While you are sleeping

History is full of wonderful discoveries that turned out to be totally not wonderful.

At the time they seem good because they grant us some advantage we didn’t have before. Asbestos gave us a low-cost, weather-proof building material called “fibro”, and so on.

Skilled scientists working in the laboratories of multi-national corporations have come up with a multitude of such inventions. Almost invariably there is some potentially terrible side effect, however the man-made product is deemed to be safe, as long as the dosage is kept within certain limits. Commerce is now run by corporations with massive vested interests in convincing the authorities that it’s okay to poison us, just a little bit at a time.

In the textiles industry, it is highly advantageous to use copious amounts of Formaldehyde, because it’s cheap and it makes the fabrics soft and wrinkle-free. What happens is that the mills use all sorts of chemicals to process the yarn into fabric, making it hard, so they then soften it with Formaldehyde. It’s a double whammy two wrongs don’t make a right situation.

There are simply no controls over the amount of chemicals used in the textile products coming into Australia. It is left to the importing corporation to do their “independent testing and spot checks”. Little wonder so many people get sick wearing cotton clothing and sleeping in so-called cotton sheets.

Even if the amount of Formaldehyde were controlled in textiles, the stuff is used in a wide range of home and building products as well. It easily becomes volatile (airborne), especially when exposed to bodily heat. It is cumulative and very difficult to eliminate from the body.

Here is an abridged version of what wiseGEEK has to say about it’s side effects:

“Among the acute effects of formaldehyde exposure are irritations of the eyes, the nose, and the throat. When exposed to the compound for an appreciable length of time, the throat may feel raw and sore. At the same time, the eyes may begin to feel as if there is something grainy resting against each eyeball. Like the throat, the interior area of the nose may begin to feel raw and somewhat sore. Coughing and some trouble breathing may also be present until the individual is removed from the area where the formaldehyde is in use.

With chronic formaldehyde exposure, constant exposure can lead to the development of all the effects of acute exposure, but go far beyond them. Along with irritation of the nose, eyes, and throat, the respiratory system may be negatively impacted, leading to pain when attempting to breathe. If not treated in a timely manner, the exposure can lead to the creation of lesions in the respiratory system and cause damage to the lungs that may or may not be reversible.

There is also some evidence that constant formaldehyde exposure increases the chances of developing certain forms of cancer. In particular, the incidence of lung and nose cancer appears to be significantly higher among people who regularly come in contact with formaldehyde. This has led many countries to establish guidelines that set what is considered a maximum amount of exposure on a daily basis.

The point is that chemicals like Formaldehyde are not necessary for human life. They only confer a commercial advantage on those who exploit it, to the detriment of the unaware consumer – which is most of humanity.

A little bit of something so harmful is not okay. None is okay.

How long will this chemical madness last???

Only as long as we support it…”