Adapting a 1968 song by The Zombies, “It’s the time of the season when your nose runs high.” Yes, we have entered the winter season and with it many of us get a runny nose. 

Because of that, our “going out the door” checklist of cell phone, wallet, car keys, shopping list and anti-viral mask now also includes the subject of this column... tissues. 

The human body has evolved over time to function in all types of weather. To find out why you get a runny nose in winter, I watched a podcast called “Sniffles and Sneezing.” 

For those unfamiliar with podcasts, they are an audio and sometimes video presentation of creative content. It allows anybody with a webcam and a camera to dispense their thoughts to the world. 

So maybe Andy Warhol was correct when he said, “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

According to the podcast, the nose is one of the important portals in the upper respiratory tract. Its job is to warm and filter air before it enters the lungs. In winter with its frigid temperatures, the chilly air triggers the sensory nerves in the naval cavity to cause the vessels to expand and secrete mucus. 

That eventually warms up and filters the cold air which is better for your lungs.

Well, that ends my science lecture. But one result of all that nasal activity is the production of a runny nose.  Now let us delve into the history of the tissue, a story that is nothing to sneeze about.

Most of us use the word Kleenex when referring to a tissue. Kleenex is a brand name that, because of its popularity, has become a generic term for facial tissues. Other generic terms are Velcro, ChapStick, escalator and even trampoline. 

Centuries before Kimberly-Clark began manufacturing Kleenex, Japanese people used a soft silky paper, the size of their hand to blow their nose. In other parts of the world people handled cloth handkerchiefs to clean their nose. Unlike the one-time use of tissues, the soiled handkerchiefs were often stuffed back in a pocket to be used again in a rather unsanitary fashion. 

The First World War opened the way for Kimberly-Clark to modernize the nasal clearing system. Their initial idea of making tissues out of cotton was undermined because that material was being used to make clothes for the soldiers fighting the war. 

They invented a material called “cellucotton” that led to their developing the first disposable tissue. Originally, their cellucotton was used to line the inside of gas masks.

When they first began selling their tissue product it was advertised to be used for taking off make-up and cold cream. They shifted their ad campaign when they received thousands of letters about consumers using them as disposable facial tissues for their nose. 

In the 1930’s, the company pushed the idea of using their product to fight the spread of colds. The popular ad line was “Don’t put a cold in your pocket.”

According to statistics, Americans use over 280 billion tissues a year. The use of them is having a negative impact on our environment. The production of   toilet paper and facial tissue accounts for over 15% of the global deforestation. 

The demand for tissues in the United States causes Canada to lose over 1 million acres of its forests yearly! Keep in mind those trees must be loaded into trucks for transport. In Canada, it is estimated that those trucks emit over 25 million metric tons of polluting carbon dioxide per year, causing another strain on the environment.

Maybe it is time to make a tissue that, instead of being disposable, can be laundered and reused. Make them like a mini cloth handkerchief that is packaged in a handy washable mesh bag. Simply drop the bag with the used items in the washer and dryer. 

If the idea catches on with tissue companies like Kimberly-Clark, they can contact me about acquiring my copyrighted name, “ReIssues.” I will even offer to toss in the slogan, “Save the trees when you sneeze.”

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.