Irresponsible swag

Re “Swag: Merchandising Goes Back to Basic Black” [June 5]: Mark Olsen proclaims the “Batman Begins” swag, a can of black spray paint with a stylized label, as “this week’s winner.” I beg to differ.

This swag’s “snowy cascade of plastic packing peanuts” will remain in landfills, intact, for decades. Hundreds of these cans may be improperly disposed of in the trash.

From there, they’ll be compacted inside garbage trucks, where many will release pressurized, flammable acetone, xylene and toluene. These toxic petrochemicals will then evaporate into the atmosphere, where we’ll all breathe them.

Tracy Culp

Valencia