Question from Gail

Hi Debra, We are looking to buy a house with hardwood flooring already installed. What do you think about sanding down the finish and putting a non-toxic sealant on the wood? If the floor has been installed for several years, do think that extra step is necessary? thanks for your help, Gail

Debra’s Answer

Probably not.

It really depends on what the floors were finished with, but even if it was the most toxic finish, after a few years it should be mostly offgassed.

The more important question is: are the floors really hardwood, and not engineered or laminate? Both engineered and laminate floors give off toxic chemicals beyond the question of finish.

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Question from duffy1121

I just received a new Actiontec Modem from Verizon a few days ago. It has been outside and wiped w/vinegar, soap, etc and still has strong odor. We had to plug it in b/c my husband needs wireless for his work. We now have it in the back of our home running and the entire room smells like the plastic. Is there a brand of modem that does not off-gas these harmful fumes? I cannot believe this. We have never had this issue before. We now have it in a brown bag, but it still has the entire room full of this toxic odor. I’m afraid the walls, etc., are going to smell like this and we’ll never get it out.

Debra’s Answer

Here is an answer from David Abbot
healthy.environment@frontier.com

There are several possible issues, but by far the most likely is that the circuit board- like virtually all circuit boards in routers, tv’s, radios, CD players, (etc.), is outgasing toxic phenols, which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can cause various problems, including but not limited to headaches and nerve irritation in the sinuses and face.

You can’t remove the phenols from the router without damaging the circuit board.

A charcoal air filter that has at least ten pounds of activated charcoal in it, will help remove the phenols from the air in the room, but it will not stop the circuit boards from outgasing, especially when the circuit board gets warm. Put the router as far as possible from you, and put the air cleaner as close to the router as possible, to get as much of the fumes into the air cleaner before the fumes can get into the air that you breathe.

Do not get one of those $10, $20, $30, or even $200 air cleaners. They are a waste of money. As far as I know, all of them have a soft, flexible black mesh “charcoal” filter. The thermoplastic mesh outgases toxic phthalates into the air. That’s right: these are air cleaners that do a cruddy job of cleaning your air, and in some ways they make your air quality worse. At most they contain only a fraction of an ounce of charcoal and because the charcoal is embedded in the thermoplastic mesh, it doesn’t really adsorb any toxins to speak of. If you want a real air cleaner, expect to pay $350 to $1,200 or more.

Do not use any ionic air cleaner for this purpose. It will not work, and most ionic air cleaners outgas phenols. Many people who use ionic air cleaners find they get more sick.

Never put a router in the sunlight, near a heat duct, near a light bulb, or near any other source of heat, because that will make it outgas even more.

Do not expose the router to heat on purpose with the goal being to make it outgas all of the phenols, because it has more phenols than you have time.

Keeping a window or door to the outside open while the router is on, is a fairly good solution.

Here is the best solution:
1. Drill a make a box that fits over the router, that has a 4-inch diameter hole in one side.
2. Attach and seal a 4″ diameter aluminum dryer vent pipe to the hole.
3. Using a hole saw, drill a 4.25″ or 4.5″ diameter hole through an exterior wall of the house, and stick the 4″ diameter aluminum dryer vent pipe through to the outside air.
4. Put an exterior dryer vent pipe fitting on the outside of the house, that the vent pipe goes into.
5. Seal all around the inside and outside of the hole through the wall, with 100% silicone seal.

This will seal off the router from your indoor air, and vent the router’s toxic fumes outside of the house. If you need to be able to access the router to turn it on and off, make the box with a little door that seals, or instead of nailing, glueing, or screwing on one of the sides, tape it on. Then you can cut the tape with a knife to “open” the box and turn the router on and off, then re-tape that side onto the box.

Question from Cindy

You mentioned himalayan crystal salt in your book Toxic Free. Do you know much about it? I would like to try making “sole” but am confused about what kind to buy. Are they all the same? Many different websites sell it, but some say that theirs is The Original Himalayan Crystal Salt, & of course, it’s more expensive than others. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you so much for your time.

Debra’s Answer

I could write a whole book on “The Original” Himalayan Crystal Salt. In fact, there is a half of a book about it. Water & Salt tells the difference between table salt, unrefined sea salt, and “The Original” Himalayan Crystal Salt.

First, the salt is completely in it’s natural state as a whole food. I’m not going to use the word “pure” because that would mean 100% sodium chloride, which is industrial salt. Himalayan Salt is salt in it’s natural state, which is sodium chloride plus 84 essential minerals that occur with sodium chloride in nature.

The salt comes from a primordial sea, evaporated by the sun millions of years ago. Today the salt is buried deep in the Himalayan Mountains, mined and processed gently by hand to retain the original qualities from the ancient body of water. When the salt is added to water, it releases the ancient energetic information that can benefit your body.

And the compression within the mountain range was so extreme, it created perfectly structured crystals in the salt.

Similar salt can be mined from different locations. The salt that says “The Original” Himalayan Salt is the one that meets the description above. I’ve been eating this salt almost exclusively for so many years now I don’t even remember when I started. It’s an alive whole food, straight from the Earth into the natural cotton bag. I buy the real thing.

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One of my readers sent me this video from Dr. Oz’s TV show about how metals can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Neal Barnard has done research that shows Alzheimer patients have plaque in their brains that contain metal – mostly zinc, copper, and iron (from food, supplements, and cast iron pans). He actually cut open brains to see what caused the disease.

The link below goes to a page on Dr. Barnard’s website that summarizes what is good for your brain and what is not, along with videos of his appearance with Dr. Oz.

http://www.nealbarnard.org/media/watch-dr-neal-barnard-on-dr-oz-friday-march-8

Here’s my recommendation: use Xtrema ceramic cookware that is free of iron, aluminum and other metals found in metal cookware. This is the cookware I use every day.

I just want to make a comment about iron…iron is NOT one of the “heavy metals” that we need to remove from our bodies. Dr. Barnard notes “excessive iron” is found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Iron is a natural mineral that our bodies require in normal amounts. It’s widely known that cast iron pans leach iron in food while cooking. Some people believe this is a health benefit. Other say that the body doesn’t assimilate iron in this form. The problem here seems to be too much iron. Look at the sum total of iron you may be exposed to from various sources. Make sure you get enough for good health, but not more than your body needs.

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Question from Gab M

Hi Debra,

Enjoy reading the website. I have made a natural bed similar to yours except the bed head is a lot darker in color. It has no smells and seems neutral at the moment.

Wondering if I sand it to make it lighter in color and leave it like that would that create an off gassing problem? or if I should seal it? I would like to change it however if I am going to create a problem.I won’t.

Thanks Regards Gab

Debra’s Answer

It’s impossible for me to evaluate this without seeing it, but I’ll tell you in general that finishes will outgas when exposed to air, and stop outgassing when it is cured. If your finish is completely cured, sanding it shouldn’t make it outgas; if it’s not, then exposing a deeper uncured layer will open up the finish to outgas, which will stop when that layer is cured.

Sealing it will only add another layer of uncured finish.

If it were me, I would sand it and let it outgas. In another room or outdoors if necessary. Sun speeds outgassing.

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Question from Kelsey

Dear Debra,

Thank you for this website! My husband and I are preparing for the birth of our first child, and I have been using your advice to try and create a safer environment in our home for the coming little one.

We are on a very tight budget, but I made it a priority to “detox” our bed right away: we sleep on a Naturepedic mattress with a wool pad, organic cotton sheets, and buckwheat pillows. We do have a down comforter.

Baby will be sleeping in a solid wood co-sleeper with Naturepedic mattress pad.

My next focus has been our sofa. It’s actually a futon – this one: http://www.shop4futons.com/savannah-sofa-bed-futon-package.html

We bought it last summer when we married. It is definitely a compromise as far as toxicity, (versus a standard polyurethane couch,) but it was really all we could afford at the time. I am concerned about the cover, as it is poly-cotton. Would it be worth it to purchase a 100% cotton cover, even though the mattress itself contains polyester? We cannot afford a new mattress.

Debra’s Answer

Well, you took a step in the right direction away from a polyurethane foam sofa, that’s good. But it would be better to have a futon with natural filling and a 100% cotton cover.

The biggest problem with the fabric cover is the possibility of a fabric finish that releases formaldehyde. Most poly/cotton fabrics have this, but cotton fabrics can have these formaldehyde finishes too, if they are labeled “permanent press” or “no-iron.”

I’d replace the cover and the futon as you can afford them. When you get the cover, be sure there is no formaldehyde finish on the fabric.

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Question from Stacey

I purchased some children’s raincoats from a company called Hatley. I had referred to CHEJ (center for Health, Environment & Justice) which had a list of PVC-free products and supplies. The Hatley raincoats are not PVC, but are made of polyurethane, with a cotton/polyester blend lining. The coats do have an odor, and I am wondering if I should keep them. Although they are not PVC, is the polyurethane much better? Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

Polyurethane itself, just pure polyurethane, is much less toxic than polyvinyl chloride (PVC). What makes polyurethane foam and polyurethane wood finish toxic are the other chemicals that are added.

If you smell an odor, it means something is outgassing. If you are questioning this, I would return them.

My raincoat is nylon and has no odor.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

I just saw an ad from Williams Sonoma about some new cookware called Komin. It is lighter weight cast iron. I love cooking on regular cast iron but it is so hard for me to lift. It would be nice if it was the same. Any idea if this is safe?

Debra’s Answer

Komin is made of “ductile iron,” a type of cast iron that is up to 50% lighter than traditional cast iron.

The typical composition of ductile iron is

Other elements, including copper or tin, may be added to increase performance. Improved corrosion resistance can be achieved by replacing 15% to 30% of the iron in the alloy with varying amounts of nickel, copper, or chromium.

There are apparently various types of cast iron that could include any of these metals. Even much beloved “plain” cast iron can have various formulas (I just called Lodge and they wouldn’t tell me anything except it is “100% cast iron”). This description of How Cast Iron is Made mentions only iron and steel as the ingredients for cast iron, though other alloys may be added.

But also see Q&A: How Metal Cookware Affects Your Brain before you buy.

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Question from Stacey

Is it okay to wash synthetic clothing and all natural fiber clothing together? Does it matter? I have been separating all my wash (even socks) into natural fibers and those with synthetic materials and think I might be going too far… Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

You don’t need to wash them separately, but why are you wearing synthetics? I’m more concerned about you wearing synthetic fibers with formaldehyde finishes than how you wash them.

Do what you can to get ALL your clothing to be natural fiber and washing won’t be a question.

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Question from Olivia

We have a sofa and love seat from 1980, I believe made in New Zealand. We want to have them reupholstered, but I am wondering if we can just keep the old yellow foam since it’s still firm and just add organic cotton batting and new covers. I don’t want the conventional foam, but natural foam is so expensive. Do you think it would be safer than using new conventional foam?

Debra’s Answer

I think re-using the old foam would certainly be safer than new conventional foam.

If it were me, I would add a barrier around the foam, just to be safe. Reflectix Bubble Pack Insulation has a foil barrier sandwiched between polyethylene bubble wrap. You might see if that works OK to sit on without discomfort or noise.

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