Undies that may never need changing
By Robin Yabb
June 16, 2004
FOR those who feel weighed down by piles of laundry, it could be a godsend.
Scientists have developed a fabric which cleans itself - raising the possibility of shirts that can be worn to work day after day and underwear that never needs changing.
It echoes the plot of the 1951 Ealing comedy The Man In The White Suit, in which Alec Guinness played a scientist who invents a fabric that never gets dirty or wears out.
He faces angry opposition from both textile workers, who fear his discovery will cost them their jobs, and factory owners, who are worried that it will dent their profits.
They take him prisoner to stop word of his discovery leaking out and chase him through the streets when he escapes.
Experts predict, however, that the Hong Kong-based researchers behind this invention will get a more positive reaction.
"I know a number of garment manufacturers that are interested in self-cleaning fabrics," said Andy Garland, of the Institute of Nanotechnology, an umbrella body that provides a link between academics and industry.
The technology hinges on the use of an ultra-thin layer of titanium dioxide, a natural chemical compound used in toothpastes, foodstuffs and sunscreen, as a coating for cotton. When exposed to sunlight, a reaction is triggered in the titanium dioxide nanoparticles - which are 2500 times thinner than a human hair - causing them to react with oxygen in the air and create an "oxidising agent" which breaks down dirt, micro-organisms and pollution into water and carbon dioxide.
In the research, Dr John Xin and Walid Daoud, of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, dipped cotton patches into a liquid slurry of titanium dioxide for 30 seconds, patted them dry and heated them to 97C in an oven for 15 minutes.
They then left them in boiling water for three hours to complete the formation of the coating, says a report on the website of the journal Nature.
The inventors admit that the day when self-cleaning clothes hit the shops may still be some years away.
But the use of similar technology to produce self-cleaning windows suggests that the prospect is a real one.
In the News IV
Bobcat Bites Woman Who Thought It Was House Cat
Woman May Need Rabies Shots
A woman in Brevard County, Fla., will likely need rabies shots after a bobcat she mistakenly thought was a house cat bit her in her home, according to Local 6 News.
Officials said Cheryle Swink found what appeared to her to be an ordinary stray cat near her home in Mims, Fla., and brought it inside.
The bobcat then bit Swink.
Local 6 News reported that she then put the bobcat in a box. When her husband came home he realized that it was a bobcat and the pair called animal control officers.
The bobcat had to be put to sleep so it could be checked for rabies.
The woman said she was willing to get rabies shots so the animal could be kept alive.
Woman May Need Rabies Shots
A woman in Brevard County, Fla., will likely need rabies shots after a bobcat she mistakenly thought was a house cat bit her in her home, according to Local 6 News.
Officials said Cheryle Swink found what appeared to her to be an ordinary stray cat near her home in Mims, Fla., and brought it inside.
The bobcat then bit Swink.
Local 6 News reported that she then put the bobcat in a box. When her husband came home he realized that it was a bobcat and the pair called animal control officers.
The bobcat had to be put to sleep so it could be checked for rabies.
The woman said she was willing to get rabies shots so the animal could be kept alive.
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Man sets his pants and workplace afire
Furniture shop employee's act baffles manager
Roman Gokhman
When he reports back to work, he will no doubt have some explaining to do.
An employee at a furniture manufacturing business off Loma Rica Road decided Friday night to see what would happen if he held a lighter to his pants - which were saturated with a highly flammable chemical.
The result was his pants, and a part of the building, caught on fire.
No one was seriously hurt in the blaze, which was reported at 11:26 p.m. at Furniture by Thurston, 12250 Charles Drive. The employee suffered minor burns to his legs and was taken to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. He was released the same day.
"He put a lighter to his pants to see if they would ignite, an EMT told me," said Dan Slayton, a Furniture by Thurston business manager. "It just baffles me."
Slayton did not release the name of the employee but described him as a college student in his early 20s.
At the time of the fire, the employee was standing inside a finishing booth where furniture is sprayed with a flammable chemical, Slayton and fire officials said.
"We knew there was a (cigarette) lighter involved," Slayton said, "and this employee was igniting the lighter."
Nevada County Consolidated, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Ophir Hill and Peardale-Chicago Park fire departments responded to the call. The fire was under control in 30 minutes with the help of firefighters and the building's fire sprinkler system. The damage was minimal, Consolidated Capt. Rob Terrassa said.
"The sprinkler system did its job and kept the fire in check until firefighters got there," Terrassa said.
Furniture by Thurston is a commercial furniture manufacturer whose biggest clients are universities and dormitories, Slayton said. Monday, employees were still removing charred furniture debris out of the warehouse.
Somewhat ironically, business owner Lee Thurston has been one of the state's most active lobbyists for reform to California's workers' compensation program for those injured on the job.
It was still unclear Monday whether the employee will retain his job with Furniture by Thurston.
"So far (the employee who started the fire) hasn't reported to me, so I don't know his (job) status," Slayton said. "We will follow all the labor rules."
Furniture shop employee's act baffles manager
Roman Gokhman
When he reports back to work, he will no doubt have some explaining to do.
An employee at a furniture manufacturing business off Loma Rica Road decided Friday night to see what would happen if he held a lighter to his pants - which were saturated with a highly flammable chemical.
The result was his pants, and a part of the building, caught on fire.
No one was seriously hurt in the blaze, which was reported at 11:26 p.m. at Furniture by Thurston, 12250 Charles Drive. The employee suffered minor burns to his legs and was taken to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. He was released the same day.
"He put a lighter to his pants to see if they would ignite, an EMT told me," said Dan Slayton, a Furniture by Thurston business manager. "It just baffles me."
Slayton did not release the name of the employee but described him as a college student in his early 20s.
At the time of the fire, the employee was standing inside a finishing booth where furniture is sprayed with a flammable chemical, Slayton and fire officials said.
"We knew there was a (cigarette) lighter involved," Slayton said, "and this employee was igniting the lighter."
Nevada County Consolidated, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Ophir Hill and Peardale-Chicago Park fire departments responded to the call. The fire was under control in 30 minutes with the help of firefighters and the building's fire sprinkler system. The damage was minimal, Consolidated Capt. Rob Terrassa said.
"The sprinkler system did its job and kept the fire in check until firefighters got there," Terrassa said.
Furniture by Thurston is a commercial furniture manufacturer whose biggest clients are universities and dormitories, Slayton said. Monday, employees were still removing charred furniture debris out of the warehouse.
Somewhat ironically, business owner Lee Thurston has been one of the state's most active lobbyists for reform to California's workers' compensation program for those injured on the job.
It was still unclear Monday whether the employee will retain his job with Furniture by Thurston.
"So far (the employee who started the fire) hasn't reported to me, so I don't know his (job) status," Slayton said. "We will follow all the labor rules."
LAPORTE, Ind. (AP) - A 78-year-old woman tired of squirrels raiding her bird feeder got out her shotgun to kill the critter, but instead accidentally shot and injured herself. Alberta Jones loaded her 16-gauge shotgun Sunday and carried it with the barrel pointed down to the back door to take aim, police said. The gun accidentally discharged, police said, and shotgun pellets ricocheted off the floor.
Both of her legs were struck by the pellets, and one in her knee required surgery Tuesday to remove.
Her hospital condition was not available Tuesday evening.
"I've tried everything to shag them away, and they keep coming back," Jones said of the squirrels after the incident.
Conservation officer Jerry Shepherd with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said it is not squirrel season, and that hunting game out of season is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine. Authorities are not pressing charges.
Jones vowed to keep shooting at squirrels and using firecrackers - as she has done several times before - to discourage them from getting into her bird feeder. She also shoots groundhogs and other animals she considers a nuisance.
"My neighbors call me Annie Oakley," she said.
Both of her legs were struck by the pellets, and one in her knee required surgery Tuesday to remove.
Her hospital condition was not available Tuesday evening.
"I've tried everything to shag them away, and they keep coming back," Jones said of the squirrels after the incident.
Conservation officer Jerry Shepherd with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said it is not squirrel season, and that hunting game out of season is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine. Authorities are not pressing charges.
Jones vowed to keep shooting at squirrels and using firecrackers - as she has done several times before - to discourage them from getting into her bird feeder. She also shoots groundhogs and other animals she considers a nuisance.
"My neighbors call me Annie Oakley," she said.
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