Sealing And Healing: Non-Toxic Glue and Self-Repairing Rubber

Glue, our marvelous chemical invention so useful it's become a verb, is terribly unfriendly stuff. Stick with me: glue is important to "green" just like any other household product. Fortunately, there are some eco alternatives...and the first hint that we might be able to dispense with glue altogether.

Did you know that cyanoacrylate, better known as super glue, has been used to seal wounds since the early '70s? Shame about the side effects. Toxic fumes, skin damage, killing living cells...it's nasty stuff. If ever there was a substance that needed greening up, it's glue.

Amazing Eco-Glue is water-based, it contains less than 1% of those cell-destroying organic compounds, and there's a vastly reduced amount of toxic fumes. Or if it's wood you're looking to repair, you could wait until Gorilla Glue releases its new non-toxic wood bond (read about it here at 24-7 Press Release).

As yet there's no green super glue - let's hope it's not long in coming. But why have adhesives when materials can repair themselves? As the BBC reports, French scientists have created a type of rubber that can be cut into pieces that reattach without using glue. The result is just as strong as the original, and it's all done using sustainable compounds.

The implications are exciting, to say the least. But for now, try bonding with the new, clean glues - and stick around for updates.

Amazing Eco-Glue: $2.86 / 2.25 oz from Creative Wholesale.

Image: tanakawho