When Washing Rags Creates Toxic Emissions

Shop towels, which are used to wipe up oil, solvents and chemicals, can release toxic chemicals into the air when laundered – but they’re largely unregulated.

Science journalist Barbara Moran, who wrote about the issue in The Hartford Courant, told Here & Now that environmental regulators admitted to her they had missed this problem of solvents from industrial rags and shop towels in industrial laundries.   

"Inspectors were amazed at the fumes."

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/11/26/rags-toxic-emissions

"I'm taking an organic chemistry class. and we use a lot of these chemicals in the lab and we wear goggles and gloves and work under a fume hood and often people get sick anyway and have to leave lab and get some air…."  Barbara Moran.