AboutHenry Boyter Expertise No homework or other schoolwork! The question will be rejected. If you have not searched www.google.com, do so before posting. If you are a student, give your grade and course. Everyone, explain the purpose and context for the question.
Experience in the area Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.
Experience Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.
I would be so grateful if you could clarify the following issue for me. Recently I went for a weekend to the coast in Biarritz, France where unfortunately they are still cleaning up from the Prestige Oil slick although the beaches are open. I went for a swim and of course emerged with oil tar on my arms and some got on my clothes from oil residue in the sand as well. They say here that ordinary cooking oil is fine for removing it from skin and shoes and that dry cleaning will remove it from clothes. I had a good scrub down in olive oil but could you please advise me what you would do about the clothes, and maybe even the interior of the suitcase which touched the clothes. Research on google.com says that the analysis of the oil from the Prestige shows that it does contain cancerogenic PAHs including benzapyrene. Is it absolutely certain that dry cleaning will remove 100% of the toxic chemicals from the clothes? Does this kind of substance spread easily eg. microparticles from my bag which was on the sand to car upholstery. Could you give me some comparison, ie, is this similar to putting your bag on the tarmac sidewalk or is this oil slick more dangerous.
I have studied some chemistry, and I simply would feel more comfortable with a "probability" style answer rather than the blanket total reassurance that we get from the authorities, like the Tchernobyl cloud stopping dead in its tracks at the French border!
Many thanks and best regards
Answer A probablity type answer would cost much time and thousands of dollars. A more practical approach is this. THere are no absolutes. You can not remove 100% of anything once it is on your clothes. Do you throw your clothes/shoes away when you spray a bug with Raid, put gas in your car, or step in a drop of oil? No, you take the risk of these types of exposures because you want to live your life with the comfort these activites give you. If you want to be 100% absolutely sure, throw everything away. It is the only way.
On the other hand, you are exposed to carcinogens everyday, with gas pumping being a common way. But there are carcinogens in broccoli and other foods that occur naturally, you take in natural carcinogens with every breath, and you also exhale them with every breath.
If you want a probability, the best anyone can do without thousands of dollars is to say it is very, very low. Probably less than getting struck by lightening. If you want certainty, throw the clothes away.
Henry Boyter, Jr.
PhD Chemist
http://www.itt.edu/staff/boyter/links/index.html
The opinions expressed are those of Dr. Boyter and
are provided for informational purposes only and
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