Some radio show had a special where some inventor was hawking underwear that had a built in filter, presumably made of charcoal?, that absorbs or counteracts any gaseous odors omitted from the wearer’s rear end.
is this some kind of hoax? Does it work? Who buys it?
Activated carbon can absorb odor. It does so by having a very high surface area for small organic molecules to bind to. This is the commonly known “science” that the [strike]scam[/strike]* inventor is betting will get you to buy his/her product.
First of all, if you have a serious odor issue eminating from your nether region might I suggest you take a shower from time to time. If that doesn’t work, ask your doctor since it sounds medical. If you think this product is going to prevent your flatulence from stinking, just remember that in order for the underwear to absorb the smell, the gas has to pass through the filter as opposed to around it. You will need an airtight seal around your groin and I can’t imagine that is healthy.
Even if the gas does pass through the filter, you will need to change the filter often. I doubt such a thing would stand up too well to the laundry since laundry detergent is full of small molecules likely to adsorb onto the carbon filter. These molecules will likely occupy any potential places for your ass stink to stick.
Well, I don’t know how to code that.
del, not strike
As for who buys it, the first time I heard of it they suggested it could be a very good product for people with bowel disorders like Crohn’s disease. Some people suffer above average gas production that can make it hard to have a normal life. This would make the product more of a medical device than “fun for the whole family!”
I’m going to agree with WarmNPrickly. How could you get all the wind to pass through the filter?
For people who have had a stomach bypass, and now don’t digest their food as well as they once did, here’s a product that had literature available at the Doctors office:
http://www.devrom.com/
I met a person while on holiday in Fiji who claimed to be one of the inventors of these devices.
She said she got the idea while coming back from Mexico on a plane full of people who’d eaten a lot of beans recently.
Otara
They should really sell them in a package with these.
(post removed)
Even if only 80% goes through the filter, that could be enough to make a real killer into something barely noticable, no?
Check out that website. They have both a disposable version, and a “washable and reusable” version that they say will last for “several weeks”.