Question from Joy

I am wondering if you have any recommendations on how I might kill garden slugs naturally rather than using the pellets or other chemical options sold at stores. I have seen a couple of natural products online, but am not sure how well they work or if I might be able to make something at home that works just as well? Thank you.

Joy

Debra’s Answer

I used to live in Inverness, California, where we had giant banana slugs.

I kid you not, my neighbors used to just pick them up and saute them in butter and garlic and eat them (a local food!).

I would set out pie plates filled half-full with beer in the evening. That seemed to work.

Readers, your suggestions?

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Question from Margaret

I have checked with the companies that sell clay plaster and they tell me kaolin clay is one of the ingredients. Since kaolin clay is somewhat radioactive, wouldn’t covering the walls of my home with it be ill advised? Or is it such a tiny amount that it is negligible? I have asked them this question and they won’t answer it (probably for liability reasons). I would love to know since clay plaster is beautiful and (apart from the radioactivity) nontoxic.

Debra’s Answer

Hmmm…I didn’t know about this. I clay-plastered my bathroom walls last year (photos coming soon) so I’ve got it on my walls–no warnings on the label, but there are no warnings on glossy magazines either, which use paper coated with kaolin…or ceramics, medicines, foods in which it is used as an additive, toothpaste, or cosmetics.

Kaolin is a naturally-occuring a clay, an aluminum silicate mineral. It is one of the most common found in sediments, soils, hydrothermal deposits, and sedimentary rocks. It is mined in Brazil, France, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Australia, Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.

Kaolinite can contain very small traces of uranium and thorium. While a single magazine made using kaolin does not contain enough radioactive material to be detected by a security monitor, radioactivitiy in a single magazine can be measured.

The EPA has a a whole page on uranium exposure. They say, “Uranium is a naturally-occurring element found at low levels in virtually all rock, soil, and water. Significant concentrations of uranium occur in some substances such as phosphate rock deposits, and minerals such as uraninite in uranium-rich ores.” My logic says that if it occurs in virtually all rock, soil, and water, and kaolin is found in soils and mineral deposits, kaolin probably has the same concentration of uranium as other naturally-occuring substances.

They also say, “A person can be exposed to uranium by inhaling dust in air, or ingesting water and food. The general population is exposed to uranium primarily through food and water. The average daily intake of uranium from food ranges from 0.07 to 1.1 micrograms per day. The amount of uranium in air is usually very small.” No mention is made of exposure from kaolin in consumer products.

My point here is, uranium is indeed very dangerous to health in very concentrated amounts, but at the other end of the spectrum, we are exposed to it every day from multiple sources. I always say it’s best to minimize exposure wherever possible, but I wouldn’t say that clay plaster is alarmingly radioactive. Our bathroom walls don’t glow in the dark and we haven’t noticed any ill health effects.

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Question from Sandy

I recently read your letters concerning cookware and I have a question:

My understanding is that All Clad’s magnetically-attractive Stainless Steel cookware is the safest choice for stainless steel.

What is your opinion, please?

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Sandy

Debra’s Answer

First of all, All Clad cookware has magnetic stainless steel on the OUTSIDE of the pan, not on the inside where it would come in contact with the food. So it has no relationship to food safety at all.

Why magnetic steel on the exterior? According to a review of All Clad at Epinions.com (which also states that All Clad takes longer to heat, requiring greater energy consumption), the exterior magnetic layer is there to allow these pans to be used on Induction cooktops. Because induction uses magnetic fields to heat the pan, not heat, specific types of cookware that work with the magnetic fields are needed–magnetic stainless steel, cast iron, and steel covered in enamel or porcelain. Glass, aluminum, copper, and non-magnetic steel will not work on induction cooktops. If you are not using induction, however, there is no reason to purchase magnetic steel cookware.

An article by Dr. Ray Peat, a biochemist. He says:

I checked around a few website to verify this idea that magnetic stainless steel contains less nickel than nonmagnetic, and indeed, it is true.

At http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=1140 they say:

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Question from Tammy

Debra,

I try to avoid giving my 3 year old daughter candy but of course family like to give her candy and junk anyway. I hate that because they really don’t have a clue how bad most of that stuff is for kids or anyone for that matter. Anyhow, I was recently introduced to an all organic lollipop with the following ingredients:

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Non GMO Citric Acid (made from beet sugar (not corn), Natural Flavors (May contain Watermelon, Pomegranate, Orange Oils, Lemon Oils, Raspberry, Mango), Natural Colors, (may contain Red Cabbage, Purple Carrots)

Now I can see there is no actual sugar in these suckers but I am not familiar with the Organic Evaporated Cane Juice and the Organic Tapioca Syrup. My question is what are these sweetners and what are the effects on my daughter? Just thinking that they can’t be as bad as sugar or corn syrup doesnt make it so. I am hoping you would know.

Thanks for any insite you can give. I enjoy your newsletter!

Tammy

Debra’s Answer

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice should be the whole juice from the sugar cane plant, with the water removed, but not refined. However, my experience has been that the labeling with regards to this may not always be accurate. I’ve called some companies that have this on the label and it could also mean something else.

Tapica syrup is a sweetener made from tapioca starch–the same tapioca used to make tapioca pudding. It is only available commercially. I don’t know anything about this sweetener.

It would be best to wean a child off of these kinds of treats completely.

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Question from Denise Brill

What is the best (safest) method for preventing algae growth in children’s wading pools at home? I’d prefer not to have to drain the pool after each use since it’s an 8 foot diameter pool that holds over 400 gallons of water and is a pain to drain and refill.

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Any ideas?

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Question from bev Rockey

I would like to have someone come and clean my home using safe products. I have searched the phone book but no luck. Do you know or anyone ? I live in Ohio close to Columbus east suburbs .

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Karen

Hello, my name is Karen. My husband and I own a roofing company in Tampa, Florida. I am interested in learning more about solar tile roofs. I had heard of a community in Arizona that had solar tile roofs. I would be excited to provide solar tile products and installation, if it were to be approved in Florida. Any information you have would be appreciated.

Thank you

Debra’s Answer

My husband and I thought this was a good idea too and looked into it. There are a number of different manufacturers making them now. For those of you that are not familiar with solar roof tiles, they fit in with your roof tiles instead of being large panels that sit on top, so you can have solar energy that is almost invisible (photo)

Here are some links to get started with. And I hope you do this as Florida is a prime area for solar energy and it’s not being utilized. So lead the way!

Premier Power

PowerLight

Sharp

Sunslates

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Question from Kat

Hi, I had been tempted to get some of the clear cookware, but now I’ve heard some complaints about the “glass” cookware exploding?

And that was the reason why the Visions cookware was originally discontinued?

I also heard that Pyrex bowls were originally made of borosilicate glass, which is very resistant to thermal shock (which is what can cause the glass to shatter), but are currently, made of soda-lime glass, which is not as resistant.

What I don’t understand is the inconsistency…Why are some people able to cook with on a stovetop just fine without anything breaking or shattering… while others have it explode? Based off what I read, it seems to be more than just a “thermal shock” issue, but I can’t tell.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know where you got the idea that Pyrex or Visions can shatter while cooking. Some websites say “Glass cookware that is allowed to boil dry is likely to shatter” and I had this experience once. When I was a teen, my parents had a Pyrex pot in which my mother boiled water for coffee. One day I put it on and didn’t watch it and when it boiled dry, it did shatter. However, this does not occur during normal cooking.

Visions pots are so heavy that I can’t imagine that they would shatter under any circumstances.

Regarding the inconsistency, I don’t know what references you are looking at, but I would say that if there were problems with shattering, it had to do with the differences in how the pots were used rather than the pots themselves.

Used according to manufacturer’s instructions, I don’t see any problem with the safety of these pots and they are very nontoxic.

Question from Marilyn

Dear Debra, Are there any toxic factors or warnings of any kindwith baking soda? Thank you,

Debra’s Answer

As far as I know, baking soda is completely safe to use.

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Question from Susan

Hi,

We are looking to purchase a new laptop for working at home and would like to purchase an eco friendly one, if possible. I have read somewhere there are better machines out there now with less emissions etc. but can’t seem to find much info now that we are looking for one. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Susan in MA

Debra’s Answer

Well, there’s a whole website devoted just to answering this question. It’s called Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)–Green Electronics Made Easy. The system helps purchasers compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes.

Compared to traditional computer equipment, all EPEAT-registered computers have reduced levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury to better protect human health and the environment. They are more energy efficient, which reduces emissions of climate changing greenhouse gases. They are also easier to upgrade and recycle. In fact, manufacturers must offer safe recycling options for the products when they are no longer useable.

EPEAT products are identified as EPEAT-Bronze, EPEAT-Silver, or EPEAT-Gold depending on the number of environmental features incorporated in the product.

EPEAT was developed over a three year period in an extensive consensus-based, EPA-funded process that included more than 100 representatives from environmental groups, government officials, large volume computer purchasers, subject matter experts, electronics recyclers, and manufacturers. When developing the standard, the group integrated a wide variety of existing environmental standards and requirements into the EPEAT “umbrella” standard, including the most recent U.S. Energy Star energy efficiency requirements, EPA’s Plug-In Guidelines for Materials Management, Rechargeable Battery Recycling Coalition recommendations, Coalition of North Eastern Governors Model Toxics in Packaging Legislation, European Union (EU) restriction on hazardous substances (RoHS), EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment requirements (WEEE), EU battery directives, and various global environmental labeling standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, using very conservative assumptions, estimates that over the next five years, purchases of EPEAT registered computers will result in reductions of more than 13 million pounds of hazardous waste, more than 3 million pounds of non-hazardous waste, and more than 600,000 MWh of energy – enough to power 6 million homes.

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