.

Because the hydrophobic down is just down with a DWR it might have it or not (depends on the treatment as there are at least 5 hydrophobic down treatments).