Question from Suzanne

I purchased several Marvin Fiberglass windows and had them installed two and one-half weeks ago. Right after installation we smelled a strong acrylic odor throughout the house, which has only abated a little bit.

After two weeks of research I discovered that the fiberglass is actually coated with something called “acrylic capstock”. I have searched everywhere and cannot find out how harmful this odor is and when it will stop outgassing.

I have respiratory problems if I am in the house longer than a couple hours. Fiberglass is being touted as environmentally friendly and safe for sensitive individuals, but they don’t ever mention the acrylic outgassing.

Does anyone know anything about this product and how I can find out how harmful it is to have my children sleeping in these rooms. Marvin says they have never heard of anyone complaining about the smell of these windows, which is hard to imagine because everyone who comes into my home smells them. It is getting colder and colder in Minnesota and I won’t be able to have the windows all wide open much longer.

Debra’s Answer

I didn’t know wha “acrylic capstock” was either, so I looked it up.

I found a reference that said, “acrylic resin family of products for capstocks”. While I couldn’t find a definition of capstock, from reading it in many contexts it appears to be a kind of protective coating that is applied to various materials, to provide exceptional durability and performance characteristics, including UV weathering resistance.

Acrylic is made from acrylonitrile, a special group of vinyl compounds. In my book Home Safe Home I noted that acrylonitrile is included on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of sixty-five “priority pollutants” recognized as being hazardous to human health. Scorecard: Chemical Profiles: Acrylonitrile notes that it is a carcinogen. Acrylic is also known to cause breathing difficulties, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, weakness, headache and fatigue.

Marvin should be able to tell you the brand name of this capstock and from there you should be able to get an MSDS from the manufacturer.

If the smell is bothering you and you are having symptoms from it, then you need to do something to protect yourself and your children. Opening windows is great, an air filter would help, and you may even need to remove the windows or apply some kind of vapor barrier finish over the fiberglass parts.

There is a possibility that these windows are faulty in some way. Perhaps the acrylic resin was not completely cured or there is some other manufacturing defect.

Question from AK

Any suggestions for a very chemically sensitive woman who is going through menopause and having a horrid time for almost six years now. Cannot take herbs, won’t take traditional HRT, tried bioidentical progesterone (doesn’t help), cannot take biodentical estradiol (gives me terrible yeast infections). Exercise daily, eat no preservatives, sugar etc – follow the candida diet for many years. Acupuncture helped for short time then stopped helping, naet which is good for other things is not helping. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED _ HAVE JUST ABOUT EVERY SYMPTOM ONE CAN GET EXCEPT THE WEIGHT GAIN _ WHICH I NEED!!!

Debra’s Answer

It sounds like you’ve already done a lot of things. Readers, what have been successful actions for you with regard to this? Maybe we can give her some new ideas.

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Question from L.H.

I have MCS, am allergic to carpet and dust (among other things), and my bedroom and sitting room have 25 yr old carpet in them. I can’t really afford to replace them with hardwood, and am too tired to find and move to a greener home (catch-22 =). Im considering just having the carpet removed and living with the bare wood underneath, but am concerned that that might not be any better, because of dust or toxins in the wood, chemicals disturbed during removal… any opinions as to which is worse: carpet or whatever is underneath (fiberboard of some kind I suspect)??

Debra’s Answer

I can answer this question from my own experience.

When I first learned I had MCS and needed to clean up my home environment, I lived in a condo with carpet over cement floors. I lived with my father, so I could only change my bedroom.

I realized the carpet had to go and I was very happy I removed it. I felt better right away, even though the floor below was paint-spattered cement.

Until I could afford to lay hardwood, I just covered the floor with an old sheet. It didn’t look very good, but I slept a lot better.

Of course, I don’t know the condition of your carpet or the condition of the floor below, but that was my experience.

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Question from Pat Hetzler

Hello Debra,

My plumber has told me that our 45 years old sink drains are full of grease. He suggests using a potent de-greaser. Can you tell me a safe and effective product to use?

Thanks

Pat

Debra’s Answer

The most natural drain cleaner I know of is Drainbo Natural Drain Cleaner, but I have never used it because I don’t pour grease down the drain. It suggests for clogged drains that you pour the cleaner in the drain at bedtime and let it sit overnight, so the bacterial action can work through the clog. That would be a lot safer than a product that contains ammonia or lye.

If your plumber has a degreaser he wants to use, it might be OK. I was looking at MSDS sheets for degreasers and couldn’t find one with toxic chemicals. That was a surprise. Just shows how some types of previously toxic products are getting less toxic. Ask him what product he wants to use and check the MSDS sheet.

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Question from Melisa

I have just order soap nuts for the first time. I have been using Dr. Bronner’s soaps along with Washing Soda, Borax and Baking Soda and I thought the soap nuts would be more economical. I’m just wondering if I will need to add any of the things when I get them. What do you think, would these other things be needed? FYI I have a very hard working husband and teenage son so there is a little of everything on their clothes.

Debra’s Answer

I just use soap nuts and nothing else. My husband says that they don’t completely clean his really dirty clothes, like when he’s been working on his car, but for my clothing and bedding and towels, they are completely fine.

Readers, what is your experience?

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Question from Reenie

I’m seeking a way to remove black spots of mold/mildew on a child’s white tee shirt. It was left damp in the laundry basket, and then washed. As I was folding the shirt, I noted black stains on the front of the shirt. Is there are way to treat these stains and rewash the shirt and get rid of the stains? It’s been soaked in vinegar and dishsoap and rewashed, but the stains are still there. Would it help to try other methods? Thanks for any suggestions or comemnts.

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from Susan P

Dear Debra,

I am allergic to fabrics, not all, just some. I have MCS. I have just been given a gift of many new clothes, some of which I can tolerate, and some not. Should I wash the ones that cause symptoms (like burning eyes and sore throat) in the hope that whatever I am allergic to will wash out? Do you know what exactly is on clothing that causes these kinds of reactions? I imagine that this is a complicated question, because there are so many possibilities regarding the manufacture of clothing. Can you help me with an answer or direct me to the location at this great website where this probably very-frequently-asked question has been discussed? Thanks so much.

Debra’s Answer

Actually, this isn’t a frequently-asked question. There was were a couple of questions about removing perfume from clothing (Q&A: Removing perfume from new clothing and Q&A: Removing Perfume From Used Clothing Purchases), but not finishes.

There are many different finishes that might be on fabric.

Most common is a simple “sizing” finish which will wash right out with ordinary laundering.

Then there is the permanent press finish, which emits formaldehyde fumes and cannot be removed (though the formaldehyde will lessen the more you wash it).

These are the most common finishes used on clothing.

I would put all the clothing through a wash or two, then use whichever pieces that are tolerable and give away the rest.

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Question from sv

Hi Debra,

We have floor to ceiling, single pane windows in our family room that cause us to lose so much heat in the winter. Do you know anything about honeycomb-cellular shades or is there any kind of film to keep the heat in that you would recommend? Thanks sv

Debra’s Answer

This is a technical question for someone who knows more about energy conservation than I do. Readers?

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Question from Terri Williams

I am surprised that this site does not do more in the way of researching food supply, cosmetics and toiletries. Most of our food supply, cosmetics and toiletries are supplied by the Dow chemical company. Toothpaste, underarm deodorant, mouthwash, makeup, shampoos, body lotions and creams, and much much more, all have synthetic chemicals in them. Propylene glycol (made by the Dow Chemical Company) is a chemical that is in anti-freeze; but also in hair gels, underarm deodorants, makeup and in some butters. This chemical has huge side effects to the human body.

I have learned that what goes into your body and onto your skin should be edible. If a lotion is applied to your skin, your skin is “eating that lotion.” The daily use of chemicals entering your body has just increased. Toothpaste is hazardous to anyone putting it on their teeth, you are not eating it, but once on the teeth it is being consumed into the body and the chemicals in toothpaste are deadly. Underarm deodorant is hazardous because of the chemicals and that staying on the skin fronm morning to night 365 days a year times your age results in many side effects. Sunscreen lathering starts early in life and causes cancer and other diseases instantly.

One thing I have learned in one year since my husband had colon and liver cancer (2007)and survived are the words from his doctor: My husband smoked for 30 years, but he stated that his cancer did not come from cigarettes. He stated in private to me that he could lose his license for what he was about to tell me. Foods, prescription medicines and cosmetics and toiletries cause more harm to the body than a cigarette could ever do, because of the chemicals 365 days a year times our age. Our bodies (specifically our cells) have a hard time fighting off chemicals 365 days a year-bottom line.

No one in 2008 takes the time to do research on the chemicals in every single item that comes near their body or into their body-the FDA allows many companies to do what they want to do-no monitoring from them whatsoever. Sodium nitrite has many side effects including arthritis. It is allowed in processed meats and all deli meats but not allowed in organic meats. Everyone cannot afford organic. That is sad. Many ingredients are allowed without FDA approval including cosmetics and toiletries. Prescription drugs kills and yet the companies are allowed to continue selling the drug. Big Pharm runs this country, not the FDA.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t spend more time on this subject because my work is about finding the SAFE products.

I’ve already researched what’s toxic. A lot of that information is in my book Home Safe Home. And I occasionally do talk about toxic chemicals if I find something new.

But the purpose of this website is to focus on the positive–what we CAN do in light of living in a toxic world.

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Last Friday I discovered we had a natural gas leak at our house.

I had been suspecting something was wrong. I had been traveling for several months, and when I returned home at the end of July, something wasn’t right. While I felt OK physically, mentally I wasn’t thinking very clearly and I wasn’t being my usual cheerful self. I felt like I couldn’t tolerate anything that was the least bit stressful and would just explode about any little thing. I was feeling depressed and hopeless. This is very unusual for me.

I was also becoming more forgetful, just spacing out and not remembering to do things, or I would walk into the kitchen and not remember why I went there. And I wasn’t walking straight. I couldn’t seem to walk through a doorway without bumping my shoulder on the frame.

During this same period, my husband was unusually lackluster. He, in fact, spent about a week under the house repairing water pipes. We thought he was just tired.

As the weeks went by, I felt worse and worse. And I was spending a lot of hours in the house working at my desk, and not going out very much. Finally, last week, my husband and I got into a big argument, which is very rare for us. We were just argumentative, there really wasn’t anything to argue about.

That night I thought I vaguely smelled natural gas. Then on Friday morning, I went out for about an hour, and when I walked back into the house, I immediately smelled the gas as soon as I opened the door. We called the utility company right away. They came and checked our gas stove, gas dryer, and gas pool heater. No leaks. Then they said they would check for pressure in the pipes. If there was no pressure, that meant there were leaks in the pipes. There was no pressure.

They turned the gas off and Larry went to work looking for leaks. I opened all the windows to air the house out. He found two leaks in the pipes under the kitchen and one in the pipe right under my desk where I work. He fixed all the leaks and we had the gas turned back on. And we both felt fine. Back to being happy and optimistic and productive.

I had another very clear demonstration that natural gas was affecting me. On Friday I was supposed to send out my Sweet Savvy newsletter. I prepared the newsletter, and then forgot to send it (this has never happened before)! On Monday I found I hadn’t sent it and edited it and sent it out. I just noticed that there were an unusual number of typos. The gas really messed up my general awareness of things and what I was doing.

I had never before experienced a natural gas leak, so I went hunting for more information, to find out why it had affected me so badly.

Natural gas has three dangers we need to watch out for.

EXPLOSIONS

Though rare, explosions caused by natural gas leaks occur a few times each year in individual homes, small businesses and boats, when an internal leak builds up a sufficient quantity of gas inside the structure. An odorant was added to natural gas so leaks could be detected in 1937, after three hundred students and faculty were killed in the expolsion of a school where a natural gas leak was undetected. [I just want to note that it was interesting to me that my major symptom in response to the gas leak was emotional explosions.]

COMBUSTION BY-PRODUCTS

The most common danger is the production of combustion by-products that are the result of burning natural gas. These include carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitric acid, and vapors from various organic chemicals, which are produced when fuels do not burn completely. All fuel-burning appliances need air for the fuel to burn efficiently. When a generous supply of fresh air is available and the fuel is burning properly, there is little danger of poisoning. But when there is inadequate ventilation or the appliance is not operating properly, carbon monoxide is produced and can gradually overcome and even kill an unsuspecting bystander.

Because carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas, which is impossible to see, taste or smell, you can be overcome by carbon monoxide before you are even aware of it. For this reason, if you are using gas in your home, it is prudent to have a carbon monoxide detector or monitor (for more on carbon monoxide, see Q&A: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and EPA: An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality: Carbon Monoxide).

EXPOSURE TO NATURAL GAS FROM GAS LEAKS

Less common, but perhaps even more toxic, is exposure to the natural gas itself through gas leaks. Natural gas is primarily methane. When methane is burned completely in the presence of oxygen, it produces carbon dioxide and water, which is why it is called “the clean fuel.” The major health effect of exposure to methane is asphyxiation, a condition where the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply, leading to unconsciousness, brain damage, and death.

But other symptoms have been reported from exposures to natural gas in amounts lower than those that produce asphyxiation. One woman associated exposure to an ongoing natural gas leak with “sinus, pneumonia, vomiting upon waking, nausea, nosebleeds, memory loss, extreme fatigue, headaches, weak and bleeding gums and teeth, dizziness, bloating, intestinal cramping,flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, weight gain, loss of appetite, loss of menstrual cycles, depression, claustrophobia, itching in genitals, loss of libido, pain in hands and feet, low grade fever, cuts not healing, night sweats, hair loss, chest pain, heart pain, partial-seizures (conscious) and one grand-mal seizure (unconscious).” She also noted bad memory, weight gain, and feeling drugged. (The Dangers of Natural Gas–this site has lots of links to other natural gas websites).

The MSDS for methane says, “IN LOW CONCENTRATIONS, MAY CAUSE NARCOTIC EFFECTS SUCH AS DIZZINESS, HEADACHE, NAUSEA AND LOW COORDINATION.”

Natural can also contain many contaminants, including benzene, toluene, tar, and PCBs. PCBs are known to the state of California to cause cancer. The California warming about natural gas says:

Natural gas, in its original state, contains radon and benzene, chemicals “known to the State of California to cause cancer.” It also contains toluene, a chemical “known to the State of California to cause reproductive harm.” The benzene and toluene are destroyed when natural gas is burned. Radon does not burn but is released with the combustion by-products.

Carcinogenic benzene and toluene are destroyed when natural gas is burned, but are present in the gas we inhale from gas leaks. (Gascape)

Intentionally added to natural gas is the odorant, which is Methanethiol (methyl mercaptan) or Ethanethiol (ethyl mercaptan). Ethanethiol considered “not harmful” at the low concentrations found in natural gas, but is known to cause dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, tremor, weakness, and unconsciousness when inhaled in sufficient amounts. What may be considered “not harmful” in amounts encountered in normal use may become dangerous when there is a gas leak. “Little is known” about the health effects of methanethiol.

There is a simple test you can do to see how complete your gas appliance is burning. In a dark room, turn on a gas appliance. Watch the gas flame burn. The blue flames are methane gas burning. Yellow, orange, green, purple or red colors in your flame are the contaminants.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Switch to electric. Electricity does not explode, create combusion by-products, or leak toxic, carcinogenic, or asphyxiating gasses. However, there are electromagnetic issues with electric appliances.

2. Get a detector. Natural gas can be detected by use of a natural gas or methane detector (search online or ask at a local store for an “explosive gas/methane detector”); carbon monoxide can be detected by a carbon monoxide detector. Natural gas poisoning is the result of inhaling the natural gas fumes leaking from the pipe that carries the gas into the house from the gas meter. Carbon monoxide poisoning is result of inhaling the fumes created by the burning of gas, which are leaking from the appliance instead of being vented out of the home. It’s important to know the difference.

3. Ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. Use hood fans and open windows to dilute and combustion by-products or natural gas from leaks.

4. Inspect. Call your local utility and have them come inspect your applicances and pipes for natural gas leaks. Make sure all your natural gas appliances are burning at top efficiency.