Neoprene Is Nasty

Of course, you know your wetsuit is made of neoprene, but do you know how dangerous its manufacturing is to the environment and the people who live where it is made?

Neoprene, a brand name of polychloroprene, is a substitute for rubber. Entirely waterproof, it's ideal for wetsuits and other gear designed to insulate against wet and cold environments.

Although it is now made in Japan, Taiwan, and the developing nations of the Far East, the United States is still the largest producer and exporter of neoprene. Neoprene is made from petroleum, using a process that turns a component, chloroprene, into synthetic polychloroprene.

The only chloroprene plant operating in the U.S. is owned by Japanese chemical company Denka, which bought it from DuPont in 2015. It's situated in the predominantly low-income town of Reserve, Louisiana - in the heart of an area known as 'Cancer Alley'.

Rising from the site of a former slave plantation, the Denka chloroprene plant casts a long shadow over St John's Parish in Reserve. Like most petrochemicalderived fabrics, chloroprene, aka neoprene, significantly impacts the environment. No home in the community around the plant has been untouched by cancer. It has the highest cancer risk in the USA, 50 times higher than the national average.

The EPA attributes this to the Denka Performance Elastomer plant, located just outside of Reserve, which releases chloroprene, a known carcinogen, into the air. The EPA found that chloroprene emissions from the plant were up to 14 times higher than recommended levels.

The town underwent a profound awakening in December 2015 on the back of a government report on toxic air, and yet, a decade later, those shocking revelations have been met with little or no action.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says long-term exposure to chloroprene may also affect the lungs, liver, kidneys, and immune system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that chloroprene is strongly associated with skin cancers and lung cancers in humans. The rates of these diseases are far higher in individuals who work directly with chloroprene, which includes factories that produce neoprene for products like wetsuits and rash guards.

Denka has consistently rejected the EPA's guidance and findings on the air-borne cancer risk in Reserve, suggesting they are not based on sound science. It claims the company operates its facility safely and within all permits written by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality under existing standards designed to protect public health and the environment. Of course, in many southern states, environmental regulation is weak, at best.

So, what about scuba wetsuits? We asked Jim Standing, Director of Fourth Element, a company that produces wetsuits, rash guards, and other items and has been at the forefront of environmental considerations.

"Fourth Element became aware of this issue around a year or so ago and undertook an audit with our supplier to look into the origins of our raw materials. Our neoprene is not made with any materials produced in this factory in the USA, and we believe that none of the dive neoprene on the market uses it [nowadays], regardless of brand. Rather than the oil-derived neoprene made in Louisiana, most of the raw material for dive neoprene is limestone derived with the addition, in some cases (ours included), of recycled rubber from car tires.

"However, that is not to say that neoprene is not without its issues as a material, from both a human health and an environmental perspective, and this report has led us to redouble our efforts in working with better neoprenes and the search for alternatives. We are not alone in the dive industry as other brands also realize that this is the way forward."

Regardless, neoprene is not biodegradable. The Guardian reports that the British outdoor apparel company Finisterre estimates approximately 380 metric tonnes get thrown away in the U.K. every year.

But wetsuits don't have to be made from neoprene.

Alternative materials include Yulex, a biodegradable rubber, in its suits. It's an ultra-pure natural rubber material made in the USA. The plants are grown without artificial irrigation systems, and the materials are processed with recycled water. Even the waste plant material after the rubber extraction is used as biomass fuel for electricity generation. Many products made from Yulex also include polyester made from recycled plastic bottles. Also, some water sports clothes can be made from Econyl, a recycled nylon made from discarded fishing nets, and even old carpet tiles. Yamamoto neoprene is made with limestone. Henderson's Greenprene is made from natural rubber, sugar cane, plant oils, and oyster shells (instead of mined limestone).

Jim Standing continued, "A few years ago, we launched Surface, the first dive suit made from Yulex Pure, a natural rubber-derived alternative to neoprene, and it is hugely effective. Since then, others (Scubapro, etc.) have started using it in their suits, and the cost of the material has come down a little. It still remains the preserve of the more well-heeled diver, however."

We couldn't find a scuba brand manufacturer that would admit to using neoprene sourced from the Denka factory in Louisiana, but look for the name Yulex, Greenprene, or a limestone-based product when buying your next wetsuit and avoid ordinary neoprene. It will better suit your conscience.

- John Bantin

From an investigation by The Guardian in 2019 and other sources. https://tinyurl.com/yc7as5a8