The cancer causing cushion🛋️
My foul-smelling cushions and how I did a great reset on them
Reading Substack articles and comments from obvious operatives usually gives me a headache. Don’t know about you but I often need to take a break on the sofa.
First I got a popular Yogibo bean bag chair. Smelled great in the showroom.
But these things REALLY REEK!
WTF do they put in these cushions?
Yogibo cushions are filled with expanded polystyrene foam pellets. This material is lightweight and designed to conform to the body without releasing harmful chemicals. Wikipedia cordaroys.com
No harmful chemicals? It smelled like I was in the Darth Vader chemical factory.
I’ll tell you about styrene toxicity below, first here’s my favorite song about smell:
The Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash smelled like the “Music Industrial Complex” had something to do with it. Maybe another post someday.
I found this site that gave me tips on bean bag smell reduction. Proving I’m not delusional, they even have a photo of a woman pissed at the smell:
Notice that many of these tips will just expose you to MORE smell in the process of getting rid of the smell. Sounds like hanging out with Dr. Bill Gates for a day.
☞Air the Foam
☞Baking Soda Solution
☞Bad Smell of Used Bean Bags
☞Keep your Bean Bag Fresh
☞Wash it Properly
☞Using Vinegar to Remove the Odor
I put in charcoal bags to absorb the smell, I took out the beans bag and left it in the scorching sun for a month last summer, but these fuckers do not give up on their eugenic smell easily.
I decided a Great Reset was in order.
I ditched the Yogibo and bought a Muji brand denim covered cushion. Denim is so chic, how could I go wrong?
There was no smell in the showroom. So what are these beauties made of?
The beads in MUJI cushions are made from polyethylene or polystyrene, which are common materials used for microbead fillings. These materials provide comfort and support while being lightweight.
☞ Does that mean comfort before or after you get sick?
Is polyethylene toxic?
Polyethylene is generally considered safe and is not classified as carcinogenic by major health organizations. However, it may contain potentially toxic manufacturing contaminants like 1,4-dioxane, and some studies suggest it can leach additives under certain conditions. nontoxu.com ewg.org
National Toxicology Program, Department of Health and Human Services:
1,4-Dioxane is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals.
👉Seems I sniffed this one out.
Is polystyrene toxic?
Polystyrene contains styrene [duh], which is classified as a “probable human carcinogen” and has been linked to various health issues. However, regulatory bodies like the FDA have determined that polystyrene is safe for food contact under specific conditions. Chemical Safety Facts cancer.org.au
👉So some of these things are “Toxic under specific conditions”, and some are “Safe under specific conditions”? Sounds like 1984 double speak to me.
Another Reset time!!
This time I decided beans or beads were out of the question and went with polyester pillows. I put so many pillows in the Muji denim cover the lady at the pillow check-out counter blushed and gave me her phone number.
I knew pillows were soft and shouldn’t smell. I mean you have to put your face in them to sleep. Gosh I was so excited until I read this.
To make polyester fabric, petroleum is refined and combined with chemicals and water to create a polymer resin substance.
Some of the many toxic chemicals embedded in polyester include:
☞ Antimony: A known carcinogen.
☞ PFOA: It’s been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and reproductive issues.
☞ Formaldehyde: An irritant that can cause respiratory issues and has also been linked to cancer.
☞ Perfluorochemicals (PFCs): These chemicals have been linked to a range of health issues.
☞ Polyester and other synthetic fabrics can reduce sperm count in men.
👉Pillows and reduced sperm count doesn’t sound like a good mix for young couples.
Elated that I finally got a cushion that didn’t smell, I decided that the polyester enshrined inside the pillow cover which would then be enshrined in the denim cover would be enough! No more Trojan horses allowed in the castle gates.
BTW, none of the carcinogenic or other nasty info I searched up was on the safety data sheets for these chemicals-no surprise- so I wont even bother this post with them.
Here in Japan, the Japanese take pillow advertisements very seriously. This is the actual pillow type I bought (actresses not included). 41 Sec vid at 1.75x speed. The full vid is well over an hour.
Essential translation: “It’s very soft”. No shit huh?
So why was polystyrene so smelly and polyester not so smelly? Seems the styrene beads can release volatile organic compounds, but the polyester fibers are not really breathable.
Polystyrene itself is not classified as a volatile organic compound (VOC), but its production can release VOCs. dec.group buildinggreen.com
Polyester fibers are not naturally breathable, but some polyester fabrics are engineered to improve airflow and moisture-wicking. uniformsolutionsinc.com neatapparel.com
We couldn’t finish this post without finding out who owns Yogibo and Muji.
☞FYI, both of these companies have operations & sales in the US and other countries.
Yogibo is a privately held company, so that’s a dead end. Though the history seems a bit strange.
There was also a reek of globalism on Yogibo’s Wiki page:
In 2019, Yogibo partnered with Lucasfilm and Disney to introduce a Star Wars furniture collection.[10][11]
Muji’s full name is Ryohin Keikaku Ltd. (My unofficial translation: “Quality Goods Planning Inc.”). It’s a large and popular store chain in Japan.
☞You can see it is a company fully inside the bosom of globalism:
This is very interesting. Years ago I used to work quite a bit in the pulp and paper mills in Canada. There is a lot of fiberglass piping in the bleach plant areas that handle the corrosive nature of the bleached pulp stock. There is no specific issue from the fibreglass, until you cut it,with the dust and such, but when they have to do maintenance on the fibreglass piping and mix the resin used “weld” the fibreglass, the fumes from the resin combine with the chlorine vapour in the mill and it creates styrene gas. This was explained to me by the chemical engineer on site. The styrene was brutal! I remember distinctly telling coworkers that if your eyes begin to water, look for a door out and get your respirator on because the gas is not far behind. It would literally take your breath away, and if you weren’t prepared would knock you down. Thats how toxic and fast the short term effects were. There’s not many guys left that I worked with back then that haven’t succumbed to cancer or are battling it now. I touch wood every day as I am still around, alive and as well as someone can be these days lol. So when it’s purposely put into pillow and furniture stuffing, there can be only one reason, culling. Now the voc’s are present everywhere in a household, from the carpets to the febreeze spray and laundry pods.
Apologies for the long winded comment, but thought it relevant.
''The Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash smelled like the “Music Industrial Complex” had something to do with it. Maybe another post someday.''
Please do.