Thursday, November 7, 2013

An Example of Pinkwashing

Percha 5
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Late last month - and other times in the past - I've blogged about how much I detest "pinkwashing" and the whole "awareness" scam that we're subjected to, especially in October.  Driving into town last week, I saw a concrete example of how absurd the whole thing is.  On the marquee of a local dry cleaners was a pretty pink ribbon and this statement:  "Help Clean Up Cancer."  Really?  A business that uses cancer-causing chemicals - chemicals that are released into our soil, water, and air and go into the clothes that we wear against our skin - announcing that it's on our side in the so-called war against cancer?  I cry foul - and this proves my point of the lack of substance behind the campaigns.

Chemicals used in the dry cleaning process typically include perchloroethylene, also called "perc," which both the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Academy of Sciences consider a "likely carcinogen."  Other organizations, including the CDC, also have determined it to be likely to cause cancer.  This chemical is the most widely used chemical for dry cleaning, used by 85-90% of dry cleaning operations.  

Let me repeat - dry cleaning chemicals are linked to cancer.  So, how on earth is a dry cleaner helping to "clean up cancer"?

2 comments:

Shona~ LALA dex press said...

they'll dry clean your pretty pink dress that you will wear to the pretty pink charity gala raising money for breast cancer charities.

Have you watched Pink Ribbons, Inc.? It's a Netflix instant watch

Cherie said...

Yes, I did see Pink Ribbons - very eyeopening.