The Surprisingly Dangerous Story of Viscose

I hope you enjoy this rayon/viscose deepdive as much as I did researching it. And when I say our hero, Agnès Humbert’s memoirs are *riveting* I really do mean it. Recommended on any TBR. Who would have thought that such an innocous looking fibre in the shops would have such a convoluted and frankly deadly history. Let alone flammable. 💀 Also honorable mention to our queen Doctor Alice Hamilton. The lady absolutely deserves all the accolades. Find me elsewhere: ❤️ Support me on Patreon: 📸 Instagram: 💌 Newsletter (I really enjoy writing these!): More educated rants about the... “challenges“ of the textile industry: Why So-Called Textile Recycling Is An Absolute Disgrace Newspaper clippings taken from References: (1) Humbert, A.; Mellor, B. Resistance: A French Woman’s Journal of the War (Originally “Notre Guerre”); 1946. (2) St. Clair, Kassia. The Golden Thread; John Murray Press, 2019. (3) Rayon - an overview (4) Unit - Chemistry of Fibres, Textiles. (5) Woodhouse, T. Artificial Silk And Its Manufacture; 1922. (6) Hilaire de Chardonnet. US531158A, December 18, 1894. (7) {Fabric of Time: Rayon} Part 1: Early Development. Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage. (8) Hilaire de Chardonnet. Wikipedia (9) Hilaire Bernigaud, count de Chardonnet | Synthetic Fibers, Rayon, Nylon | Britannica. (10) Nitrocellulose | Explosive, Fire-Retardant & Coating Uses | Britannica. (11) The American silk journal. v. 24 (1905). HathiTrust. (12) An Improved Artificial Silk. North Queensland Register. Townsville, Queensland November 20, 1899. (13) Cuprammonium Rayon. Wikipedia; 2023. (14) Rayon. Wikipedia (15) James. Rayon – The Silky Science Experiment. Heddels. (16) Carbon Disulfide. Wikipedia (17) Chemical info for Carbon disulfide. disulfide (18) Blanc, P. D. Fake Silk: The Lethal History of Viscose Rayon; Yale University Press, 2016. (19) Carbon Disulfide | NIOSH | CDC. (20) Corcoran, D. Rayon, an Epidemic of Insanity, and the Woman Who Fought to Expose It. Undark Magazine. (21) Kotseva, K.; Braeckman, L.; De Backer, G.; Bulat, P.; Vanhoorne, M. Cardiovascular Effects in Viscose Rayon Workers Exposed to Carbon Disulfide. Int. J. Occup. Environ. Health 2001, 7, 7–13. (22) Ayache, A. Viscose: The Ugly Side To Your Pretty Clothes - The Ethicalist. (23) Hoskins, T. H&M, Zara and Marks & Spencer Linked to Polluting Viscose Factories in Asia. The Guardian. June 13, 2017. (24) Is Viscose Really Better For The Environment – Great Plains Conservation Safari Boutique. (25) CanopyStyle - Canopy. , (26) Chemical info for 4-Methylmorpholine N-oxide. N-oxide (27) Lyocell. Wikipedia (28) TUE; May, 30; 2023 - 07:00. Planet has enough clothes to dress the whole world for the next 100 years. echo live. (29) Valle, G. D. Clothing companies are trashing unsold merchandise instead of donating it. The Outline. (30) Eco-Business. Explainer: Why fast fashion brands destroy unsold clothes. Eco-Business.