What causes the odor I smell in plastics such as trash bags and in kahki colored clothing?

Question

Certain trash bags, usually the less expensive type, and certain grocery/department store bags, I believe the shinier ones, and certain khaki colored clothing, mainly tan khaki more than green khaki, have an odor that is offensive to me. More often than not, others tell me they cannot smell it. I remember the smell once when opening a can of old "clown white face paint". I have assumed it is petroleum related, but just wonder if there is a common ingredient in all these items.

Answer 1

What you are smelling in any plastics is a small amount of that plastic that has become airborne. Plastics are made from crude oil. It is the plastics themselves that give off the smell, and it is a small amount of them that is now a gas.

In the clothing it is a coating that they put on the cloth. Many clothing items have several types of coatings on them from wrinkle resistant to stain resistant and etc. It smeels. Some people are more sensitive to it than otherw. I have to wash new clothing before my husband can wear things. The coating could easily be a petroleum derivitive.

Clown white face does have an oil base. It can get rancid. All of them are related chemically.

Answer 2

Sometimes, chemicals are added to certain items to make them last longer, prevent fading, slow down degradation or even make them wrinkle resistant. Most of these chemicals are petroleum-based, some may not be. In any case, your smell sensitivity is more heightened to this class of chemicals than others. In the same way a lot of people will complain someone's armpit or breath stinks and yet is totally undetectable by other people. It is you more than it is them. Of course, some smells are just offensive such as rotting flesh or meat. It is survival mechanism-man has evolved and learned not to eat something that will kill them.

It has some correlation to place of manufacture but then, I have received and bought items from good USA, Canada and Europe that smell as bad. Don't be fooled that because something that comes from USA manufacturers that it is all good. Remember, Spinach and Taco Bell lately?? All in USA.

I know in the fabric industry, they add a little formaldehyde before to prevent the formation of mildew in clothes. Every additive to a final product are mostly different from others.

Answer 3

I believe it is the smell of the poorly-kept Chinese factories. I know when I get something that is plastic and made in China, it STINKS! Especially if it was a cheap little toy. Man, that annoys me!

Answer 4

I think most plastics contain cude oil products that may be what you are smelling.

Answer 5

immediate beginning of purtrefaction