"Stop the Bleeding" Horseshoe Crab Tee Shirt - Olive Green

Original art by Finnzilla exclusively for Fenwick Float-ors.

More than a pretty face and a true blue blood, the horseshoe crab has existed for 445 million years.  On the Atlantic Coast, they are vital to migratory birds, fish, and turtles. Sadly for the horseshoe crab, their blue blood is also valuable to the biomedical industry. Their blood contains a protein used for detecting toxins in medical equipment, drugs, and vaccines. A horseshoe crab’s blood will clot when it comes into contact with a pathogen. The biomedical industry values this clotting agent at around $15,000 a quart.  Over 700,000 horseshoe crabs were bled in 2021. That number increased further in 2022 to nearly one million.  Upwards of 30% do not survive the bleeding process or its effects afterwards due to blood loss or stress.  These are unnecessary deaths.

A synthetic test has been in use since 2019 in Europe.  It is important that this alternative be adopted here as outlined in draft guidelines written by the U.S. Pharmacopoeia.  The next hurdle would be convincing the biopharmaceutical companies in the U.S. to in fact “stop the bleeding”!

All of our printed Fenwick Float-ors designs are made with water based inks. Why is this important? Water based inks are free of PVC and phthalates, reducing the ink's environmental footprint. Lower energy consumption, as it cures at lower temperatures compared to plastisol ink.  This produces a softer, more breathable print on natural fabrics.

100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton

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original design copyright 2021 Finnzilla