A drawstring (draw string, draw-string) is a string
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
, rope
A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...
or lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
used to " draw" ( gather, or shorten) fabric or other material. Ends of a drawstring are often terminated with a sheath called an aglet. The ends may be tied to hold the drawstring in place (and simultaneously close an opening). Alternatively, it may be kept drawn using a cordlock. Typically, the drawstring is loose when not being used and tightened when needed during use.
A drawstring may be threaded through a hem or casing (a continuous tube of material) or laced through holes, which may be lined with eyelets
image:Eyelets For Curtain.jpg, Curtain grommets, used among others in shower curtains
A grommet is a ring or edge strip inserted into a hole through thin material, typically a sheet of textile fabric, sheet metal or composite of carbon fiber, wo ...
. A shoelace is a drawstring. It may also be laced through loops attached to the material, in the same way that belt loops are. A belt is a usually flat drawstring.
Hazard
In 1996 the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued guidelines for drawstrings onchildren
A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...
's upper outerwear to help prevent children from strangling
Strangling or strangulation is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain by restricting the flow of oxygen through the trachea. Fatal strangulation typically occur ...
or getting entangled on the neck and waist drawstrings of upper outerwear garments, such as jackets and sweatshirts. Drawstrings on children's clothing are a hidden hazard
A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...
that can lead to deaths and injuries when they catch on such items as playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
equipment, bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
doors, or cribs. From 1985 to 1999, the CPSC received reports of 22 deaths and 48 non-fatal incidents involving the entanglement of children's clothing drawstrings.,
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC, CPSC, or commission) is an independent agency of the United States government. The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing "unreasonable risks" of injury ...
(retrieved 21 August 2010) In 2006, the CPSC issued a letter to manufacturers, retailers, and importers of children's upper outwear garments, urging them to make certain the garments do not have hood drawstrings that can pose a strangulation hazard to children.Drawstrings, American Apparel and Footwear Association (retrieved 21 August 2010) Several
product recall
"Product Recall" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American comedy television series '' The Office'' and the show's forty-ninth episode overall. The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton b ...
s due to possible strangulation hazards have occurred.
Similarity in nature
In biology, a type of protein in theRho family of GTPases
The Rho family of GTPases is a family of small (~21 kDa) signaling G proteins, and is a subfamily of the Ras superfamily. The members of the Rho GTPase family have been shown to regulate many aspects of intracellular actin dynamics, and are found ...
heals wounds by contraction, much like a draw-string being pulled to close a bag.
References
{{Commons category Textile closures