Question from Marie

I need to have a plumber replace the shower valve. Is it safer to cut a bigger hole in the fiberglass/acrylic shower wall to get into the plumbing, or safer to go through the drywall in the hallway to get into the plumbing?

The cut through the shower wall will just be covered with a bigger plate/fixture. The drywall we will have to fix and patch up on our own.  Which is more toxic – cutting through fiberglass and/or acrylic, or cutting through drywall and patching it up?  Are there nontoxic drywall options? I don’t like the idea of any particles and dust, but this needs to be fixed pretty soon.

Question from Naomi

I recently purchased a Black and Decker Toaster oven, model TO3290XSD, online to replace our old one which is severely rusted and not functioning well. When the box was delivered I noticed a warning that read as follows: WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Styrene, which known to the State of California to cause cancer, and Bisphenol-A, which is known to the State of California to casue birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov. I went to the website and there is a list of chemical and their potential adverse effects but no explanation of how exactly the particular product in question would expose a person so such chemicals or how such chemicals are incorporated into the product. I feel as though I do not have enough information to make a decision about the safety of this toaster oven for preparing food. I am also concerned that if I return it I may not be able to find a chemical free alternative because it is likely that most new toaster ovens out on the market contain some sort of toxic chemical as well. Can you help me figure out how to better evaluate the safety of using such a toaster oven ? I have sent an email to the company inquiring further about the nature of how the chemicals are used in the product but I am not certain I will get a helpful response. I could not find a phone number for the company but will look again. Thanks so much for any insights you can provide

This is a follow up to my previous submission. I finally found a working phone number at which to speak to a live customer service representative at Black and Decker: 800-544-6986 and spoke to a representative named Debby. She said that the styrene and BPA are used to harden the plastic in the feet and some other small plastic pieces on the outside of the toaster oven and that there are no plastic parts inside the oven so there is no concern that the chemicals can come into contact with food. I asked her to email me some printed information explaining this so I could have something to refer to and pass on to others and if she does indeed send it, I will pass it on to you.

Question from Suzannah

I am trying to find a full sized range (I need 36 inches) that does not contain any non stick coatings of any kind on the inside or on the outside.  Do you know of any thing like this that is available in the USA?

Question from Lina

I recently purchased a fabric from a credible online store and have been ordering from them for years and years. This was a surprising experience so I am hoping maybe you may be familiar with how this could happen.

I purchased organic natural thermal fabric. It had a sulphur odor during the washing cycle and the drying process seemed to intensify it. I washed this fabric 3 times!

Is this a sign that they used pesticides or contaminated water during the process of the fabric? Are you in any way familiar with this type of odor emanating from organic cotton particularly un-dyed fabrics?

Question from Abby

Do you have any advice for a non-toxic way to have a tub reglazed ? We live in a pre-war NYC apartment and don’t want to replace the whole tub/bathroom tiles, but can have them reglazed. We will vacate during the process and for 48 hours thereafter, but am concerned about toxicity thereafter, including when bathing our 3 year old.

Question from Tony

I just had a question about non toxic oven brands, I had an old oven that seemed non toxic and didn’t seem like it was chemically altering my food, but it broke and now my current oven from Frigidaire seems very toxic and it seems like it’s chemically altering my non toxic food (Trader Joe’s), and I’ve been feeling very sick all the time ever since this new oven has been installed. I feel like I’m not getting the health benefits from the food. Do you have any suggestions on any non toxic oven brands or any non toxic baking options? It would really help me out it’s a huge problem.

Question from Carole

I used the Janice Shampoo and conditioner for many many years from their catalogs or web page….now seeking more safe shampoo and conditioners…I’m 78 and have severe chemical allergies since 1942

Question from Jackie

I was very concerned to read that a lead-free advocate found that Xtrema cookware, highly regarded by many clean living advocates, tested positive for multiple metals. What are your thoughts on this?

Question from Ted

My daughter just bought a house and she was questioning the dura- flame logs versus natural wood. Which is more toxic.? They have a four-month-old baby and she’s concerned about the toxicity.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

This past summer I wrote a post about PFAS chemicals in farm produce.  The source of the chemicals was from ground water that had been contaminated from firefighter foam used primarily on military bases.  At the time, the contaminated ground water seemed relatively contained to areas in close proximity to military bases.  Now, EWG has updated their database and it shows PFAS contamination of tap water in almost 1400 sites in 49 states.  This is impacting up to 110 million Americans.

As a resident of New Jersey, I was shocked to learn that over 500 water sources in my state are contaminated.  I went back onto the updated EWG interactive map and found that, sure enough, my town is one of those sites.  While there is no federal standard for PFAS chemicals in drinking water, studies estimate the safe level at 1ppt (part per trillion).  My town has 8 times that amount and one site in New Jersey exceeds that amount by more than 200,000.

According to EWG, even very low doses of PFAS chemicals in drinking water have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, liver and thyroid disease, and other health problems.

What You Can Do

1. Find your municipality on the EWG PFAS Contamination Map to see if your water supply in impacted.  You can also check to see if there are other contaminants in your tap water.
2. Contact your local government to ask questions and demand answers.  Learn more here.
3. If you don’t already have a water filter, invest in one that filters out the specific contaminants found in your local water.  I believe the best water filter on the market is PureEffect, which removes a broad range of toxic pollutants, adjusts the quality of the water, and is made with non-toxic materials.  PureEffect has recently discontinued its whole-house filter but you can meet most of your needs with their Undercounter or Countertop model and their shower filters for a lot less money than the whole-house system.  For those of you still interested in a whole-house system I will be looking into other options now that PureEffect does not offer one.
4. If a comprehensive system like PureEffect is not affordable, purchase a carbon-filter pitcher.  While they do not remove a full range of pollutants, some do filter out PFAS chemicals.

After the holidays, I will contact my local government to find out what they plan to do to address the contamination of our water supply.  I will keep you posted on my progress.  Please share your stories if you find successful ways to encourage local authorities to take action.