Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Drawbacks Of Going To Dry Cleaners

By Ann Hill


Household activities did not really change even after more than a millennia. It still includes laundry in its chores. Before, water was their only outlet to use. Now, there are detergents from many brands in the market to remove dirt and stains on clothes. Another method of laundry is the one applied by dry cleaners Apopka.

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.

One known chemical solvent in this business is PERC, short for perchloroethylene. This is a nonflammable and synthetic solvent developed in the 1930s. It was later on discovered that this is a highly toxic chemical that affects the health of a person and the environment.

OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Administration made a statement wherein exposed people have higher risks in their health. Small contacts may even bring these risks because it is highly carcinogenic. Symptoms are temporarily triggered from mild exposure.

Scientific studies have shown several adverse effects it brings to health. Employees are the most common victims of these effects for they work closely with the process. Some effects may be mild such as visual impairments, skin blisters, headaches, and muscle incoordination. On the severe side of the spectrum, there are damages to the nervous system and development of cancer cells.

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.




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