Laundered Towel Industry Disputes Recent Findings On Workers' Risks

摘要

The laundered industrial towel industry is blasting a recent study by a manufacturer of disposable shop towels that found workers who use reusable shop towels may be exposed to heavy metals at levels above federal limits by questioning the study sponsor's impartiality and the researchers' methodology and conclusions.The Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA), the trade association of the laundered towel industry, took aim at the Kimberly-Clark Professional study for not being conducted by EPA or another neutral third party, saying the study was contracted by an organization with a "substantial economic interest in replacing shop towels with disposable wipes." The result is a misleading document whose assumptions are meant to "strike fear," TRSA President Joseph Ricci says in an Aug. 12 statement.