Do you feel itchy when being pricked? Be careful if you have such items at home →

Review expert: Zhou Hongzhi, senior laboratory technician, master's supervisor, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology

Have you ever been pricked by a cactus? The tiny thorns are stuck in your skin and can't be removed. A slight touch will cause pain and itching! So, what is it like to be pricked by hundreds or thousands of thorns at the same time? These tiny thorns are even more uncomfortable than cacti.

I went to fly a kite happily, but when I touched the kite frame, my hands immediately felt itchy; I accidentally touched the broken frame of an umbrella, and my fingers became red and swollen and painful. I wanted to clean them but couldn't find the wound; when I was installing a mosquito net at home, my hands were inexplicably pricked by many small thorns and they hurt when I touched them... Why are these common objects in life so prickly?

"Home Assassin" Fiberglass

Mosquito net frames, umbrella frames, trekking poles, cat toys...fiberglass is the main component.

Glass fiber is an inorganic non-metallic material with excellent properties. The diameter of a single filament ranges from a few microns to more than twenty microns, and the thinnest can be up to one twentieth of a hair.

Glass fiber products have great freedom in design and can be woven and spun like other silk materials, with hundreds or even thousands of single filaments forming a bundle of fiber strands.

The picture shows glass fiber chopped yarn

Since the mid-20th century, glass fiber has increasingly been transformed into the raw material of daily necessities, from large items such as tents, projection screens, and screens to small items such as chopsticks, fishing rods, and wires, which may contain glass fiber components.

During the processing, glass fibers are generally made into composite materials or their colors are changed by adding pigments, making them difficult to identify by appearance (color, shape, etc.).

In addition, glass wool and fiberglass also contain glass fiber - fiberglass is a new type of material made of synthetic resin and glass fiber through a composite process, while glass wool can be understood as another form of glass fiber.

Why is fiberglass prickly?

Glass fiber is widely used in various fields such as petroleum, chemical industry, construction, environmental protection, aviation, and national defense because of its significant advantages such as good insulation, strong heat resistance, good corrosion resistance, high mechanical strength, and strong plasticity. However, it also has a "fatal" weakness, that is, its wear resistance and folding resistance are very poor .

The main damage of fiberglass:

0 1

The most common injury is that the fiber pierces the skin . Due to the rigidity of the glass fiber itself, even if it is very thin, it will pierce the skin like a thorn, causing damage or even infection. And its existence will only be discovered after the infection and swelling.

0 2

Fiberglass dust pollution is a very hidden harm and is hard to prevent! Fine fiberglass dust splashes into the air and can easily be inhaled into the lungs. This damage is permanent. Of course, when the amount is small, it will not cause serious harm, but if you don't pay attention and keep in contact with waste fiberglass products for a long time, it's really hard to say.

The picture shows a broken bed curtain rod. Image source: Xiaohongshu @不良情感

Generally speaking, the strength of glass fiber varies with the fiber diameter and length. The longer the fiber and the larger the diameter, the lower the fiber strength. At the same time, the higher the alkali content, the lower the glass fiber strength.

After being stored for a period of time, the strength of glass fiber will decrease, which is called fiber aging. The strength of alkali-free glass fiber remains basically unchanged after two years of storage, while the strength of alkali glass fiber continues to decrease, starting quickly and then slowly. The strength decreases by 33% after two years of storage.

If you think about it carefully, those broken tempered films, broken fiberglass chopsticks, and weathered kite frames have indeed been used for quite a long time.

How to avoid being injured by fiberglass?

In general, glass fiber composite materials provide us with a more cost-effective choice. Glass fiber is a cheap alternative material for daily necessities when materials are scarce in the early days. With the abundance and development of new living materials, daily necessities in life have begun to enter the process of elimination.

All fiberglass products will have some fiber dust pollution. The longer they are used, the more serious the dust will be. Don't think that fiberglass materials are safe because they are wrapped in resin. This only reduces the amount of harm to an acceptable level.

Therefore, try not to use fiberglass products in household items! If you have to use them, pay special attention to the service life.

It is best not to buy fiberglass for these products

0 1Tents, mosquito nets

Pay attention to the service life and do not use the support rod for more than 10 years.

The skin is more exposed when sleeping, and if the fiberglass pole breaks, the consequences are more serious. Many tent bracket breaks are caused by children jumping and playing. Children have delicate skin, so they need to pay special attention to items that come into close contact with them.

Before purchasing, be sure to check the "fabric composition" on the product details page and choose products with alloy tent poles.

0 2 Chopsticks

Never use it. Using fiberglass chopsticks is undoubtedly suicidal.

Chopsticks are very commonly used in daily life. They are worn out when used and washed, and they need to be eaten, so the safety requirements are relatively higher. In addition, there are many alternative materials for fiberglass chopsticks that are good quality and cheap, which can be a safer choice.

There is little difference in appearance between fiberglass chopsticks and plastic chopsticks. To be on the safe side, it is recommended to buy bamboo, wooden, or stainless steel chopsticks.

0 3Umbrella, trekking pole

Do not use it for more than 10 years, and throw it away immediately if it is broken or cracked.

Umbrellas are opened, closed, and pulled several times during each use. To be on the safe side, it is recommended to choose other materials for products that may be frequently impacted and struck.

You can buy a steel frame umbrella or a carbon fiber + alloy frame umbrella according to your needs.

04 Kite

Throw away immediately if the skin is broken or broken.

Kites are usually seen in outdoor scenes with strong sports, and the possibility of collision and damage is relatively high. In addition, kite frames are currently basically produced by small factories, so it is safer to choose materials with better toughness.

You can choose according to your needs, budget, and usage habits. If you buy fiberglass material, don't be afraid. As long as you use it correctly and avoid bumps and breaks, fiberglass is also safe.

References

Dingxiang Life Research "You'll itch for years after touching it! If you have these products at home, replace them now"

Museum "It pricks your hand and you can't pull out the thorn! Do you have to use it?"

Popular Science China: "Do fiberglass chopsticks harm the body and cause cancer? The truth is..."