Water | Resources
Toxic College Dorm Room
Question from Judith
Hi, Debra, I am a long-time reader and fan of your website and books; thank you for the great service you provide.
We have the following frustrating and worrisome situation.
We just moved my 18-year-old daughter into her college dorm and to our dismay, her building, as well as many others on campus, have been “renovated” with new carpeting, furniture, and mattress within the last year. We can smell the formaldehyde and other contaminants in the air of her room.
All her life, she has had health issues and severe food and environmental allergies which have led us to seek a toxin-free lifestyle. Right now, she is not reacting to the off-gassing, but we both know that it is very unhealthy for her to be exposed to these toxins in the long term.
It seems that moving to another building will probably not be a good option, especially as many other buildings have indoor air that is just as bad or worse.
Other than switching out her mattress with an older, safer one, I am not sure what else would help. I was thinking maybe air-cleaning green plants (but which ones)? Would a powerful air purifier filter gases? Any help or advice would be much appreciated!
Debra’s Answer
I haven’t used them because I have no carpets in my house!
I think in this particular case, the proper air filter would be the best solution. Plants do remove pollutants from the air, but you would need a lot of them to handle this level of pollution. See Debra’s List: Air Filters for air filters that can do the job.
SC Johnson Ingredient Disclosure
You may have seen the commercial on TV for SC Johnson products where they say they are disclosing all their ingredients for products like Windex, Glade, Pledge and more.
I went to their website and easily found this information. I just want to discuss it a bit because I think it’s a great idea and want to encourage more major manufacturers to do the same.
A whole section of their website is devoted to “What’s Inside SC Johnson: A Cloer Look at the Ingredients Inside Our Products.”
Start at Find a Product By Brand. I chose Windex and then Windex Original Glass Cleaner.
Each individual product page has a list of ingredients organized by function. Better yet, you can click on each ingredient and you will get a popup page that tells you what the ingredient is and what it does, plus links to information from various sources that give safety and toxicity data, so you can make your own decision as a consumer. Sources include places like Skin Deep, International Fragrance Association, FDA, EPA, TOXNET, and others. (After looking at a few products, I noticed the same links were on all ingredients, but they don’t point to the ingredient on that site, only to the site itself, you have to search for the ingredient. I would prefer to see a synopsis of the data from these sources on one page).
SC Johnson has their own Fragrance Palette, a list of ingredients they use to formulate their “secret recipe” fragrances. While they don’t specify the ingredients used in each fragrance in their ingredients list, if you see an ingredient on the Fragrance Palette list that you are concerned about, you can call their 800 number and they can “help you with specific product choices.” While their fragrance palette has more than 1500 ingredients, they also specifically list ingredients they don’t use, like formaldehyde and phthalates and “any known carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins listed by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, the European Union’s REACH and Substances of Very High Concern programs, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Carcinogens, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
And, they also include the MSDS at the bottom of the page.
Great resource!
Did it make me decide to use their products? NO.
But at least I can evaluate them more easily than before. And at least they show what toxic chemicals are NOT in the products as well.
I appreciate the thoroughness of disclosure of ingredients. What is still lacking is an easy at-a-glance summary of the toxicity or safety of those ingredients.
But kudos to SC Johnson for a step in the right direction.
Te Bella Tea Company
A lovely little website with organic and fair trade teas in many unusual flavors. Choose from green, white, oolong, black, herbal, rooibos, and mate teas, with flavors like raspberry/rosehip/pomegranate, orange/almond, and peppermint/rosepetal/lavender. They have teas that open into blossoms when brewed and a tea infused with jasmine blossoms using a technique that is 900 years old. Family owned and operated.
The Healthy Bra Company
Custom bras that are “just right” for your body, regardless of shape, size, anatomical features, or body conditions. Because each body is unique, a comprehensive assessment process is used to take into consideration each woman’s individual needs. It is then determined whether a custom-fitted, custom-altered, or custom-made bra is needed. Bras are based on an innovative and scientifically-inspired design of “suspension support”, developed in the 1960’s, by aeronautic engineers–which support the breasts from below, and around, rather than having your shoulders bear the weight of the breasts through the straps. In addition, these bras are further modified to meet your health needs. “Postural muscles…need stimulation to bring them…into action”. As the bra supports the breasts and reinforces the proper postural alignment, it POSITIVELY affects the gravitational load or “stress” on the body. So a properly fitting bra can affect a host of “gravitational stress symptoms” such as muscle and nerve pain, rotator cuff injuries, osteoarthritis, poor circulation, poor and limited oxygenation of the body. Who knew that these things could have any relationship to a bra!” Especially important to anyone concerned about toxics is that these bras are designed to allow free flow of lymph drainage, a function essential to body detox that is blocked by most bras. Bras are made of a combination of cotton, organic cotton, and synthetics, depending on what is needed for the specific individual. Any bra can be lined with organic cotton so only natural fibers touch the skin. Bras for everyday wear, sports and activities, pregnancy, nursing, mastectomy, re-construction, surgeries – reduction, embellishment, therapeutic, teens in training, breast health-conscious bras, postural bras, and more.
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Listen to my interview with Maria Monti Founder The Healthy Bra Company. |
Dirty electricity from wind and solar farms
Question from ANDRE FAUTEUX
Are wind farms saving or killing us? A provocative investigation claims thousands of people are falling sick because they live near them
The symptoms they claim to have suffered may vary – including dizziness; increased blood pressure and depression – but the theme remains the same
Dr. Brad Weeks says “Solar farms are equally toxic.” http://weeksmd.com/2012/09/windfarms-causes-toxic-electrical-pollution/
Dirty electricity needs to be measured and corrected in every home.
I use Graham Stetzer filters all over my house, but did you know you that before using them, you need to ensure there are no wiring and grounding errors/problems in your home? If not, they could make your power dirtier and generate strong magnetic fields all along the unbalanced circuits.
Details from electrician Sal La Duca, B.Sc., former nuclear plant operator and technician and great American Baubiologist:
http://www.emfrelief.com/capacitive-filters.html
His conclusion:
As a general rule capacitive filter installation is NOT recommended without a thorough evaluation of the electrical system to: 1) identify and eliminate any wiring errors, and 2) NOT recommended if the neutral current takes many divergent paths as shown in the house with the electrical service at one end of the house and the water pipe at the other end, and 3) NOT recommended if there are any other options (like removing dimmer switches, replacing compact fluorescents or fluorescents in general with standard lamps, reducing the number of digital devices, etc.) available to eliminate the problem.
Andre Fauteux, Publisher/Editor
La Maison du 21e siecle magazine
What is Resin?
Question from Donna
Hi Debra, I’m trying to find a cute toothbrush holder and soap pump for my son’s bathroom, but most of them are made of “resin.” Is resin safe for bathroom accessories? Thank you, Donna
Debra’s Answer
Resin is a substance that begins in a viscous state (a thick, sticky consistency between a solid and a liquid) and then hardens.
There are many natural resins, one of the most familiar being the aromatic sticky stuff that oozes out of Christmas trees. But many other plants produce resins, too, and they have been used by humans for thousands of years to make various everyday products, including varnish, lacquer, inks, perfumes, jewelry and other objects.
Today most resins are are made from petroleum. Resin refers to the type of material, rather than the chemical it is made from, so you can have, for example, polyester resin, acrylic resin, epoxy resins, and the like, each of which have different toxicity.
In general, however, the rule of thumb is hard plastic is safer than soft plastic, so if this is a hard resin, it’s probably pretty safe.
You could call the manufacturer and ask for the type of resin used and their MSDS. Then I could give you a better assessment.
Need a Fine Sieve to Rinse Quinoa
Question from PJ
A kitchen store employee suggested that I use “food grade silicon caulk” to seal the rim of the fine sieve I purchased to rinse quinoa. The dry grain was getting stuck under the rim and swelling, making it impossible to remove. I have looked for a replacement fine sieve and they all look like they are made the same. I am uneasy about the suggestion. I would appreciate your input. Thank you
Debra’s Answer
Silicon caulk is toxic when applied, but does cure to be nontoxic as the solvents evaporate. If you are going to use it, do use one that is food grade as it is especially designed to be food safe to FDA standards (though I don’t always agree with them).
You might want to search the internet, if you haven’t already, for “fine sieve.” I just did and found various styles. I don’t know which you are using, and I don’t rinse quinoa, so I don’t know what to suggest. Perhaps a reader will respond.
I just remembered my grandmother rinsing rice, washing the starch off by rubbing it between her hands. At the end she just poured off the water through one hand, leaving the grain in the bowl. Sometimes our hands are the simplest tools and work just fine.
Or line a bowl with cheesecloth and pour the quinoa through.
Think “outside the sieve” on this one.
Arsenic-Free Rice
Question from Shoshana
Do you know which brands of organic rice have less arsenic or no arsenic?
Debra’s Answer
Here is an article from Rodale that I think answers your question: Rodale: How Companies Are Coping With Arsenic in Rice.
Arsenic is a poison, but it is also a naturally occurring element, present throughout the Earth’s crust in minute qualities. Our bodies are designed to process arsenic, which can pass through the body in a few days. The problem occurs when there are higher concentrations of arsenic in rice or other foods, usually due to pesticide contamination of the soil. And some people eat a lot of rice as a dietary staple.
There are two ways to reduce the total amount of something. One is to choose a sample that contains less, and the other is to be exposed less frequently. Reducing the amount of rice you eat from every day to three days a week or once a week will be the same as eating rice with a lower amount of arsenic.
The fact that we cannot always eliminate toxic exposures is one of the reasons we also need to support our bodies in the ability to detox the chemicals we are exposed to (see my Toxic Free Body website).
Personally, I don’t eat rice. Occasionally I use Lundberg Sweet Dreams Brown Rice Syrup in a recipe. This is made from brown rice grown in California by an established organic farm.
I would stay away from cheap off-brand rice and stick with well-known organic brands such as Lundberg.
BPA linked to obesity in white children
White children exposed to high levels of bisphenol A are five times more likely to be obese than children with low levels, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research is the first to link the chemical to obesity in children; previous studies reported links in adults and animals. Traces of BPA – used in some canned food and beverages, paper receipts and dental sealants – are found in virtually every U.S. adult and child.
Environmental Health News: BPA Linked to Obesity in White Children
In 2011, a study found that evidence of BPA in participants’ urine decreased by 50% to 70% after only three days of eating fresh foods, instead of eating canned foods that contained BPA. This tells me that BPA leaves the body quickly, so presence of BPA in the body is due to continuous exposure, rather than accumulation of multiple exposures over time.
There are many things we each can do to minimize our exposure to BPA from foods and beverages and other sources. I’ve put them all together in my free ebook How to Reduce Your Exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA).
Bare Honey
Raw “treatment-free honey…fresh from the hive,” produced without chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, GMOs, or any other treatments. Further, their equipment has never been exposed to any chemicals or pesticides whatsoever. “We have chosen to join a community of beekeepers that are breeding stronger bees rather than medicating weak ones. We are following a path of sustainable honey production. Working with the natural rhythm of our bees’ life cycle, we are able to produce a honey far healthier than the supermarket alternative. Our honey is completely free from the dangerous chemical and antibiotic residues used by most beekeepers today.” They have many honey products to choose from, from 2-ounce mini honey bears to an adopt-a-hive program. Honeys in glass jars are straight from the hive, fortified with pollen, or flavored with chilis, lavender flowers, and other good things.
