For example, groundbreaking studies led by chemist Ruth Benerito at the Cotton Chemical Reactions Laboratory (CCUR's predecessor), starting in the 1950s, gave rise to easy-care,
permanent-press clothing and other consumer-friendly improvements that helped cotton better compete with synthetic fibers, like polyester and nylon.
Cotton is a better material, but conventional cotton is grown using a large number of chemicals, and is bleached and treated with chemical dyes, color fixers,
permanent-press and stain- and water-repellent finishes.
He said the uniform goes through a
permanent-press treatment that gives the blouse sleeves and trouser legs permanent creases.
Embalmers, laboratory workers, and textile workers making
permanent-press fabrics are the most highly exposed, but wood industry workers are also high on the list.
One of the most common VOCs is formaldehyde, which is used in glues and is added to paints as a preservative and to upholstery to make it
permanent-press. According to the U.S.
"The
permanent-press treatment eliminates the need for ironing, and home washing can save an airman from $180 to $240 in laundry costs over the course of a year."
Whirlpool's list of appliance innovations is long: the first automatic washer, a clothes dryer that sensed when clothes were dry enough, foam insulation for refrigerators and freezers, appliance design by computer simulation, solid-state electronic controls, washers and dryers designed to launder
permanent-press garments properly, a household trash compactor, and food handling and personal hygiene systems for the Mercury, Apollo and Space Lab programs--to name just a few of the most significant innovations (1-4).
Use the cooler
permanent-press cycle, which takes advantage of residual heat.
The new uniforms are made of
permanent-press fabric.
Permanent-press materials: Last year, Battelle researchers reported that
permanent-press clothing and drapes, as well as wet fingernail hardeners and polishes, release unexpectedly high levels of potentially toxic vapors.
The method resembles that used to give fabrics a
permanent-press finish by binding resin to cotton.