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So I finally got to Chinatown to stock up on those little flat
"kung fu" Chinese shoes I use when the proprietors of stores
and trade-show halls fail to understand the benefits of barefoot.
They're cheaply made and wear out after a while, but they're
about the only thing that's flat enough to fit in my *pocket*
when I'm walking around not wearing them. And they're relatively
cheap.
.
But with a new stock of 5 pairs sitting around in a plastic
bag for a couple of days, it really hits when I finally take them
out: a strong smell like tar. The cheezy rubber soles are likely
made from petroleum-based materials and still outgas quite a
bit for a while after their manufacture. It would not surprise
me that there's plenty of oil and various VOCs going into the
manufacture of goods like this, possibly disguised a little
less carefully coming from China. Since stuff like this isn't
strictly geared toward the whole american market, there's likely
less attention paid toward the chemistry of these things or
its possible effects on the environment.
.
And they don't outgas forever, just fairly strongly when new.
It's "new car smell" for my feet, or something. Eww.
.
_H*