What A Croc!

Ah, Summer Time!  Everyone’s favorite time of year.  Tru Green Trucks lining the neighborhoods, spraying their Weapons of Mass Destruction.  Doing their Patriotic Duty to continue Monsanto’s War on the Dandelion.  Children enjoying their Summer Vacation, wearing their new summer clothes and their trendy footwear, the Croc.  Parents rush to buy whatever Madison Avenue has brainwashed them into consuming.  How Nice!  But do mothers ever stop to inquire exactly what they are exposing their precious “Little Darlins” to?  I didn’t think so.  Please allow me.

     In my research, Crocs are extremely popular for their low price, bright colors, comfort and their conformity to “the group”.  They are also considered safe for children as they are nonskid, water proof, quick drying and alleviates sweeting because of their traditional air vents.

     Crocs were an instant success, much to the liking of the “White Shoe Boys” of Wall Street.  But after a few years of wearing Crocs, the real “skinny” began to emerge into the light of day.  It became evident, that the Croc, because of its resin material trade marked as Coslite, has the ability to store electricity.  Nurses and doctors, who wore Crocs for comfort, started giving patients small shocks and they started to short out crucial medical equipment.  Some hospitals have banned the wearing of Crocs, as their vented holes expose feet to airborne hospital bacteria and viruses.

     Dr. Arnold Ravick, doctor of Podiatric Medicine in Washington DC and spokesman for the American Podiatric Medical Association states in general, Crocs are not good nor healthy for one’s feet.  Dr. Ravick is gaining new patients with fallen arches after wearing crocs for a few years.  He suggests not to mistake comfort for support.

     Reports from Sweden state children riding escalators experienced their Crocs to melt and complaints are being documented of their feet getting stuck in the cracks between the steps, resulting in foot and toe injuries.  And now mothers are reporting the skin on their children’s feet are starting to peel off.  What are these small feet absorbing?  When contacting the manufacturer of Crocs, no answer was given as to why this is happening as they commit to the safety of their product. But they will not disclose what Crocs are made of only to say, the material is trade marked as Croslite, a proprietary non-plastic foam resin.  So no one knows WHAT Crocs are made from, we just have to take the company’s word that they are safe.

     The Croc “knock-offs” from China are extremely toxic as they contain dangerous chemicals.  A German study found large amounts of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic carbons or PAHs that can enter the human body through the skin. PAHs are known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic which simply means it can cause cancer and other deformities. These replicas also contain heavy metals such as chromium and cadmium.   Chemicals you do not want deposited into your tissues. 

     According to Cao Kuan, a materials scientist at the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Science, a real pair of Crocs is made from a harmless resin but replicas are produced with unknown waste, recycled into a similar plastic resin. The result is a foul smelling odor from polyvinyl chloride polymer or PVC.   The University of Gothenburg in Sweden declared that PVC is one of the most hazardous plastics, due to "several toxic chemical additives".  The Croc Replicas, according to the experts, are not a healthy choice for your children’s feet.

     Counterfeit Crocs from China, are uncomfortable and can cause accidents when worn, as the replicas get slippery and unstable when wet.  Geng Lidong, director of the dermatology department at Shandong Provincial Chinese Medical Hospital explains that the plastic material blocks ventilation around the feet, causing severe sweating resulting in fungal infections. “It is ill advised for children, pregnant women and geriatrics to wear them”, Geng warns.

     So in closing, I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY and Safe Summer.  And I hope you will be able to Live Healthy Chemical Free………..