Water | Resources
More on Metals Leaching
I ran across a very interesting website called Corrosion Doctors at www.corrosion-doctors.org/.
“The mission of this popular Web site is to improve the general awareness of what corrosion is all about, from complicated processes that are at play even behind the simplest corrosion reactions to the impact corrosion may have on systems (pipelines, cars, boats, …) and human health (implants, allergies, toxic metals …).
“Many are surprised when they learn that there are many ways to prevent and control this natural force. The Corrosion Doctors’ visitors are also surprised when they learn that these corrosion processes may also be happening inside their own body!! However, the topics covered in the many pages of the Web site go much beyond metallic corrosion because Corrosion Doctors also discuss the degradation of our lives due to toxic elements and the basic degradation of the planet because of pollution, global warming, and global dimming! With more than 1,600 pages and thousands of external links, the Corrosion Doctors site is a good example of what lean information systems are about.”
This is an amazing research site. One page has a graphic of the Periodic Table of Elements that shows which are toxic and which are not. The toxic ones are: Arsenic, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Fluorine, Lead, Mercury, Nickel, Thallium.
I’ve bookmarked this site so I can study it more. It’s the best place I’ve found to go for information on metals toxicity.
Mothballs
Question from CC
How do you eliminate the smell of mothball?
I have a question about moth balls. I have an old cedar chest from my childhood that I’d like to use, but it still has the smell of mothballs in it left over from the early 1960’s. There are some vintage clothes in it I’d like to clean and sell. I’d like to know how to clean the clothes and cedar chest to eradicate the toxins and nasty smell. Any advice? Thanks, BethanyC
Debra’s Answer
Readers? What is your experience with this?
Stainless Steel Leaching into Food and Beverages
Updates: Read these more recent articles:
Is Stainless Steel Toxic?: Read This Before Throwing Away your Pots and Pans
Laundry softener, soy free
Question from Eva
Hello Debra, i have re-read all of the laundry posts, i have found laundry detergent by Ecos that is soy free, to your knowlege, is there also a fabric softener that is soy free?
My 2 childner have dairy, soy, fragrance etc.. sensitivities so i have to be extra careful.
Thank you.
Eva.
Debra’s Answer
You don’t need to use fabric softener on natural fiber clothing.
I haven’t researched a soy-free fabric softener, since I don’t recommend synthetic clothing.
Skin care without herbs & fragrance
Question from Eva
I am sensitive to perfumes and herb oils so it has been quite the journey for me to find organic and suitable skin care line that i could use daily.
Five days ago i purchased Facial mist Rare Minerals from Bare Escentuals and i broke out in hives just after first use. That, unfortunatelly happens to me often.
Any suggestions? My skin is combination ( dry with oily T zone).
Thank you, Eva, California.
Debra’s Answer
Readers? What do you recommend from your experience? I use nothing more than handmade soap on my body and face.
Remove firewood soot from clothing
Question from Gloria Simala
I would like to know how to remove soot from clothing caused by a wood burning stove.
Debra’s Answer
I’ve never done this. Readers, any suggestions?
Gel Coat On Fiberglass Tubs/Showers?
Question from Hope
Hi there,
Does anyone have an opinion on the safety of a fiberglass tub with a gel coat? Many fiberglass tubs, showers, and pools are made with a gel coating integrated into the surface, made of polyseter resin. The gel coats can also contain additives such as UV reducers, pigments, fillers, etc. The most affordable japanese soaking tubs (the style tub that we want) are fiberglass with gel coats. I’ve heard that acrylic is relatively unhealthy.
Our desire is to have a japanese style soaking tub that is as safe as possible. My husband suggested stainless steel (I tried to explain that some people have health concerns about it but he wasn’t convinced). I considered cast concrete but am concerned about sealants. We found a nice fiberglass model that we like, but I need to know if the gelcoat is ok. Thanks =)
Debra’s Answer
There may be many different gel coats with different additives that may or may not leach, so I don’t think one could say across the boards that they are all safe or harmful. I think you’re going to need to evaluate the gel coat of the specific tub you are considering.
4 Year Old Memory Foam Mattress
Question from Hoping for Better
I’m new to the concept of outgassing. I’ve had allergies for years, and they did seem to get worse when I bought my memory foam mattress in the 2004/05. I finally broke down and went to an allergist, who will be testing me for allergies in a couple of weeks. I have 2 questions:
1) Is outgassing bad enough in a tempurpedic mattress that it’s worth it to replace it after 4-5 years of sleeping on it? Aren’t there other (cheaper) options? I had really hoped to keep it for 30 years. It has helped my back problems considerably, although I’m not surprised that it might be connected to my allergies because I do wake up with allergies every day, even though I’m pretty good about using allergy covers and cleaning the sheets in hot water pretty regularly.
2) Is there a way my allergist can test me for being allergic to chemicals like the ones in the bed? How do I know which chemicals I’m allergic or sensitive to? I can’t continue living with constant allergy symptoms!
I’m so glad I found this site. Thanks so much in advance for your help!
Best,
Hoping for Better
Debra’s Answer
In general, materials that outgas do so most when they are new and less as time goes by. If you noticed an increase in your allergies after you started sleeping on your Tempurpedic mattress, I would not continue to sleep on it.
Certain doctors can test you for chemical sensitivities by using what is called “provocative neutralization” testing. To find a doctor near you, visit American Academy of Environmental Medicine.
Cleaning up lamp oil spill
Question from Judith
As always, thanks very much, Debra, for your wonderful website. I have learned so much from it.
My question is how would you clean up a spill of petroleum lamp oil from a kitchen floor and wall. We have inherited several beautiful oil lamps from my mom and I had mistakenly thought all of them were empty until two days ago, when my daughter accidentally knocked one of these lamps over. It fell on a tiled floor and against the wall of the kitchen and the floor length side of a wood desk. The smell was horrendous and is still terrible after having my husband clean up the site five times already. We have the windows open as much as possible (it is freezing here in Northern VA)and I sprinkled a lot of baking soda on the surface. I am sure the wall also absorbed a great deal of it and I am not sure what else to do. I need to be in the kitchen and right now I can only stay there for a few minutes. Is there a special cleaning agent that would help? How about the wall and the wood? Thanks so much!!
Debra’s Answer
Readers, any experience with this?
Orange Juice Pulp
Question from Lace Blue-McLean
Question: what to do with my left over orange pulp. We received a bag of oranges for the holidays and went to town juicing most of them. Now I am left with alot of pulp. Any recipes? I know it is good for the compost pile but would like to think it could be used some other way. Thanks!!!
Debra’s Answer
Here’s a site that answers all your questions about using leftover pulp from juicing, including concerns you probably haven’t even thought of. Includes several links to sites with recipes for using juice pulp, including orange. Juicer Pulp Recipes
Now, that said, I don’t juice anything. I blend the whole fruit or vegetable with water so I get all the fiber and everything. No pulp leftover because the WHOLE fruit or vegetable is in the drink.
