Environment Tips: Perfluorooctanoic Acid

: Image via Wikipedia

As in all of life, hiking and backpacking have their conundrums and ironies.

We as hikers and backpackers love the outdoors and we want to preserve the environment, but there are aspects of hiking and backpacking that are detrimental to the very environment we seek to preserve. Therefore, it is important that we pass environment saving environment tips to one another.

A problem that we as green and responsible wilderness visitors run up against is harmful chemicals in hiking equipment and clothing. To wit: PFOA, and that stands for perfluorooctanic acid.

Used for waterproofing of both leather and fabric clothing (source), this chemical is carcinogenic and non-biodegradable. It is used widely by manufacturers of outdoor clothing as a water repellant.

So, what can you do to avoid this unpronounceable chemical? Well, maybe you can’t avoid it altogether, but there are some things you can do to reduce its negative impact on human life and on the environment.

Here’s a list of some things you can do personally to help.

SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP

1. Buy fewer goods. Before buying, ask yourself if you really need the piece of equipment that you so covet. Be a restrained consumer.

2. Purchase multi-purpose equipment any time you can. Adopt some of the principles of ultralight backpacking.

3. Buy used equipment.

4. Seek out companies that will take your old equipment in trade to be recycled. Keep your worn out gear out of the landfill.

5. Rent equipment.

6. Invest in durable quality. Such a practice is economical in the long run and results in fewer purchases.

7. Look for clothes made of recycled plastic to replace nylon. You’ll be doing the environment and your grandchildren a huge favor by keeping plastic bottles out of landfills. You will also help to mitigate the deleterious environmental effects of manufacturing nylon. This manufacturing process produces greenhouse gases hundreds of times as potent as carbon dioxide.

Hike responsibly. Hike for fun. And pass on important environment tips.

by Richard Davidian, Ph.D.

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