Leather chemicals

[Guest guest]

As far as I know , curing leather using natural products (e.g.

vegetable tannins etc ) is no longer the fashion , at least where all

the big scale companies are concerned . The info I have here is based

on American findings , but apparently over 95% of leather is chrome-

tanned , even though all wastes containing chromium are considered

hazardous.In the tanning process they use formaldehyde , coal tar

derivatives ,oils and dyes etc , some which are cyanide based.Tannery

effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants such as

acids + sulfides and US studies have shown high levels of cyanide +

formaldehyde in water near tanneries - linked to higher incidences of

leukemia and cancers.Anyway , I'm not trying to start an argument and

although I am concerned about green issues , it was basically the

animal issue that was the deciding factor when I turned

vegan. Ashley

[Guest guest]

vegan-network, ash@g... wrote:

> As far as I know , curing leather using natural products (e.g.

> vegetable tannins etc ) is no longer the fashion , at least where

all

> the big scale companies are concerned . The info I have here is

based

> on American findings , but apparently over 95% of leather is chrome-

> tanned , even though all wastes containing chromium are considered

> hazardous.In the tanning process they use formaldehyde , coal tar

> derivatives ,oils and dyes etc , some which are cyanide

based.Tannery

> effluent also contains large amounts of other pollutants such as

> acids + sulfides and US studies have shown high levels of cyanide +

> formaldehyde in water near tanneries - linked to higher incidences

of

> leukemia and cancers.

 

 

Thats some pretty nasty stuff there! as you say the large scale

industrialisation of what has for centuries been carried out on a

sustainable and fairly ecologically benign level has all gone haywire

as the tendrills of capitalism (or is it post capitalism these

days??) imposes it's 'big is best' (and fuch the environment)

ideaology...

 

But i still stand by my original position that the processes involved

in growing/processing/transporting cotton or manufacturing

petrochemical based clothing are no less unsustainable/polluting.

 

 

>Anyway , I'm not trying to start an argument

 

Not arguing, just exploring other viewpoints and ideas...

 

and

> although I am concerned about green issues , it was basically the

> animal issue that was the deciding factor when I turned

> vegan.

 

sometimes however trying to adopt a more holistic view rather than

focussing on a single issue perspective can lead to alot of

contradictions and dichotomys that need to be explored, but probably

never ever fully resolved...

 

" There are no easy answers " as somebody or other once said......

 

Cheers, graham