About Our Products
Alpaca fiber is a natural fire-resistant fiber without the need of chemicals.
The initial reason for adding fire retardants to fibers was commendable -- fire marshals reported that more individuals died or were injured from mattresses or upholstered furniture catching fire than from any other type of fire. But we're now finding -- from growing reports of illnesses seemingly linked to mattress purchases -- that this solution may also have its serious drawbacks, and the dangers from the toxins are posing serious health issues.
Many people who suffer with headaches, joint aches, and other physical ills on a daily basis reach for over-the counter remedies to quell their pain. Few, if any, would ever suspect their bedding is the cause of their problems.
We hear about flame resistant fibers from the CPSC and bedding manufacturers. These flame resistant fibers have chemicals blended with the fiber as the fiber is made. Alpaca Fiber has no chemicals added to it. OUR pillows are filled with only all-natural Alpaca Fiber.
The USAlpaca Company has an exclusive line of Organic Luxury pillows made of luxurious alpaca fill and US Organic cotton that would be perfect for your hotel guests. These are the most luxurious and healthiest pillows on the market. Alpaca is the fiber of the Gods, and considered the lap of luxury, but boast health properties that are without compare to any other natural product.
BEWARE: Primary Chemicals Used in the Industry Bedding
The Consumer Products Safety Commission lists the following chemicals as the primary ones used in bedding to meet current laws: boric acid, formaldehyde, antimony trioxide, decabromodiphenyl oxide (DBDPO Deca), vinylidiene chloride, zinc borate, and melamine.
If it states "TREATED COTTON" it has dangerous chemicals like Boric Acid associated with it.
BORIC ACID (H3BO3): known as the best roach killer, is a known reproductive and developmental toxin (demonstrated injury to the gonads and developing fetus), high pre-natal mortality, reduced sperm counts, and respiratory irritant.
FORMALDEHYDE MSDS: "Poison! Danger! Suspect cancer hazard. May cause cancer. Risk of cancer depends on level duration of exposure. Vapor harmful. Harmful if inhaled or absorbed through skin. Causes irritation to skin, eyes and respiratory tract. Strong sensitizer. May be fatal or cause blindness if swallowed. Cannot be made non-poisonous."
ANTIMONY (SB203): quote from college chemistry textbook: "Antimony resembles arsenic very closely" Quotes from ATSDR a division of the CDC: increase in spontaneous abortions, disturbances in menstruation, failure to conceive & problems in fertility, may cause heart to beat irregularly or stop. Prolonged or repeated exposure can damage the liver or heart. The CDC cannot determine a safe level of Antimony exposure because "At the lowest exposure levels tested, the adversity of the effects was considered to be serious." The cancer effects are cumulative.
Deca (DBDPO): is in the family of PBDE’s being found in women’s breast milk, is known to bioaccumulate, is linked to cancer, and many groups are trying to get it banned.
MELAMINE RESIN: barriers contain Formaldehyde
The CPSC 2006 assessment found that we absorb a daily dose of toxins from flameproof mattresses alone, of; .802 mg Antimony (the EPA published safe number is .0004 mg), .081 mg Boric Acid, .073 mg DBDPO Fatal human dose is 2g child, 5g adult = mattresses exceed toxic levels by 27.5 times by the EPA in CPSC safety calculations.
How Could This Be Allowed?
According to The Washington Post, federal agencies "often lack the authority and resources to monitor and control...[chemical] hazards. Of the nearly 80,000 chemicals regularly bought and sold today...fewer than 10% have been tested for their capacity to cause cancer or do other damage.
Most people have trouble believing that the bedding industry and the government have put poisonous chemicals in our mattresses to make them fireproof, and think they must use a different chemical. No, according to experts, the chemical used is exactly the same as the pesticide. A good example is to check an attached content law tag from your bedding; if it says 'Treated Cotton,' it is likely boron/boric acid.
Many doctors had initially opposed the move to add chemicals to mattresses, fearing such potential adverse effects. But the law was enacted, nonetheless.
CPSC migration studies prove these toxins leach through our sheets to be absorbed by our bodies, and was based on assumptions of per hour absorption with our bodies. Children under 5 were excluded from the studies by assuming all children would be protected by a vinyl sheet over their mattress, due to bed-wetting. We do not know the extent our children's mattresses contain toxic and cancer causing chemicals, and the doses of poisons they are absorbing daily.
And as of July 1 2007, more bad news. New federal regulations require yet more fire retardant material in mattresses, hence more potentially allergic material for the sensitive sleeper to contend with.
What about "Natural" Bedding?
Don't automatically think you are safe when using "natural" fiber bedding, as Cotton is said to be the worst offender, because it is the most heavily sprayed crop. Cotton batting barriers contain 10% poison, 7.5% Boric Acid plus 2.4% Antimony. That is why our products are certified US Organic Cotton! We only use cotton products certified organic and grown or made in the USA! Can you really trust China or India's certifications?
This is where it pays to buy Organic and not just natural. Certified Organic means the contents have been grown in an environment, harvested, processed, and manufactured without chemicals, with a lower carbon footprint than traditional.
What About Organic Or Green Memory Foam Mattresses?
One new trend in all bedding is to speak about organic memory foam or green memory foam. While there are ways to make memory foam more environmentally friendly, for it to have the same type of visco-elastic feel and support as the original NASA developed formulation, it cannot be organic, soy based (usually 5 - 10 % soy can be added to memory foam), nor can it be all-natural. While it is possible to buy a "green friendly" latex made from the rubber tree, there are a lot of look-a-likes out there, so please be aware of what you are really purchasing.
Alpaca Fiber Is A Natural Fire-Resistant
Fortunately, there is at least one good method to reduce mattress combustibility without adding harmful chemicals. Manufacturers can add a layer of alpaca fiber to either side of an untreated natural fiber fill. This serves as an effective fire barrier - no chemicals needed.
Alpaca fiber is a natural fire-resistant fiber without the need of chemicals.
Alarming information for Women and Nursing Moms
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever, But Under Threat
By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES | Good Morning America
(excerpts taken from the article)
Florence Williams, 45, was inspired to write the book, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, when she agreed to participate in a study of her breast milk when she was nursing her daughter. The results were startling -- her milk was full of chemicals, from pesticides to flame retardants
"There were reports about toxic and chemical contaminants showing up in breast milk -- it was a great way to tell the story first-person," she told ABCNews.com. "I realized there was so much about breasts people don't know."
Breasts feed us, nurture us and excite us. But the most versatile organ in the female body can also kill us. They are made up of fat and estrogen receptors -- so they "soak up pollution like a pair of soft sponges," she writes.
One in eight women will have breast cancer in her lifetime.
Williams, an award-winning science writer, investigates why breasts are assaulted equally by men and a rising number of chemicals in the environment.
Today Williams' daughter is 8, and she worries about research that shows girls are beginning puberty and developing breasts younger, perhaps because of exposure to pollutants.
"There are hundreds of chemicals coursing through our blood," she said....
But her biggest concern is the vulnerability of breasts -- cancer rates have doubled since the 1940s, according to Williams.
Although Williams can't say with certainty that chemicals in the environment cause breast cancer, she notes that the breast is the one organ in the body that is not fully developed until adulthood -- and even the last trimester of pregnancy.
"For many years, the breast cells are undifferentiated and more vulnerable and so are susceptible," she said.
Girls who go through puberty earlier are also at greater risk for breast cancer as adults. "We don't know why," she said.
She notes that in Europe chemicals must be proved safe before entering the marketplace. "We have the opposite and don't take them off the market until they are proven harmful," she said.
Advances in science give reason for optimism, according to Williams. But "government regulatory agencies and the public in general are generally blind to where science is."
"Our bodies are intimately connected to the world around us," said Williams. "If we live in an environment filled with pollution, these things will and do affect our health."
By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES | Good Morning America
BED BUGS in HOTELS!
Our Organic Cotton Barrier Fabric is perfect for Hotels, Inns, or Those with severe allergies! Nothing gets in, and nothing gets out!
It's been all over the news the past few years; we're in the midst of a bed bug epidemic. Calls to exterminators for bed bugs have increased over 80% in the past 10 years.XXI And it's no wonder.
Bed bugs have adapted a protective mechanism that enables them to resist chemical pesticides but not GMD.
According to an Ohio State University study, bedbugs are now genetically resistant to chemical pesticides.XXII Over time, they have developed a mechanism that protects their nerve cells from chemical pesticides by enabling them to break down toxins.
If you're unlucky enough to pick some up in a hotel room (even luxury hotels are just as susceptible as cheap motels) and bring them home with you, getting rid of them can be extremely difficult. One female bed bug produces up to 400 offspring in her lifetime. The insecticide of choice is usually permethrinXXIII – a suspected carcinogen that's also linked to ADHD. Do you really want to be rolling around in this stuff while you sleep?
Using our Barrier Alpaca Pillows can eliminate that risk in pillows. This tightly woven fabric does not allow anything to get in or out! All organic cotton without any chemicals added, and alpaca fiber fill. It just works naturally!
855.518.5554
Autism and the Environment article by Harvard University
https://www.putchildrenfirst.org/what-chemical-causes-autism#:~:text=Is%20Autism%20Caused%20By%20Chemical%20Imbalance%3F%20HealthDay%20News,schizophrenia%20and%20autism%2C%20according%20to%20Harvard%20University%20researchers.
Study in Twins Finds a Shared Environment Influences the Development of Autism More Than Shared Genes
By Brenda Goodman, MA
Medically Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD on July 04, 2011
"Goldstein is on the board of Autism Speaks but was not involved in the current research.
Having said that,” Goldstein says, “Everyone in this field understands that genetics doesn’t explain this fully and there’s going to be an environmental component to triggering vulnerable people or maybe even causing it in some people without a vulnerability gene.
Researchers say that based on their models, environment may account for about 58% of the risk for autism spectrum disorders, with genetics accounting for about 38%."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257627/
Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jun; 113(6): A405.
PMCID: PMC1257627
Announcements
NIEHS Extramural Update
Autism and the Environment?
"Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that emerge before 3 years of age and are characterized by impairments in social and communicative skills and the presence of stereotyped and repetitive behaviors and interests. The prevalence of ASD appears to have increased dramatically within the last decade. Intensive community-based surveys estimate that as many as 6 of 1,000 school-age children are affected. Although part of the increase can be attributed to changes in diagnosis and greater public awareness, there is concern that increased exposure to toxic environmental agents during critical periods of brain development may play a role."
Researchers say that based on their models, environment may account for about 58% of the risk for autism spectrum disorders, with genetics accounting for about 38%.
https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2019/08/13/meet-the-alpacas-that-could-cure-autism-alzheimers-and-cancer/
Meet the alpacas that are helping researchers who study autism, Alzheimer’s and cancer
Alpacas aren’t the typical animals that drivers spot as they wind their way through rural Tennessee, but there’s a happy herd of them outside Waverly, where they eat the finest pellets, walk up and down a scenic hill and potentially save lives.
They’re owned by a team of Vanderbilt University researchers looking to harness their power to create unique antibodies usable to study human disease and potentially treat human patients. The team isolates fragments of these alpaca antibodies that can be used to visualize and potentially regulate the PPP2R5D enzyme, which has been linked to autism, Alzheimer’s disease and some cancers.
But on a visit to the farm on this unusually cool, spring day, Kim Wilson was more interested in what the alpacas could do for her son, Asa, 11, who was diagnosed with Jordan’s Syndrome – a rare genetic disorder caused by alterations in the PPP2R5D gene. The family had traveled from Mercer, Tennessee, to meet both the alpacas and scientists trying to find answers.
“I love watching them herd together, like a little family,” she said, petting an alpaca as she fed it by hand. Asa stood off to the side, more impressed by a toy airplane than the sometimes skittish pets. “I never thought they could help Asa in a way that could mean so much to my family. I’m just thankful for the scientists who know where to look for these things.”
Fewer than 100 children have been diagnosed with Jordan’s Syndrome – although advocates believe thousands more have been misdiagnosed with autism – marked by a series of developmental delays pegged to a single mutation in their PPP2R5D DNA. Wilson, who has older children, said her son exhibited signs almost immediately, although it took years for a diagnosis. He had no muscle tone and didn’t curl up like other babies, didn’t take his first steps until age 5 and still doesn’t speak in sentences.
11-year-old Asa Wilson, diagnosed with Jordan’s Syndrome, meets the alpacas and the research team studying the animal’s antibodies. (Vanderbilt University/Heidi Hall)
He sees doctors at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, and that’s where Wilson learned about the alpaca research team.
Brian Wadzinski and Ben Spiller, both associate professors of pharmacology, and Rich Breyer, the Ruth King Scoville Chair in Medicine, came together through their shared fascination with alpacas’ potential to improve human health. They launched Turkey Creek Biotechnology as a platform to research that potential, purchased the herd and partnered with Litton Farms in Waverly to care for the animals.
A new drug to treat a blood disorder called acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was developed using alpaca antibodies and gained FDA approval earlier this year. Wadzinski and his team know the possibilities go much further.
“Alpacas have an exceptionally unique immune system,” Wadzinski said. “Their antibodies can be used for research, diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and, because of the unique features of these antibodies, we’re able to harvest them. They’re acid stable, heat stable and there’s good evidence they pass the blood-brain barrier.”
Many alpaca antibodies consist of only two heavy protein chains – compared to the two heavy and two light chains in human antibodies – which makes them easier to extract from peripheral blood cells instead of the spleen. Breyer, whose lab spent decades making antibodies in animal blood, said he was fascinated with the initial discovery 30 years ago of alpaca blood’s potential and particularly with the promise held in the Turkey Creek alpacas.
“It takes only a small, quick sample from them to do our work,” Breyer said.
For now, much of the group’s efforts are tied directly to Jordan’s Syndrome because Wadzinski’s research drew the attention of others across the nation and world who are working on the problem. They initially thought his work studying fruit fly models of the disease could help, but Wadzinski convinced them a larger animal held more answers.
“I was working on an enzyme known as PP2A, and it turns out that it’s an important signaling molecule,” he said. “I convinced them the work I could do in alpacas would be more applicable in terms of what they needed: a better understanding of how PP2A and its subunit, PPP2R5D, function.
”There are probably 80 patients that have been diagnosed in the world to date, and there are many researchers supported by Jordan’s Guardian Angels who are working together, trying to find out more about what this variation does in terms of the protein and hopefully laying the foundation for one day treating that syndrome.”
Although they may be months or years from a breakthrough, the team regularly visits the alpacas – sometimes for blood samples, sometimes for fun, sometimes even just to shear them for fur that can be used to knit soft hats for cancer patients who lost their hair during chemotherapy treatments.
All the while, they know they’re developing something that could bring far greater comfort to those sick patients and many others.
