Textile Innovations - Institutional Linen Blog

Imported Incontinence Bed Pads - Hidden Perils

2011-03-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

Labeled Made in China

A "Made in China" label on your reusable incontinence bed pads could mean you are exposing your clients and/or residents to dangerous lead compounds. A bed pad is much more that just "bed linen", your reusable bed pad has a polymer fluid barrier designed to protect the sheets below. If you are using a BC Textile Innovations bed pad, you and your clients can rest assured that we use only "Safe Guard Certified" Canadian vinyl barrier products in all our pads. If your pad is labeled "Made in China" you may be interested in the following facts.

Lead Alert - Fact 1

Lead is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in bone and soft tissue over time. Lead has been shown to permanently reduce cognitive capacity of children at extremely low levels of exposure ... i.e, it causes irreversible brain and nervous system damage. Lead paints were removed from shelves 25 years ago. The EPA banned sale of leaded gasoline in 1996. Lead pigments and stabilizers were phased out in North American barrier fabrics twenty years ago.

Lead Alert - Fact 2

As a direct result of fallout from highly publicized stories of lead paint in Chinese toys and lead in Chinese plastic bibs leading to 2007 recalls at retailers (Walmart and Toys R Us), the US Consumer Products Safety Commission passed a law (USC PIA of 2008) mandating that lead levels in a range of products be reduced to specific levels in 2009 and lower levels through 2011 and that these levels be Chemical Compounds Lets Compare the levels certified by outside laboratories. This has led to panicked retailers returning millions of dollars worth of toys and even baby crib mattresses to suppliers who could not provide certification of these levels of lead and other chemicals.

Lead Alert - Fact 3

Even now, many barriers on pads labeled "Made in China" have been shown to contain lead. Lead compounds are still widely used in China as the most effective and least costly way to stabilize formulations to resist heat degradation during processing and formation of the plastic film or coating. Most pad suppliers simply don't know and cannot control where their pad's barrier is manufactured. Even if they can identify the company or plant where it is manufactured, they still can't be certain that the plastic compound is, or will continue to be lead-free. The plastic manufacturer simply does not have his process or his raw material supply chain under control to the extent to know that his components are lead-free, much less certify that they are, The fact is that the Chinese supplier who is selling these "Made in China" pads to the North American company often purchases the barrier from different manufacturers to fulfill new orders ... the manufacturer who offers the lowest price at that particular time will supply barrier ... or sometimes their barrier "supplier" is not a manufacturer at all, but a broker who may represent multiple plastic manufacturers. Such is the supply-chain in a market where business is won with low prices and profits are made by finding the lowest cost components from an untraceable, unregulated and unreliable base of manufacturers.

Heavy Metals

For various processing and/or manufacturing cost savings, heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and mercury can appear in barrier fabrics used in "Made in China" pads.

Heavy Metals - Fact 1

Cadmium is highly toxic and a known carcinogen. Reduction in the use of cadmium has been driven by not only health and safety concerns but environmental concerns which would lead to further exposure. Cadmium in soil and groundwater from disposal and mining has been found to accumulate in crops and waste incineration risks possible cadmium inhalation which is a more efficient and deadly method for absorption by the body than ingestion.

Heavy Metals - Fact 2

Cadmium compounds were removed from plastic compounding and coloring in North America many years ago. In China, however cadmium stabilizers and pigments (yellow, orange and red) are still prevalent and may be used in barriers in "Made in China" pads. Most of these "Made in China" pad suppliers simply don't know and cannot control where their pad's barrier is manufactured. Even if they can identify the company or plant where it is manufactured, they still can't be certain that the plastic compound is, or will continue to be heavy metal-free. The plastic manufacturers simply do not have control of their process or their raw material
supply-chain to the extent to know that their components are heavy metal-free.

Heavy Metals - Fact 3

Arsenic has been used as a common antibacterial agent due to it's aggressive ability to control microbial growth. The fact that this compound still continues to show up in the barrier portion of bed pads that are designed to be close to the skin is worrisome. Vintex and most North American manufacturers use low toxicity anti-microbial systems which do not contain arsenical compounds.

Heavy Metals - Fact 4

As a consequence of the antiquated technology common in PVC production in China, mercury may be present in some PVC resins made from these processes. Modern North American manufacturing processes assure that no mercury is present in resins polymerized from these facilities.

Phthalate Information

"Phthalates" refer broadly to a group of chemicals (phthalate plasticizers) added to plastics to impart softness and flexibility. These phthalate plasticizers are widely used in formulation of the barriers found in bed pads.

Phthalates - Fact 1

Although based on questionable science, phthalates in general and one in particular (commonly known as DOP) have been implicated as a "potential hazard" based on one high dosage study showing hormonal disruption in rodents. The US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of August 2008 included restrictions of phthalate content along with lead, cadmium and heavy metal restrictions on "toy or child care products" ... with children including ages infant through age 11. These restrictions took effect in February 2009 with the resultant scramble by suppliers of a wide range of plastic products being required to assert phthalate-free status and certification of such in order to comply with their customers' government dictated requirements.

Phthalates - Fact 2

100% of all barriers identified with the "Made in China" label contain phthalates, most of them contain DOP, the most notable Level l phthalate cited by US-CPSIA. Similar to their inability to control lead content (See lead section) Chinese pad suppliers are not in a position to dictate or control plasticizer content from a plastic manufacturer. They may not even be able to identify who their barrier manufacturer is from one container shipment to the next.

Phthalates - Fact 2

More and more health care institutions are concerned with the content and traceability of the products they introduce into their system. When it comes to the health and safety of their employees and the people entrusted to their care, they are choosing to err on the side of caution and, where possible, remove products suspected to pose a potential hazard to people and the environment. The phthalate, and in some cases, all phthalates are increasingly showing up on these institutions' lists of restricted substances. Here is an excerpt from The Environmental Purchasing Policy of one very prominent health care provider: "Our procurement and supply staff is committed to the principles of Environmentally Preferred Purchasing which is defined as, the purchase of products and services whose environmental impacts have been considered and found to be less damaging to the environment and human health when compared to competing products and services"

In Summary

The Chinese production method of PVC resin is predominantly the old acetylene based technology which can use a toxic mercury catalyst. In addition to this, the process has been demonstrated to be far less environmentally friendly and more energy intensive than the current, state of the art North American method (ethylene based). Local environmental impact with Safe Guard's North American suppliers and customers is far less severe than those in China where no EPA or OSHA regulations insure that pollution and workplace
health and safety standards are met. (Safe Guard Barrier manufacturing complies with all (OSHA and Health Canada) regulations, the equivalents of (OSHA and EPA in Canada]. Choosing to use pads with the Safe Guard barrier means none of the lead, cadmium, mercury or other heavy metals in the "Made in China" pad end up in the landfill at the end of the product's useful life. Smaller environmental footprint ... Safe Guard barrier in reusable pads vs disposables launderable reusable pads with the Safe Guard barrier last up to 200 wash/dry cycles. A reusable pad typically does the work of four disposable pads so compare the environmental impact of one pad to that of 800 disposable pads (4 pads x 200 linen sets) ... a 100 bed facility saves 132 cubic yards of landfill space in one year by choosing reusables over disposables. In addition to the landfill volume, consider all the raw materials needed to manufacture disposables... add to that the tons of packaging materials and the added energy used along the way in transportation of new product brought into facilities and disposal
of waste product taken out When you consider the full life-cycle impact on the environment, the most durable reusable option, the Safe Guard pad is the clear choice. More sustainable ... Safe Guard barrier vs other reusable barrier materials The Safe Guard durability is unparalleled among polymers ... Safe Guard PVC barrier far outlasts a polyurethane barrier ... so when disposed of, the Safe Guard barrier pad contributes only a fraction of the waste volume from polyurethane pads to landfill or incinerate. Safe Guard PVC is more energy efficient than other plastics. Because it's resin production uses 56% non-petroleum based feedstocks, it depletes fewer scarce resources than other polymers. Also production is based on natural gas ... the cleanest of the fossil fuels. When PVC is judged on the basis of a scientific study of performance and life cycle based analysis it earns higher sustainability marks than other polymers including "natural" fiber or "bio-based" materials. When products last longer, there are fewer product replacements necessary. The net effect is improved sustainability.

Health Care Facilities - Start-up Requirements

2011-01-31T17:09:00.000-08:00

In this day and age each facility Manager generally wears any number of hats and their time is always at a premium. Especially Managers that are given the task of procuring the supplies to facilitate a new start up facility. I have been very fortunate to be involved in supplying linen and laundry related products to many new start up facilities in the past 25 years. It has been my experience that working closely with the project purchasing manager well in advance of the buildings completion has provided the best formula for success. When a new facility opens its doors to potential new residents (clients) it is very important that the facility has the necessary supplies, staff and procedures in place to reflect a professional appearance and attract these new clients.
If the purchasing manager has a relationship of trust and gets strong support from his/her's suppliers, this can translate into opportunities for the supplier to work as a consultant in the purchasing process. After all, most suppliers have a wealth of knowledge in their field of expertise and are more than willing to go the "Extra Mile" to provide top notch customer service. In Purchasing terms they would call this "consultative value added service". Although it is prudent for Purchasers to seek out competitive pricing on goods and services required for these start up projects, it is also important to attach value to those trusted suppliers that offer tangible, value added service to the process. This type of valued service can save Project Managers both time and money when it comes to start up procurements.

Higher linen Inventory levels can reduce costs

2010-11-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

You might ask; how can spending more of my budget on linen inventory help reduce my overall linen costs? Many Health Care and Hotel facilities who provide laundry processing of their own linen, make the common mistake of not having an adequate inventory level ( or par level as it is referred to in the industry) to maximize the number of cycles their linen can sustain. In large commercial laundries that rent or deliver linen to off-site premises, the correct "Par Level" of inventory is critical to their bottom line. Too much inventory or too little inventory can have extreme affects on their profitability. How does this work? you might ask.

Tip #2
Most linen used in Health Care or Hospitality facilities is made with blended polyester and cotton yarns. The blends can vary from item to item, and in some cases, like terry towels, they would be made with 100% cotton yarns. To understand blends and yarns better, one only has to take a look in the lint tray on their dryers after a load of 100% cotton towels has been dried. Compared with say, a load of sheets, you would find a substantially greater amount of lint from the towels compared to the sheets. This lint is what eventual becomes of most linen products. Once enough of the yarn fibers have fallen out as lint, the linen items are deemed as too thin and are discarded or used as rags. It only makes sense that the more excessive the linting, the lower the life expectancy of the linen item will be.

What causes excessive linting? There can be a number of causes for excessive linting; (see a few common causes listed below)
1. Poor quality Yarns: Many inexpensive sheets and towels use coarser, short length yarns. This type of yarn will tend to lint more than finer, longer yarn fibers.
2. Mechanical Action and Chemicals: Over processing your linen can also cause excessive linting. The use of chemical surfactants and bleaches can reduce the life span of your linen.
3. Low Inventory Levels: If your inventory level of linen is too low it can result in over processing the inventory you have. If you are washing and drying the same linen everyday this will result in excessive linting and reduce the linen life expectancy greatly.

To get the most from your linen and reduce your total linen costs you will have to look at your linen in a different way. Think of your linen products as your team and the cotton fibers as your star players. Both your team and your Star players require rest to preform at the top of their game. In order to maximize your linen's performance, you will need to create a "Par Level" (inventory level) that allows each of your linen items to rest for a 24 hour period before being placed back into service. The basic minimum "Par Level" a facility processing their own linen should maintain is a "3 Par Level". This level will allow you to have 1 set of inventory resting on the shelf, 1 set of inventory in service and 1 set of inventory in the laundry processing. An extra par level can be beneficial, however, even working with the minimum will result in cost savings for your facility.

How to get the most out of your linen.

2010-11-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

After nearly 30 years in the institutional linen business I have experienced nearly every conceivable problem a facility can run into with regards to their linen supply. If your facility is genuinely interested in saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year on linen replacement costs, I will provide you some helpful, cost saving tips in this series of blog posts. For more information about our products visit www.textileinnovations.com

Tip #1

Cheaper linen is not always the answer. It has been my experience as a linen buyer and seller that cheap doesn't exactly mean cheaper. In most cases I have found that with cheap linen, as with most cheap things, it just doesn't stand up as well as quality made products.

Case in point: A large institutional laundry account I serviced wanted to purchase 22x44" White bath towels. I quoted on two different quality products. The cheap one at $1.40 each and the better quality one at $2.10 each. The customer had been using a 22x44" towel that was priced at $1.50 each but found he was only getting 35 washing/drying cycles out of them before they had to be removed from service. $1.50 / 35 = .042 per use. I mentioned to him that our better quality towel had regularly provided customers with a minimum of 55 washing/drying cycles. I pointed out that these towels would provide a lower cost per use than the cheap towels. $2.10 / 55 = .038 per use. He agreed with my methodology and decided to purchase the better quality towel. Not only did he save on a cost per use basis, he also got a pleasant surprise after using the towels for a few months. One end user of the product told him how much she enjoyed using a better quality bath towel and how much softer they were on her skin.

This is a great example of how choosing the right product can not only save your facility money, it can also make you look much better in the eyes of "your customers".