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Hundreds of millions of gross reasons why your guests should take off their shoes - WSBT-TV

sunamakeup Ekim 22, 2021

Hundreds of millions of gross reasons why your guests should take off their shoes - WSBT-TV

Hundreds of millions of gross reasons why your guests should take off their shoes - WSBT-TV

Posted: 27 Nov 2019 04:11 AM PST

Wolverine shoes still coated in PFAS, product testing shows - MLive.com

Posted: 26 Nov 2019 02:53 PM PST

ANN ARBOR, MI — Testing by a Michigan nonprofit shows that global footwear giant Wolverine World Wide continues to apply large amounts of fluorochemicals in shoe manufacturing despite extensive contamination in drinking water and the environment around its hometown from the company's past usage of similar chemicals.

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center, which advocates for fewer chemicals in consumer products, released the results of Wolverine product testing after having several shoes, boots and a waterproofing spray analyzed by university researchers.

The analysis found significant amounts of PFAS chemicals in shoes manufactured in Asia and imported to the U.S.

"It indicates that we still have a significant issue with imports of these products, which are not regulated," said Ecology Center research director Jeff Gearhart. "The EPA is not tracking them and we're still seeing the use of chemistry that resulted in contamination in Michigan."

Manufacturers and retailers "need to assume responsibility for this."

Ecology Center testing found PFAS in Keds brand Women's Camp Water-Resistant Boot with Thinsulate, Hush Puppies brand Men's Venture shoes, Hush Puppies brand Men's Rainmaker shoes, and Merrell brand Big Kid's Jungle Moc Frosty Waterproof shoes.

Very high levels were found in Hush Puppies Weather Protector spray.

No PFAS chemicals were found in the Saucony brand Big Kid's Peregrine Shield 2 A/C sneaker, or the Sperry brand TopSider Men's Striper II Storm Waterproof Chukka.

Testing found several varieties of PFAS, which is an enormous family of chemicals made by joining carbon and fluorine molecules together to create extremely robust compounds that are highly valued by industry because they can repel water, grease, oil and resist heat.

Those properties can make them toxic to humans when exposed.

The detection list highlights the continued reliance among product manufacturers on so-called replacement chemicals for the well-known compounds PFOS and PFOA, which have been phased out of domestic use and production over environmental health concerns.

Because the toxicity of many such replacements are still being studied, manufacturers and other PFAS users have argued against regulations to address the chemicals as a class of contaminants.

The largest type of PFAS chemical detected in Wolverine shoes was a long-chain fluorotelomer-based compound called 8:2 FTOH, which can biodegrade to form compounds like PFOA and PFNA. Other detected compounds include 6:2 FTOH, 10:2 FTOH and PFBA.

The Hush Puppies Rainmaker shoe showed the highest detection at 3,516 parts-per-billion (ppb) of 8:2 FTOH. The black loafer is made to be waterproof, according to its website.

The Wolverine product tests were conducted by Graham Peaslee at the University of Notre Dame and Marta Venier at Indiana University.

Wolverine did not respond to messages for comment Tuesday.

Health officials responding to environmental contamination in Michigan say consumption rather than skin contact is the primary route of concern for exposure to PFAS chemicals. Although few people are likely licking their shoes, Gearhart said that product studies show PFAS chemicals can still pose a risk from build-up in dust, for example.

"The literature is full of references to the fact that these chemicals don't stay put on products as applied and instead are released to the environment where people are exposed," he said.

Gearhart said the results also raise questions about Wolverine's manufacturing and waste disposal practices overseas.

"How are they going to guarantee the processes for the use of this chemistry in another country is going to be safe?" he said. "They don't have the track record to guarantee that. They shouldn't get carte blanche to continue using these chemicals."

Wolverine is presently embroiled in hundreds of lawsuits stemming from PFAS contamination in Michigan, where its chemically laden manufacturing waste has polluted the groundwater that people tap for a drinking supply around the communities of Rockford and Belmont.

Under EPA oversight, the company is currently excavating hazardous soils and sediment from its former leather tannery in Rockford, where Wolverine began applying PFAS-laden 3M Scotchgard to waterproof shoe leather for the Hush Puppies brand in 1958.

Wolverine's PFAS use was uncovered by local activists who gave state regulators evidence that the chemicals were dumped in a landfill surrounded by homes using private water wells.

Wolverine reported $2.24 billion in revenue in 2018, according to its annual report.

Will Luka Doncic Create A Bidding War For His Next Shoe Deal? - Forbes

Posted: 26 Nov 2019 12:52 PM PST

Anyone watching the NBA this season is aware of what Luka Doncic has been doing on the court. In just his second season in the league, Doncic has launched himself into the way-too-early Most Valuable Player conversation. Through 16 games, the youngster is nearly averaging a thirty point triple-double. The only other players to do that in NBA history are Russell Westbrook during his own MVP campaign and Oscar Robertson. Regardless of whether Doncic can hit those high marks for the entire year or bring home the highest individual regular season honor, the point is the same: Doncic has arrived.

Intriguingly, Luka is a free agent in the shoe market. Due to the fact that he signed a deal as a professional playing in Madrid, his "rookie" deal with Nike expired just before the season. Rather than signing a new deal with the brand or quickly seeking another deal, Doncic has decided to play things out– and will now be reaping the benefits.

This summer, young phenom Zion Williamson signed the most lucrative rookie shoe deal in NBA history. That was before he had even stepped onto the court. Potential is always alluring, but what happens when a player enters the open market having already proven his abilities in the league? It's possible the NBA has never seen a situation quite like Luka's. Not since Steph Curry left Nike for Under Armour has a player of this caliber been up for grabs.

While Nike should still be considered the front-runner, it remains to be seen what their offer will entail. Much like the recent exodus of players to Puma and Under Armour, there is an allure to becoming the "face" of a brand as opposed to competing with signature shoes from LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. As incredible as Luka Doncic is, it is unlikely he will ever reach LeBron James's reach and accomplishments. However, there are a handful of other shoe brands where he could instantly become one of their most important endorsers. And with that comes the opportunity to instantly have his own signature shoe line– something that is immeasurably more valuable than any dollar number. As legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have shown, great players with their own shoe can still make heaps of money well after their playing days are over. The sooner Doncic can establish his own brand, the better.

With Puma making an aggressive push to sign younger stars and Under Armour's recent rise in the basketball shoe market on the back of Steph Curry, there could be a bidding war for Luka's services. If the twenty-year-old does continue his incredible pace, he'll easily make the all star game among other individual accolades. With his star rising, a shoe company will want to capitalize on the growing hype building around the young man as soon as possible. However, with the shoe giants in a constant battle, someone may have to shell out record-breaking numbers in order to land the young man. Of course, when it comes to Luka Doncic and his massive potential, it will almost certainly be worth it.

Bill Of The Month: Extraction Of Doll Shoes In Girl's Nose Cost $2659 - KGOU

Posted: 26 Nov 2019 03:23 PM PST

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

If you're in the emergency room with your kid, it's scary, and the bill is probably not the first thing on your mind. But a visit to the emergency room can end up getting pretty pricey.

Each month, NPR takes a medical bill to sort through why they can be so confusing and confounding. Today, we look at the case of a pretty big bill for what seems like a pretty simple medical service. It only took a minute or so.

We're joined by Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal. She's editor-in-chief of our partner Kaiser Health News. Welcome back.

ELISABETH ROSENTHAL: Hi. That's quite a story.

KELLY: Quite a story. So who are we hearing from? What's the story?

ROSENTHAL: Today, we're meeting the Branson family from Las Vegas. They're a young couple with two little girls, Emma and Lucy. And the bill involves a Polly Pocket doll and an emergency room visit.

KELLY: OK. Looking forward to hearing where this one goes. And our guide is going to be reporter Stephanie O'Neill, who visited the Bransons. Let's hear what happened.

STEPHANIE O'NEILL, BYLINE: For the Bransons of Las Vegas, the story of Lucy and the tiny doll shoes is one no one in this family will ever forget. It happened last April. Lucy was just 3 1/2. And on this particular evening, her parents, Katy and Michael, were getting ready for a long-awaited concert. It was to be a special evening, one given to them by Katy's parents.

KATY BRANSON: We had a babysitter coming in, like, less than an hour. We had these tickets. We were really excited. And Lucy comes up the stairs, and I hear (imitating coughing). And I was like, what is going on? And Michael said, why are you coughing?

O'NEILL: But Lucy wouldn't answer them beyond gesturing at her nose, Michael says.

MICHAEL BRANSON: Well, I kind of pulled her back and kind of lifted her head up and put her on our bed. And that's when I could see something up her nose.

O'NEILL: That something was a pair of tiny, pink, plastic doll shoes, one perfectly lodged in each of Lucy's little nostrils. Michael says panic overtook him, while Katy, who was in the midst of readying herself for the date, sprung into full-on mom mode.

K BRANSON: And so I went up with my little tweezers, and I get one little pink shoe out, and I put it on the counter. It's maybe about the size of a Q-tip head.

O'NEILL: Easy peasy, she thought. So she takes a deep breath and reaches into the other nostril. But as Lucy, now 4 years old, explains, it didn't work.

LUCY: The other one was stuck in my nose, and I couldn't - and my mom couldn't get it out.

O'NEILL: Big sister Emma says...

EMMA: And it was hard for her to breathe.

O'NEILL: Emma's 7.

EMMA: It was scary. Lucy, was it scary?

LUCY: Yes.

EMMA: That's what I was thinking.

O'NEILL: Have you ever done anything like that?

EMMA: Never in my life.

O'NEILL: But it is pretty common for kids to stick things up their noses, with some items even requiring surgical extraction. Still, Katy wasn't too worried, even when her tweezers couldn't reach the second shoe.

K BRANSON: I'm thinking, OK, well, I can't get this out. I don't want to hurt her. So I say, OK, Lucy, you need to blow. Like - and then I kind of do the motion of blow. And she goes (imitating inhaling).

O'NEILL: That was a giant sniff.

K BRANSON: And I was like, oh, shoot (laughter).

O'NEILL: After that, Katy knew it was time for the professionals.

K BRANSON: So I said, OK, Michael, you need to go to the urgent care. They should have the tweezers. All we need is - are - is tweezers that are, like, maybe a half an inch or an inch longer than my standard day-to-day tweezers.

O'NEILL: But urgent care didn't have a long enough pair. Next stop, the hospital emergency room. And voila - the ER doc easily plucked the shoe out of little Lucy's nostril.

M BRANSON: And it was probably less than one second - the time they put it up her nose, latched on it, pulled it out. She was out.

O'NEILL: Lucy got a lollipop. Katy and Michael got to the concert. It seemed like their lucky day.

Then they got the bill - almost $2,000 for the ER and almost another grand for the ER doc. And because the Bransons have a high-deductible plan, they're responsible for all of it.

K BRANSON: I thought it was simply an error. I was like, there is no way.

O'NEILL: What's the most you've ever paid for a pair of shoes?

K BRANSON: Oh, my gosh - probably $178. Yeah. They were normally 228, and I had a coupon. I was very proud of it.

O'NEILL: So you've never had a pair of shoes anything close to the cost of these shoes.

K BRANSON: No, I haven't - never had a $3,000 pair of shoes.

O'NEILL: Still, Katy Branson says she remains hopeful that Lucy has learned her lesson.

K BRANSON: But she has said she will never put shoes up her nose again. She's promised.

O'NEILL: And her parents hope that also means she won't be sticking anything else up her nostrils ever again.

For NPR News, I'm Stephanie O'Neill in Las Vegas.

KELLY: Oh, wow. I am in full-on mom myself right there with those poor parents. Elisabeth Rosenthal, you were an ER doc before you moved to Kaiser Health News. Is that right? How common is this - kids in the ER with something they have managed to shove up their nose?

ROSENTHAL: Well, I worked in an adult ER, and grown-ups have mostly learned not to do this kind of thing. But pediatricians say it's very common and very easy to treat if you have long tweezers, which they call forceps - medical lingo. As a kid, I myself put pussy willows in both ears, so I've been there.

KELLY: In your ear. OK. I have been there with - yes - with kids for many things, including things up the nose. But I have never been presented with a $3,000 bill for something that took less than a minute to get out. What's going on here?

ROSENTHAL: What's going on here is that today, everything and anything will be billed and billed a lot. The doctor charged over $900. Katy Branson very smartly negotiated that into half right away. But the hospital charged more than 1,700. And so far, they aren't budging.

KELLY: They aren't. And I'm sure the parents have asked for them to budge. Why aren't they?

ROSENTHAL: Well, their attitude seems to be, an ER visit is an ER visit, and you could've gone to urgent care.

KELLY: They did go to urgent care, though.

ROSENTHAL: Right. And it was a Friday night, and they didn't want to leave Lucy uncomfortable all weekend. And plus, what layperson knows whether or not it's dangerous to leave Polly Pocket shoes up your kid's nose for the weekend.

KELLY: Yeah, you don't want her to keep sniffing in, and they end up in her lungs. And then...

ROSENTHAL: Right. They made a rational decision.

KELLY: So their insurance did not pick up any of this. Explain.

ROSENTHAL: Well, lots of families these days, like the Bransons, opt for a high-deductible plan. That means, in the Bransons' case, they had to spend $6,000 before insurance kicked in. They're pretty savvy. They made a decision that they would set this money aside for, like, a medical crisis. They just never imagined that they'd have to spend this money for a little shoe up the nose.

KELLY: Yeah. And what is the takeaway here? What should they have done differently, particularly - as we said, it's a - it was a Friday night. The pediatrician wasn't there.

ROSENTHAL: Well, a pediatrician might have told them it could safely wait until Monday morning or at least look for other options the next day. So it's important, I think, to have a primary care doctor who can say, beware; there are other options. But they did one really smart thing that others should follow. Instead of getting angry when they saw this bill, they began to push back right away and got a discount from the doctor, at least.

KELLY: A minor point, but I have to ask - whatever happened to the Polly Pocket shoes?

ROSENTHAL: The hot pink ones that caused the trouble disappeared into the playroom vortex. But Lucy and Emma had lots of other Polly Pocket shoes to show us when we visited.

KELLY: (Laughter) It's a danger lurking in every corner.

ROSENTHAL: Yes. Be careful.

KELLY: You can see those pictures, if you dare, at NPR's Shots blog.

Elisabeth Rosenthal, thank you so much for being here today.

ROSENTHAL: Thanks for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF ISOTOPE 127'S "LA JETEE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Roger Federer Reveals He Has 'a Few Hundred' Pairs of Shoes: 'I Gotta Clean Out My Closet' - PEOPLE.com

Posted: 27 Nov 2019 07:15 AM PST

Roger Federer Says He Has 'a Few Hundred' Pairs of Shoes | PEOPLE.com

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