thedrifter
09-05-06, 01:56 PM
September 11, 2006
Silver fiber helps to reduce bacteria and odor in fabric
By Karen Jowers
Staff writer
You may be wearing military-issue T-shirts or socks that are anti-odor, anti-bacterial and anti-fungus — and could help you start healing if you are wounded.
The use of such clothing in the military, as well as in athletic and outdoor wear in general, is growing. More than 5 million pairs of combat boot socks that contain “X-Static,” a silver fiber that eliminates bacteria, regulates temperature and provides anti-odor protection, are being worn by soldiers and Marines, according to officials with Noble Biomaterials, which created the fiber.
In addition, more than 100,000 desert uniform shirts with the fiber are being worn by Marines, Army Special Forces and Navy Special Warfare Operations troops. Marines are also wearing combat gloves that help keep their hands cool during hot days and warm during cold nights, company officials said.
Bill McNally, president of the military division of Noble Biomaterials, said the Navy will also be using X-Static in socks next year. The Air Force plans to do the same.
A version of the material is being used in bandages made by two large wound-care companies.
“The garment is sterile. It’s the same technology as the bandages,” McNally said.
The silver binds with proteins produced by the body to provide an enhanced wound-healing effect, he said.
Products featuring X-Static are being made by manufacturers of athletic and outdoor clothing, including Fox River Mills, Pearl Izumi, Spyder Active Sports, Hind and Browning.
“Silver is a fascinating substance if you use it correctly,” McNally said. “We put all the silver on the outside of the fiber in a pure metallic form that enhances conductivity. But we do it in such a way that it does not change the character of the textile.”
X-Static increases the cost of a garment by as much as 10 percent, depending on the original cost of the item and the amount of X-Static in the garment.
The benefits of the silver fiber include:
• It has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. McNally said X-Static can be a weapon against methicillin-resistant staphyloccus aureus, or MRSA bacteria, an antibiotic-resistant skin infection that can be fatal.
• It’s anti-odor. Most anti-microbial fibers create odor rather than inhibit it, McNally said. “Most human-based odors are caused by bacterial waste products, like ammonia. Once in, it’s like an ammonia factory,” he said. “You can’t get it out. We kill bacteria virtually instantaneously. It’s so anti-bacterial, your sweat becomes anti-bacterial.”
• It regulates temperature, reflecting heat away from the body at very warm temperatures and back to the body at very cold temperatures.
• It eliminates static, an important quality in a military environment. Company officials said you can toss an X-Static garment into the dryer with other clothes to cut down on static. There is no effect on laundering care, except that no bleach can be used.
Ellie
Silver fiber helps to reduce bacteria and odor in fabric
By Karen Jowers
Staff writer
You may be wearing military-issue T-shirts or socks that are anti-odor, anti-bacterial and anti-fungus — and could help you start healing if you are wounded.
The use of such clothing in the military, as well as in athletic and outdoor wear in general, is growing. More than 5 million pairs of combat boot socks that contain “X-Static,” a silver fiber that eliminates bacteria, regulates temperature and provides anti-odor protection, are being worn by soldiers and Marines, according to officials with Noble Biomaterials, which created the fiber.
In addition, more than 100,000 desert uniform shirts with the fiber are being worn by Marines, Army Special Forces and Navy Special Warfare Operations troops. Marines are also wearing combat gloves that help keep their hands cool during hot days and warm during cold nights, company officials said.
Bill McNally, president of the military division of Noble Biomaterials, said the Navy will also be using X-Static in socks next year. The Air Force plans to do the same.
A version of the material is being used in bandages made by two large wound-care companies.
“The garment is sterile. It’s the same technology as the bandages,” McNally said.
The silver binds with proteins produced by the body to provide an enhanced wound-healing effect, he said.
Products featuring X-Static are being made by manufacturers of athletic and outdoor clothing, including Fox River Mills, Pearl Izumi, Spyder Active Sports, Hind and Browning.
“Silver is a fascinating substance if you use it correctly,” McNally said. “We put all the silver on the outside of the fiber in a pure metallic form that enhances conductivity. But we do it in such a way that it does not change the character of the textile.”
X-Static increases the cost of a garment by as much as 10 percent, depending on the original cost of the item and the amount of X-Static in the garment.
The benefits of the silver fiber include:
• It has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. McNally said X-Static can be a weapon against methicillin-resistant staphyloccus aureus, or MRSA bacteria, an antibiotic-resistant skin infection that can be fatal.
• It’s anti-odor. Most anti-microbial fibers create odor rather than inhibit it, McNally said. “Most human-based odors are caused by bacterial waste products, like ammonia. Once in, it’s like an ammonia factory,” he said. “You can’t get it out. We kill bacteria virtually instantaneously. It’s so anti-bacterial, your sweat becomes anti-bacterial.”
• It regulates temperature, reflecting heat away from the body at very warm temperatures and back to the body at very cold temperatures.
• It eliminates static, an important quality in a military environment. Company officials said you can toss an X-Static garment into the dryer with other clothes to cut down on static. There is no effect on laundering care, except that no bleach can be used.
Ellie