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Ecological Footprint Table
Ecological Footprint Table
For one product that you use on a regular basis, complete the following table.
Environmental impact of action Citation (APA Style)
Product and Q-Tips® (Cotton Swabs) “With the most
its use: soft cotton at the tip than any other swab, Unilever Corporation. (2018, September 13).
Q-tips® cotton swabs are perfect for arts & Q-TIPS® Cotton Swabs. Q-Tips . Retrieved
crafts, manicures, makeup application, February 26, 2023, from
cleaning and more!” (Unilever Corporation, https://www.qtips.com/products/qtips-cotton-
2018). They are also commonly used to swabs/
clean your ears, despite the box saying not
to.
It is estimated that roughly thirty five billion Weekly thoughts: Q-tips. Chenmark. (2019,
Q-Tips are used worldwide annually December 16). Retrieved March 5, 2023,
(Chenmark, 2019). from
https://chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts/qtips/
it is grown, 2020).
what goes into
growing that The cotton in the q tips must be grown and
product harvested. Cotton is the most profitable non Okafor, J. (2022, June 2). Environmental
(irrigation, food crop. It is predicted that worldwide impact of cotton from growing, farming &
fertilizers, cotton production releases an estimated 220 consuming. TRVST. Retrieved February 27,
pesticides, million metric tons of carbon dioxide 2023, from
energy used annually (Okafor, 2022). Cotton is also a https://www.trvst.world/sustainable-living/fas
in water intensive crop to grow. It is said that hion/environmental-impact-of-cotton/
mechanized “About 20,000 liters of water is needed to
equipment produce a kilogram of cotton fiber”
etc.) (Okafor, 2022). In a world of limited water
supply, cotton intensifies this issue by
diverting limited supply to a crop that needs
even more water in manufacturing
processes and cannot be eaten. The average Cotton Swab. How Products Are Made.
cotton swab has approximately .1 grams of (2023). Retrieved March 8, 2023, from
cotton (How Products are Made, 2023). http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Cotton-
That translates to .0001kg of cotton. That Swab.html
means it takes approximately 2 liters of
water to produce the cotton for one cotton
swab (meaning a 500 pack uses 1000 liters
for just cotton!). Cotton is also one of the
most heavily fertilized crops in the world.
Worldwide cotton production is estimated to
use “8 million tonnes of synthetic fertilizers
and 200,000 tonnes of pesticides globally
every year” (Okafor, 2022). Fertilization Kilgore, G. (2023, February 23). How many
comes with a slew of its own environmental pieces of paper in a tree (the real scientific
consequences such as eutrophication of answer). 8 Billion Trees: Carbon Offset
lakes, streams, rivers, oceans, etc. from Projects & Ecological Footprint Calculators.
nonpoint source pollution. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from
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acetone, MEK and NMP. Acetone is Safety Data Sheet . Certified Safety MFG.
relatively safe when used in small amounts. (2015, June 1). Retrieved March 9, 2023,
One of the biggest issues with acetone is from
when it is in its gaseous state. It is https://www.certifiedsafetymfg.com/wp-cont
extremely flammable and may cause an ent/uploads/2017/01/WaterJel-Burn-Dressing
explosion. It is considered a volatile organic s.pdf
compound, according to the National
Pollutant Inventory.
-Acrylic paint
Q-tips may be used in art. Some people use
them with acrylic paint in order to add
different textures or effects to an art project.
Acrylic paint contains three ingredients:
pigment, an acrylic binder, and an acrylic
vehicle. The pigment in acrylic paint is
what gives the paint its color. Most
pigments are made in a factory using
chemicals, however some pigments can be
made with organic or inorganic products as
well. The acrylic binder is known as an
acrylic polymer. The acrylic vehicle is the
water that helps transport the binder and the
pigment. Acrylic paints are not good for the
environment. When the polymers and the
pigments all dry, these components of the
vehicle evaporate, releasing water,
propylene glycol, and ammonia into the air.
Some acrylic mediums also release
formaldehyde as they dry. There are paints
that are labeled as non-toxic, however this
refers to being non-toxic for humans. This
does not mean that they are safe for the
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Other issues? Q-Tips present a large safety issue. The box Ameen, Z. S., Chounthirath, T., Smith, G. A.,
9
says “Do not insert swab into ear canal”. & Jatana, K. R. (2017). Pediatric Cotton-Tip
Despite this, people do it anyway. The Applicator-Related Ear Injury Treated in
journal of pediatrics says that “Between United States Emergency Departments,
1990 and 2010, an estimated 263,338 1990-2010. The Journal of pediatrics, 186,
children aged <18 years were treated for 124–130.
CTA-related ear injuries in US hospital https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.03.049
EDs” (Ameen et. al., 2017).