My early childhood was in an area that was nothing but cotton fields. Our 1971 built suburban subdivision was carved out of a huge cotton farm. My school dozed more of the same farm land my house stood on to build it. Us kids, back in the day, really did have to walk a mile through cotton fields to get to school. That being said, let me tell you what I know about cotton.
Cotton is a very nasty plant. If you look at raw cotton there are dead bugs (among other disgusting things) inside the actual cotton since cotton has no natural resistance to pests. I remember the big semi-trucks coming regularly to drop off what I now know was pesticides. From what I have learned, the cotton crop uses probably more pesticides than any crop on earth per acre. It is about 3% of the worlds crop but uses 25% of the worlds pesticides.
A little disclaimer here, just so you understand where I am coming from. Of the 10 females I grew up with on this land, 7 have had hysterectomies or some type of female cancer before the age of 35. Two more have serious remaining female issues. Three have been unable to bear children. A good half of us have auto-immune diseases as well. I could go on. All of us have children with disabilities, to one degree or another. I can not say how the males turned out since I haven't had contact with any of them since the 80's.
I know a lot of you are saying but I use organic cotton. Well the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done a terrible job certifying farms as organic for cotton. Case in point a nice "organic" cotton farm in Texas. This one particular farm was certified organic in 1992 after nearly 100 years of cotton farming with pesticides. From one particular website, "DDT, DDE and DDD last in the soil for a very long time, potentially for hundreds of years." DDT/DDE used to be a favorite of cotton farmers. Of course that is only one of the hundreds of deadly pesticides that they have put on the cotton plant over the years. The EPA says that there is "a causal relationship between DDT exposure and reproductive effects is suspected. Today, DDT is classified as a probable human carcinogen by U.S. and international authorities." DDT/DDE, is most deadly as ingested or inhaled.
Of note, the school I went to was declared an environmental disaster 30 some years after it was built because they found the soil was tainted with the pesticides - DDE, toxaphene and dieldrin. The district paid nearly a million dollars to remove 1,622 tons of top soil. Guess what? The water that drained our area, fed into the wells of the people a few miles over who had a cancer cluster of childhood leukemia. I could go into a rampage post about all of that; like what were they thinking? Grrrr.
Hmm, wait how long was that cotton farm in Texas not using pesticides before they certified it organic? Honestly I can't say I cant find research on that particular farm but I can't see any farmer going more than 30 years waiting for pesticides to dissipate. The USDA only requires 3 years of pesticide free farming before they will consider a vegetable farm organic.
Now I don't know about you folks, but I like my cotton jeans and shirts, but I sure as heck do not want to inhale even organic cotton with even a small amount of DDT or any other pesticide that is also heated until it becomes a vapor. Even from what I have seen of organic cotton balls, all of them have been bleached, in what is most likely chlorine bleach. Heated chlorine is some nasty stuff. Chlorine gas was used in WWI to suffocate opposing troups. Even in small chronic amounts it is toxic.
Yes I know I have been a smoker for many years, and I am sure a good half of the nasty chemicals in tobacco probably come from the pesticides that have been sprayed on them, but I am getting older, getting quite sick (some of which I believe maybe due to pesticide exposure). I am changing my ways.
My post is out of concern for people, first of all those not using organic cotton, you might want to consider stopping immediately. Secondly for people even using organic cotton since there is quite possibly even minute amounts of pesticide in the cotton. To the latter, use at your own risk.
Besides, hemp has the longest fiber known to man which means it is probably better at wicking than cotton since the juice does not have to jump fibers to reach the next one. Secondly both hemp and bamboo are better at holding moisture, ask any cloth diaper Mama these days. Also hemp has natural pesticides in it meaning that there has never been pesticides used on the crop. Bamboo, needs some pesticides but they can thrive most times without it or minimal and bio-friendly pesticides. Lastly hemp is fire ......ant and bamboo is heat resistant but not fire ......ant without the addition of chemicals (check your manufacturer) meaning your wicks wont burn nearly as easy.
Lastly, I am not proclaiming to be a chemist, so my research may be flawed. If it is, I will gladly say thanks for your research. I suggest you do your own research. I look forward to a friendly discussion, if anyone feels the need.
Cotton is a very nasty plant. If you look at raw cotton there are dead bugs (among other disgusting things) inside the actual cotton since cotton has no natural resistance to pests. I remember the big semi-trucks coming regularly to drop off what I now know was pesticides. From what I have learned, the cotton crop uses probably more pesticides than any crop on earth per acre. It is about 3% of the worlds crop but uses 25% of the worlds pesticides.
A little disclaimer here, just so you understand where I am coming from. Of the 10 females I grew up with on this land, 7 have had hysterectomies or some type of female cancer before the age of 35. Two more have serious remaining female issues. Three have been unable to bear children. A good half of us have auto-immune diseases as well. I could go on. All of us have children with disabilities, to one degree or another. I can not say how the males turned out since I haven't had contact with any of them since the 80's.
I know a lot of you are saying but I use organic cotton. Well the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done a terrible job certifying farms as organic for cotton. Case in point a nice "organic" cotton farm in Texas. This one particular farm was certified organic in 1992 after nearly 100 years of cotton farming with pesticides. From one particular website, "DDT, DDE and DDD last in the soil for a very long time, potentially for hundreds of years." DDT/DDE used to be a favorite of cotton farmers. Of course that is only one of the hundreds of deadly pesticides that they have put on the cotton plant over the years. The EPA says that there is "a causal relationship between DDT exposure and reproductive effects is suspected. Today, DDT is classified as a probable human carcinogen by U.S. and international authorities." DDT/DDE, is most deadly as ingested or inhaled.
Of note, the school I went to was declared an environmental disaster 30 some years after it was built because they found the soil was tainted with the pesticides - DDE, toxaphene and dieldrin. The district paid nearly a million dollars to remove 1,622 tons of top soil. Guess what? The water that drained our area, fed into the wells of the people a few miles over who had a cancer cluster of childhood leukemia. I could go into a rampage post about all of that; like what were they thinking? Grrrr.
Hmm, wait how long was that cotton farm in Texas not using pesticides before they certified it organic? Honestly I can't say I cant find research on that particular farm but I can't see any farmer going more than 30 years waiting for pesticides to dissipate. The USDA only requires 3 years of pesticide free farming before they will consider a vegetable farm organic.
Now I don't know about you folks, but I like my cotton jeans and shirts, but I sure as heck do not want to inhale even organic cotton with even a small amount of DDT or any other pesticide that is also heated until it becomes a vapor. Even from what I have seen of organic cotton balls, all of them have been bleached, in what is most likely chlorine bleach. Heated chlorine is some nasty stuff. Chlorine gas was used in WWI to suffocate opposing troups. Even in small chronic amounts it is toxic.
Yes I know I have been a smoker for many years, and I am sure a good half of the nasty chemicals in tobacco probably come from the pesticides that have been sprayed on them, but I am getting older, getting quite sick (some of which I believe maybe due to pesticide exposure). I am changing my ways.
My post is out of concern for people, first of all those not using organic cotton, you might want to consider stopping immediately. Secondly for people even using organic cotton since there is quite possibly even minute amounts of pesticide in the cotton. To the latter, use at your own risk.
Besides, hemp has the longest fiber known to man which means it is probably better at wicking than cotton since the juice does not have to jump fibers to reach the next one. Secondly both hemp and bamboo are better at holding moisture, ask any cloth diaper Mama these days. Also hemp has natural pesticides in it meaning that there has never been pesticides used on the crop. Bamboo, needs some pesticides but they can thrive most times without it or minimal and bio-friendly pesticides. Lastly hemp is fire ......ant and bamboo is heat resistant but not fire ......ant without the addition of chemicals (check your manufacturer) meaning your wicks wont burn nearly as easy.
Lastly, I am not proclaiming to be a chemist, so my research may be flawed. If it is, I will gladly say thanks for your research. I suggest you do your own research. I look forward to a friendly discussion, if anyone feels the need.
Last edited:
