Question from ep

I am a mother of a toddler and an infant. I buy mostly organic produce but am having a harder time affording to do this lately. I have noticed that instead of buying produce that is not organic, I’m just buying less. I feel torn because I know the importance of feeding fresh fruits and vegetables to my family but I can’t bring myself to feed them food with pesticides. I am familiar with the “dirty dozen” but even those are expensive to buy organic. Can you comment on this dilema? Do I reduce the amount of produce we eat or start serving some fruits and veggies that are not organic?

Debra’s Answer

That is a dilemma I think a lot of people are facing today.

The way I look at it is, produce has benefits from the nutrients and fiber, and hazards from the pesticides. Organic is obviously best because you get the benefits without the hazards.

The question is this: is the benefit of the nutrients greater than the harm from the pesticides? That might be difficult to asses because we don’t know the nutrient value of any given sample of produce, nor the pesticides used.

If you buy the freshest, locally grown produce, it will have more nutrients, even if it is not organic.

You can reduce the cost of organic produce by purchasing fruits and vegetables in season, shopping at farmer’s markets, or joining a Community Supported Agriculture program.

And growing your own, if you can is most nutritious and affordable of all.

Add Comment

Question from ep

Someone cleaned my microwave with an all purpose cleaner by 7th Generation. I cannot get the smell of the cleaner out and I’m afraid the scent and/or chemicals left behind are leaching into our food when we use the microwave. It has been a couple of months, and I’m still smelling it. I’ve tried to clean it with soap and hot water and have tried boiling lemon water in the microwave but nothing has helped. Is this odor harmful for our food and can you suggest what I can do to get rid of the odor?

Debra’s Answer

This doesn’t sound right to me. The odor shouldn’t linger that long.

I would contact Seventh Generation and ask them how to solve the problem.

Better yet, stop using your microwave.

Add Comment

Question from gipper

Hello Debra,

I just bought a new mattress a week ago. It’s a foam one made by Sherwood. It says “organic cotton” on it, but the smell is still quite strong and I bought it a week ago. I don’t mind getting used to the smell, which has dissipated somewhat already, but want to make sure that there’s no issue of toxicity. Can you ease my fears about this? Also, any suggestions for helping with the smell? Thanks in advance for any help you may offer.

JG in CA

Debra’s Answer

I’m a little confused by your question.

I’m not familiar with a mattress made by Sherwood.

You say it’s foam and then you say the label says “organic cotton,” Foam and organic are not the same thing. I can’t comment on the toxicity because I don’t know what it’s actually made of.

Add Comment

Question from Jenna

Do you know of a powerful food blender that actually has a glass container as opposed to plastic?

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know of one. Readers, do you?

Add Comment

Question from lindaann36

I was wondering what your thoughts were on Chemtrails. I know what the contrails are that trail behind the jets and then quickly dissappear. I have been noticing lately a lot of planes spraying the white long chemtrails in the sky. They seem to linger for hours and spread out as time goes by. Should we be worried about these or is it nothing. Thanks, Linda

Debra’s Answer

I can’t give you a definitive answer on this one, as it is a controversial subject, and I haven’t done enough research to make a decision about what to believe.

But I’m sure some of my readers will comment with opinions!

Add Comment

Question from Lorre

Does anyone have experience with heat that comes from hot water running through coils to heat their house? The system is fueled by natural gas but I don’t know if the gas will actually be distributed through the house where I’ll breath it. I know I can’t tolerate gas heat, but I’m not sure about this “Hydro-Heat” that is in a house we are considering.It is water running through the coils heating the house. That sounds pretty safe to me….BUT just the mention of Gas makes me shiver! Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Debra’s Answer

I think it depends on where the gas is located that is heating the water. A solar heater would be great for this.

Add Comment

Question from Sarjan Banks

Hi, I have fairly severe MCS and am looking for a drywall alternative (given all the recent problems I have heard about drywall). Does anyone know about dragonboard? I can’t quite figure out what it is made of? Has anyone used it?

Debra’s Answer

Interesting material. It has a lot of benefits without toxic ingredients. I haven’t used it, but it looks good on paper: www.dragonboard.com/aboutus.php

Add Comment

Question from sedgesprite13

Yesterday, the man came to put new soffets and gutters on our garage. After he left, we discovered he had cut the soffets next to our organic veggie garden. There were tiny, like confetti, bits all over the carrot patch. We bagged up the carrots and the top inches of the soil but may have missed a few metal bits. Did we do the right thing? Is any area the bits fell poisoned? There are lots of them in the lawn but that is too big an area to dig up! Help!!!

Debra’s Answer

I’m not really concerned about this. Over time, the metal may leach into the soil, but it would be very slow.

Add Comment

Question from jiwaskow

Does anyone know if Green Board carried by Home Depot is typically tolerated or not by people with chemical sensitivities? We built with block construction to avoid using drywall or insulation on our exterior walls, but the original builder didn’t line up the windows and blocks properly and they need to be trimmed with something. The new builder is suggested Green Board. I don’t know enough about it though.

Opinions and even other material ideas welcome. He said cement board, which we’re using in the bathrooms, would be too heavy and expensive.

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

I don’t recommend greenboard. I haven’t researched what it in it, but it has an odor and tends to disintegrate.

Is this a big space that needs to be filled in? Can you fill the space with mortar?

P.S. I just noticed in another post there is a product called Green e-Board. Are you talking about this or standard greenboard that is used instead of cement backerboard?

Add Comment