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The secrets of the rubber bands have been exposed: Internet masses are going gaga over an Instagram video showcasing the intricate and wild process involved in manufacturing the ubiquitous rubber band — which evokes something out of “Breaking Bad.” Little Rubber Bands
The clip, filmed in India, details the elastic asparagus holder’s journey from latex to loop, proving that forming a new band is no mean feat.
First, per the clip, farmers tap the rubber tree and gather the raw white latex in a bucket as if harvesting stretchy maple syrup.
The footage then cuts to drums brimming with the consolidated sap, which a rubber band man mixes with dyes and other chemicals to imbue it with color and twang.
According to rubberband.com, the rubber base is purified and then mixed with acetic or formic acid so that the rubber particles adhere together.
A post shared by @foodexplorerlalit
This is then cut with various chemicals to provide the hue and the optimal degree of elasticity, thereby preventing things from coming apart when the rubber hits the road.
Next, it’s time to band together. In the clip, a worker is seen dipping organ-shaped molds into the various barrels, after which they’re slipped off and dried like stretchy sausage skins.
Finally, these are fed through another machine to chop the barrels, forming the ubiquitous little elastic circles that we use daily.
Instagram viewers were fascinated by the eye-opening how-to tutorial.
“I learned something new today,” gushed one commenter, while another wrote, “Now I can die peacefully.”
One Instagram comedian quipped that rubber bands seemed “less processed than our foods.”
In July, crab stick fans swore off the savory accouterment after a revolting video surfaced showing the shocking process involved in making these faux seafood treats.
Nonetheless, many seemed a bit skeptical at the lack of safety precautions employed by the would-be Stretch Farm-strongs, who were seen making the bands sans protective gear.
“This is very bad for their health without protection,” said one concerned commenter.
They’re “standing over chemical vats with nothing but sandals and tank tops,” observed another.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “excess deaths from bladder, stomach, lung, hematopoietic, and other cancers have occurred among workers involved in the manufacture of rubber products.”
Rubber Bands “They may also risk adverse respiratory effects, dermatologic effects, reproductive effects, injuries, and repetitive trauma disorders,” the epidemiological institution writes. “The adverse health effects cannot be attributed to a single chemical or group of chemicals because workplace exposures vary greatly and chemical formulations change frequently.”