Press2Impress

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Press2Impress

by technomist @ 2009-04-01 – 21:37:06

Between the barber's shop and Wong Chung chinese take-away on the small row of shops at the High Street end of Blackhorse Road is a small dry-cleaner's called Press2Impress at No 5 Blackhorse Road, which, judging by the number of other such places in the UK, seems either to be a franchise or a bit unimaginative in its name.

As I mentioned in a post about the nearby St James's Street firm, M&S Dry Cleaners , which does advertise its charges, Press2Impress does not seem to be very interested in letting people know clearly what its services cost. This seems an odd way of going about things, but another nearby rival, Apollo, takes the same approach.

People can, I suppose, phone 020 8520 0555 to find out.
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5 Comments to Press2Impress

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- Teuta9
- 2009-04-01 @ 21:49:50
Interesting - I've just tried to ring the number and got no answer; does it advertise its opening hours....?
- - technomist
  - 2009-04-01 @ 23:26:48
  I would not be surprised if they were shut at that time of the evening.
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- vanquishbb
- http://www.kill-me-if-you-can.com/
- 2009-04-02 @ 10:02:29
Rich people dry clean their clothes to avoid shrinking or damaging them and to maintain their overall appearance, particularly if they’re made from delicate wools, silks, or rayons. Unfortunately, this cleaning process can be highly damaging to one's own health and to the environment. Being a poor person, most of my stuff is made out of burlap, so I just wash it and hang it out to dry.

Perchloroethylene (“perc”), the solvent used by most dry cleaning establishments, is known to disrupt the central nervous system and contaminate human breast milk. According to the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, it can lead to headaches, nausea, dizziness, and memory problems. Released into the air, perc can harm the health of dry cleaning workers and of people who live near dry cleaners.

Perc is used by an estimated 85 percent of drycleaners worldwide. According to Greenpeace, more than 95,000 tons of the solvent are used annually by 35,000 cleaners across the United States and Canada.

The International Agency for Research in Cancer classifies perc as a “probable human carcinogen.” Perc is already known to cause cancer in animals, and several studies indicate that exposure in humans increases the risk of esophagus, lung, kidney, and liver cancers.

Perc’s toxic byproducts include phosgene, a hazardous gas that evaporates and can be lethal in closed spaces; vinyl chloride, a proven carcinogen; carbon tetrachloride, a known liver toxin; and trichloroacetic acid (TCA), used as an herbicide in the 1950s and 1960s.

Studies show that pregnant dry cleaning workers are 2–4 times as likely to have a miscarriage as pregnant women in other professions. Male dry cleaning workers, meanwhile, have been shown to have more sperm abnormalities and a significantly lower sperm count than men not employed by the industry.

Perc now contaminates up to 25 percent of U.S. drinking water, according to a government study. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates the use of perc, most states have been reluctant to adopt phase-outs.
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- technomist
- 2009-04-02 @ 10:42:36
Its very interesting what you say. The industry lobby group in 1998 worked with a government committee to play down the evidence, a bit like the old toboacco industry lobbying governments about cancer and smoking:

"ECSA statement on the UK study &quot;Spontaneous Abortion in Dry Cleaning Workers Potentially Exposed to Perchloroethylene&quot; (1998)"

A study, Spontaneous Abortion in Dry Cleaning Workers Potentially Exposed to Perchloroethylene commissioned by the UK Health &amp;amp; Safety Executive and published in Occupational &amp;amp; Environmental Medicine, Vol. 54 on (25 November 1997) suggests there may be a link between operating dry cleaning machines and a higher than normal rate of miscarriages among dry cleaning workers. The study found that machine operators had a miscarriage rate of about one in six pregnancies compared to around one in eight pregnancies in the general population."

The findings were referred to the UK Committee on Toxicology of the Department of Health. In a statement dated November 25th, 1997, this Committee stated that &quot;there is no evidence for a plausible biological mechanism by which perchloroethylene could cause this effect.&quot; There is indeed no supportive evidence from laboratory experiments of any specific abortive potential of perchloroethylene. The Committee also stated that &quot;other factors could have contributed to the observed risk.&quot; Indeed, such factors as e.g. posture and work load may be different for dry cleaning machine operators. The Committee concluded that &quot;the increased risk of spontaneous abortion could not be specifically attributed to perchloroethylene.&quot; Another conclusion of the statement was that &quot;there is no risk to the general public who visit dry cleaning premises.&quot; This was based on the fact that dry cleaning female workers not employed as machine operator did not show increased risk of abortion compared with females employed outside the dry cleaning and laundry industries."

Perchloroethylene has provided the basis of the dry cleaning industry for over 50 years. During this time, it has been thoroughly researched to ensure it has minimal environmental and health effects when used correctly. Nevertheless, the member companies of the ECSA understand the concern which the findings of this study may cause and have entered into a dialogue with the UK Health &amp;amp; Safety Executive regarding further research to clarify the situation"

See also:

http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/environmental/200603percholorethylene-pt2.html
- - vanquishbb
  - http://www.kill-me-if-you-can.com/
  - 2009-04-02 @ 11:44:37
  To hell with our health and the health of our Earth, making money is what's important. Without an abundance of it one might only have one TV set and no silk shirts at all.
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