Water | Resources
Carpenter Ant Tips
Question from LydiaCA
I live above a inaccessible crawl space. I had dozens of Carpenter ants crawling up my walls. I temporally sealed the perimeter of the space with plastic and put a hand towel soaked in peppermint, cedar and lavender essential oils into the space. Within two weeks the ants were gone and have not come back in the last four years.
I know it was peppermint but am not totally sure of which other oils I used with it. I had read on the net that unless you get the queen you cannot get rid of them but I did.
Also when travelling in Indonesia I moved into a little cabin with a bathroom full of cockroaches. Again I put a few dabs of an essential oil formula i had prepared for a book. I lived there for two weeks and never saw another one.
Hope this helps, LydiaCA
Debra’s Answer
Thanks! 🙂
PLU #’s that start with 3 or 5
Question from Ronn
Lately I’ve been seeing PLU numbers that start with 3 or 5, and I would like to know what those mean. I know that 4 is conventional produce, 9 is organic and 8 is genetically modified, but what do 3 and 5 mean? I’ve done a lot of searching online, but can’t seem to find the answer.
Debra’s Answer
I wasn’t able to find it either. Readers?
BioShield Paint
Full line of household cleaning products made only with vegetable-based cleaning agents and natural minerals.
Plastic Water Bottles & Safe Drinking Water
Question from ceedle
I have just heard that drinking from plastic water bottles purchased at the grocery are dangerous. I quit drinking tap water over 7 years ago and this concerns me because water is all I do drink. Please advise the safest way to drink water that you know. I thought I was being healthy and now I am really anxious about this and wonder if anything is safe.
Debra’s Answer
I already answered the question of toxic plastic water bottles in the question Toxic Plastic Water Bottles.
The safest way to drink water that I know of is to purchase your own water filter. I’m working on a guide to choosing the right water filter for you, but until that’s done, take a look at Water Filter Basics and the search results for water filters on Debra’s List.
Whole wheat bread
Question from Nell
Hi Debra,
I am wondering about the breads in the stores that are labeled 100% whole wheat but are as soft and lightweight as white bread. Can they really be 100% whole grain and are they just as healthy as the heavier breads? I just find it hard to believe. What do you say?
Thanks,
Nell
Debra’s Answer
It is difficult to answer such a general question as I don’t have all the details on ALL the breads on the market.
I have seen recipes for “light” whole wheat bread that are 100% whole wheat. But many that are part whole wheat and part white flour.
The best recommendation I can give you is to read the label and make sure 100% of the flour is whole wheat.
BioShield Paint
Paints, stains, thinners and waxes "made from naturally-derived raw materials including citrus peel extracts, essential oils, seed oils, tree resins, inert mineral fillers, tree and bee waxes, lead-free dryers and natural pigments…. more than 98 percent of these chemicals are naturally derived from plant sources and minerals. Most of the ingredients in BioShield Paints have been used for centuries or more. We choose raw materials that are low in toxic substances, renewable and feature a low environmental footprint." Products include wall paints & finishes, oil primers & thinners, floor & furniture finishes, and color pigments.
Health Care Goes Green
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the CleanMed 2010 conference in Baltimore. More than 500 healthcare professionals came to learn how to make their practices and facilities less toxic and more green.
I’m happy to report there was a high level of interest and enthusiasm in making healthcare, well, more healthy and eco friendly.
Here are some organization with more information on things healthy and green specifically oriented to the healthcare field.
Are Recycled Metals Radioactive?
“Thousands of everyday products and materials containing radioactive metals are surfacing across the United States and around the world. Common kitchen cheese graters, reclining chairs, women’s handbags and tableware manufactured with contaminated metals have been identified, some after having been in circulation for as long as a decade. So have fencing wire and fence posts, shovel blades, elevator buttons, airline parts and steel used in construction.”
“Thousands of consumer goods and millions of pounds of unfinished metal and its byproducts have been found to contain low levels of radiation, and experts think the true amount could be much higher, perhaps by a factor of 10.”
Apparently there are some isolated cases of recycling facilities inadvertently melting recycled metal with metal contaminated with radioactive materials. How widespread this may be is not known.
“The precise degree of that danger has not yet been definitively determined for low-level radiation, such as that contained in commonplace goods and materials…According to a 2006 report by a National Academy of Sciences panel, there is a direct relationship between radiation and an increased risk of cancer. Prolonged exposure can also lead to birth defects and cataracts, studies have shown.”
“There are no reports of anyone dying or being hurt in the United States after contact with the contaminated metal goods and materials. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency leaves no doubt that tainted metal poses a particular threat.”
The way to measure radioactivity of metal is with a geiger counter. You can buy a geiger counter on eBay for less than $100.
Most metals today, whether labeled “recycled” or not, contain some percentage of recycled material because it just makes sense economically and environmentally. The solution here is not to eliminate recycling, but to be more careful about the manufacture of recycled metals.
scrippsnews: Recycled radioactive metal contaminates consumer products
New study shows brain cancer link to cell phones
An international study has linked extended mobile phone use to an increased risk of developing brain tumours.
The 10-year study– the world’s largest study of the health effects of mobile phones, involving more than 5000 brain cancer patients in 13 countries–found those in the top 10 per cent of phone use are up to 40 per cent more likely to develop cancer.
Just 30 minutes of mobile talk time daily was enough to put participants into the top 10 per cent category in the study,
Industry study shows brain tumour link to heavy mobile phone usage
Timbor for Carpenter Ants
Question from geoffmilw
Hi Debra,
We live in a wooded area and have a nest of carpenter ants in the wall above a window. Actually, they are in the structural header above the window (I verfied by drilling several small holes it’s all wood above the window). I wanted to use diatomaceous earth, which is non-toxic, except if inhaled, but that will not work in this structural header that is within the wall.
My wife is chemically sensitive and our daughter is due to have her first baby in August. Is Timbor a safe alternative for my wife, our pregnant daughter and the baby on the way?
Thanks very much for your help.
GW
Here is a home remedy for making a bait, just do as follows:
Carpenter ants will be attracted to the honey, because of their love for sweet foods, and then will sip up the boric acid, which will cause them to cease and desist.
Keep this away from children as it is harmful if swallowed.
Debra’s Answer
Yes, yes, yes. It smells like nothing. I wouldn’t eat it, but my husband has been applying Timbor to every bare piece of wood in our house for about five years and I never smell a thing. No ill effects.
