02848nam 22004815 450 991014863670332120230808200131.0978030022488710.12987/9780300224887(CKB)3710000000918292(MiAaPQ)EBC4728146(StDuBDS)EDZ0001661366(DE-B1597)486058(OCoLC)961456436(DE-B1597)9780300224887(EXLCZ)99371000000091829220200424h20162016 fg engurcnu||||||||rdacontentrdamediardacarrierFake Silk The Lethal History of Viscose Rayon /Paul David BlancNew Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2016]©20161 online resource (326 pages)Previously issued in print: 2016.0-300-20466-3 0-300-22488-5 Includes bibliographical references and index.Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- 1 In the Beginning -- 2 The Crazy Years -- 3 Wrapped Up in Cellophane -- 4 Body Count -- 5 Rayon Goes to War -- 6 The Heart of the Matter -- 7 Rayon Will Be with Us -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- IndexWhen a new technology makes people ill, how high does the body count have to be before protectives steps are taken? This disturbing book tells a dark story of hazardous manufacturing, poisonous materials, environmental abuses, political machinations, and economics trumping safety concerns. It explores the century-long history of "fake silk," or cellulose viscose, used to produce such products as rayon textiles and tires, cellophane, and everyday kitchen sponges. Paul Blanc uncovers the grim history of a product that crippled and even served a death sentence to many industry workers while also releasing toxic carbon disulfide into the environment.   Viscose, an innovative and lucrative product first introduced in the early twentieth century, quickly became a multinational corporate enterprise. Blanc investigates industry practices from the beginning through two highly profitable world wars, the midcentury export of hazardous manufacturing to developing countries, and the current "greenwashing" of viscose as an eco-friendly product. Deeply researched and boldly presented, this book brings to light an industrial hazard whose egregious history ranks with those of asbestos, lead, and mercury.RayonUnited StatesRayon.677.46309Blanc Paul David, authttp://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut1249078DE-B1597DE-B1597BOOK9910148636703321Fake Silk2894756UNINA