Water | Resources
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.
Bi-O-Kleen
Soy- and citrus-based concentrated cleaning products that are "environmentally safe, non-toxic, with exceptional quality and cleaning results, and affordable and easy to use." No added fragrances, but products containing citrus ingredients do have natural orange scent. Products include All Purpose Cleaner-Degreaser, Stain & Odor Eliminator, Spray & Wipe Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, laundry products, oxygen bleach, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher soap, carpet cleaner, soy biobased lubricant, and more.
BioBased Insulation
Sprayed-in insulation made from soybeans, a renewable resource. Creates a continuous air barrier around your home that blocks outside irritants such as mold, pollen, and other allergens from entering your indoor environment. Contains no harmful and irritating micro fibers or organic dust particulates. "When BioBased Insulation is sprayed into the floors, walls and ceilings, it quickly expands to 100 times its size to fill in every crack, crevice, and void….It insulates your home so well you will actually require a smaller HVAC unit in your home or structure…BioBased Insulation is a thermo set plastic foam that is by its nature inert. BioBased Insulation will not support mold growth and is not a food source for rodents, insects or other vermin."
Safe Economical Choices for Sofa?
Question from mylittlestar
I just recently found this site and it has been a great source of information! I am curious is anyone has any suggestions for a safe economical sofa? I looked at some of the sites on the GreenList, but I can’t afford $5k for a sofa. Also, most of the vendors on this list have the “modern” look, which I don’t care for. I just want a traditional sofa that is safe with a baby in the house and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I know this is asking a lot, but am hoping that someone has some suggestions! I appreciate any ideas that anyone may have.
Regards,
Rhonda
Debra’s Answer
Natural Solutions
“We want to provide our customers with honest and true products that really are natural!…we are offering Natural Beauty Solutions and health products that meet the demands of eco-wise people! Our philosophy is that ‘Only the Purest will do for YOU!'” Products include skincare for all skin types, hair care, body care, tooth care, cosmetics, sunscreens, all natural hair remover kits, unscented items, and more.
Belgian Huis
If you love linen, visit this website. Everything you can imagine made from 100% linen, at affordable prices: bedlinens, table linens, kitchen linens, clothing…. All manufactured in Belgium and bear the label "Masters of Linen", which is given by a French organization to the top West-European weavers.
Genetically Modified (GMO) Cotton
In addition to genetically modified (GMO) foods, there is also GMO cotton. GMO cotton is genetically modified with “Bt”, a protein crystal from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, so as to be resistant to the American bollworm — a moth larva that devours cotton bolls.
According to the newsletter Seeds of Deception:
A 2005 report by medical investigators in India describes an ominous finding. Hundreds of agricultural workers are developing moderate or severe allergic reactions when exposed to Bt cotton. This includes those picking cotton, loading it, cleaning it, or even leaning against it. Some at a ginning factory must take antihistamines daily, in order to go to work. Reactions are only triggered with the Bt varieties.[24] Furthermore, the symptoms are virtually identical to those described by the 500 people in Vancouver and Washington who were sprayed with Bt. Only “exacerbations of asthma” were in one list and not the other (see table).
(We are unaware of similar reports in the US, where 83% of the cotton is Bt. But in the US, cotton is harvested by machine, not by hand.)
The experience of the Indian workers begs the question, “How long does the Bt-toxin stay active in the cotton?” It there any risk using cotton diapers, tampons, or bandages? In the latter case, if the Bt-toxin interfered with healing it could be a disaster. With diabetics, for example, unhealed wounds may be cause for amputation.
Cottonseed is also used for cottonseed oil—used in many processed foods in the US. The normal methods used to extract oil likely destroy the toxin, although cold pressed oil may still retain some of it. Other parts of the cotton plant, however, are routinely used as animal feed. The next part of this series—focused on toxicity—presents evidence of disease and deaths associated with animals consuming Bt cotton plants.
So if you find you are reacting to cotton, this may be another reason.
More links:
Genetically Modified Foods Unsafe? Evidence that Links GM Foods to Allergic Responses Mounts
