RE: fiber glass/asbestos

["Richards, Elizabeth" <elizabeth.richards@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Glass Fiber when spun to be used in draperies results in a yarn that is very
brittle.  Flex resistance is poor and even repeated rubbing against a window
sill will cause the fibers to break.  It was used initially in draperies
because it was inheriently flame resistant.  As other flame resistant fibers
came on the market (modacrylic and polyvinyl chloride) glass fibers were no
longer used in draperies  Workers in factories/sewing rooms were not always
protected from the breakage of the fibers when handling the fabrics in
sewing the draperies.  Workers should have been wearing masks to prevent
inhailation of glass particles.

If glass fibers are washed in a home type washing machine, small glass
fibers break off from the fabric/yarns, and in the washing process and
spinning cycles will deposit between the outer tub and the inner tub.  In
future washings the fibers then redeposit back into the clothing being
washed.  I don't think there is anything you can do to completely remove the
fibers. In the past consumers were warned never to wash glass fiber curtains
in their home washing machines. The redeposited fibers cause other clothing
to be itchy and a red rash(?) will result on the skin from the irritation by
the fiber ends.  (Interesting, if you wash the fabrics in a bath tub it is
relatively easy to get them clean as the dirt doesn't penetrate the fibers
and it's easy to rinse the tub.)

You could tell if the fibers were glass by looking at them under the
microscope and comparing what you see with photomicrographs.  Asbestos fiber
looks quite different than glass fiber.  In a burning test neither will burn
nor support combustion. 

I have not heard of asbestos being used in draperies because the fibers are
very short and would have be blended with something else to have the
flexibility that draperies require.  (Think of the ironing board covers and
oven mitts that used to be made of asbestos.) 

Dr. Elizabeth Richards
Professor, Department of Human Ecology
3-39 Human Ecology Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada  
T6G 2N1
Phone:  780 - 492-9480  Fax:  780-492-4821