Question from liza

Hi debra, i want to purchase a Kugelhopf Mold but they are either made from something covered with nonstick, or tinned steel or anodized 18 gauge aluminum. which is the safest choice? thanks so much

Debra’s Answer

How about none of the above?

One thing I have learned in the past thirty years of living toxic-free is that there are some things that are just not worth the toxic effect.

Not only do you have whatever might leach from the pan, there’s also refined flour and refined sugar, both of which are toxic foods.

I’ve learned to find new pleasures that are nontoxic and support good health, and leave the toxic treats behind.

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Question from Beth

I’ve been perusing your list for under counter water filtration systems. I see that Multipure is not on there, but it is the only company I’ve seen yet that makes stainless steel housings. Plastic housing on a water filtration system is counterintuitive to me. What can you tell me about the effectiveness of Multipure vs., the ones on your list, especially the top one that has the “accustomed to MCS” icon? Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

First in general I want to say that just because something isn’t on [Debra’s List] doesn’t mean it’s a bad product. I only have so many hours in the day and there are many products that qualify that aren’t on the list because 1) I don’t know about them or 2) I haven’t yet had time to add them or 3) I think other products are better and don’t want to make things so confusing you don’t know what to choose.

For many years I recommended MultiPure and still would recommend their filters if they fit your need.

Multipure filters are mainly carbon block filters that [reduce a long list of contaminants]= http://www.multipure.com/mpscience/contaminant-reduction-list/. The list includes both chlorine and chloramines, but it’s my understanding that you need a special kind of carbon to remove chloramines, so this doesn’t make sense to me. Also I don’t see a lab test that says how much of these contaminants are removed.

As for plastic vs stainless steel housing, in fact, both plastic and stainless steel can leach into water, but the contact time is so slight in a water filter that it’s unlikely that either is leaching much, if at all. What you need to look at is a lab test of the product water to see if substances that leach are in the product water.

I can’t compare this to all the other water filters on Debra’s List here in a blog post, but I will compare it to the top one on the list, the Pure Effect filters. These are very different. You can read my comments about them at why I chose the PureEffect Ultra-UC filter to install in my own home…

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Question from Bluebird

Do you have any idea how to remove tape residue which is hardened onto glass or plastic? The masking tape and other tape has been sitting for a few years and it seems welded to the plastic and glass. I tried alcohol but that is only partially effective. Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

Good question!

I actually had that problem once on a window and removed it by scraping it off with a razor blade

Not sure what to do with plastic.

There are various cleaners that will melt it, however the cleaner would need to be nontoxic.

Readers, any experience with this?

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Question from Hannah

Hi Debra, My question is about flame retardants. First of all, is drywall treated with flame retardants? I can’t find any info about that. Second, do you know of any information about whether flame retardants are able to be excreted from the body or do they build up. It would be helpful to know which chemicals we can detox and which ones we can’t so if you know of any databases with that info that would be great! Thanks very much!

Debra’s Answer

Drywall does NOT contain fire retardants. If it did, they would be listed on the MSDS. And it’s not. http://www.ncs-stl.com/msds/Drywall.pdf

Nor have I ever heard drywall associated with fire retardant exposure.

Whether flame retardants can be excreted from the body is a good question. Here’s a study that shows 92% of tris was excreted after 5 days. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6117442

The problem is that usually we are exposed to fire retardants day in and day out. So if you have say five hours of exposure sitting on a sofa watching tv and it takes five days for your body to excrete it, you’re putting it into your body faster than your body can remove it. And it will build up in your body. That’s the problem today. We are exposed to toxics faster than we can excrete them.

For more information on how you can help your body detox, see my book Toxic Free and my Toxic Free Nutrition website.

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Question from lindab

Hi Debra,

So glad to have found your website.

My husband has developed a multiple chemical sensitivity after I started making homemade laundry detergent using Fels Naptha soap. It took awhile to pin it down to that since his symptoms started a month after using this concoction.

I am heartsick that I brought this on him by trying to save money on something as simple as laundry detergent.

Thanks for all your helpful information. You will probably save me hundreds of hours searching the web for organic alternatives to everything I will need now. So hard to determine what is really organic and what is not.

Thanks, thanks, thanks!!!

Debra’s Answer

You’re welcome, you’re welcome, you’re welcome!!!

Here’s what I wrote about Fels Naptha: Fels Naptha Soap.

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Question from JC Gandhi

We are looking to replace our hardwood floor as we have had 2 leaks in the past year and it has buckeled in several places. We are considering both laminate and engineered hardwood but would like to know if there are any other options. We saw one that is ‘antibacterial porcelain stoneware’ which seems to be green but then we had concerns about triclosan and antibacterial products in general. We had bamboo floors in our old place which I loved but they dented so easily. We have 2 young children and a ton of guests that come through this area – it’s the main area in the house (kitchen plus living). Any suggestions would be greatly apprec iated.

Debra’s Answer

I’ve written a lot about hardwood floors elsewhere on this blog (in particular see Types of Wood Flooring).

I don’t recommend laminate or engineered hardwood.

The other option is solid wood hardwood flooring. And I recommend prefinished so you don’t have to deal with toxic finishes.

Solid wood flooring is not difficult to find. It is more expensive. You can find it at Lowe’s and Home Depot, but also try Lumber Liquidators, as it costs less there.

Just ask for “solid wood hardwood flooring.”

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Question from Steve

I am specifying a wire fence to be used in a kennel. I have learned that PVC coating on fencing is toxic. But I am considering polyester powdercoat. Would it be toxic to dogs if they chew on it?

Debra’s Answer

Polyester powdercoat coating is less toxic than PVC coating. And this applies to any wire product, like shelves, baskets, and dish drying racks.

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Question from audrey

I cannot go in to shoe stores so I only have two pairs of shoes because I find it very hard to order shoes over the internet/catalog due to sizing and comfort issues. Over the weekend I ordered a pair of shoes from QVC. I spoke to a friend the next day who said when I told her I order Clark’s, that they are treated with antimicrobials. I called Customer Service but they did not have any info about this. The next day I cancelled the order. Do you know if Clarks (and other shoes) are treated with antimicrobials? If I wore socks would this prevent my body from absorbing the antimicrobials? Thank you.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t have a list of shoes treated with antimicrobials or not treated. However, I would assume that most standard shoes are treated with them nowadays, and that would include Clark’s.

It’s good you called Customer Service about this, and they should be able to tell you yes or no. That they had no information about this is not very helpful, but doesn’t indicate whether their shoes have antimicrobials or not—they just don’t know. In a case like this, ask to speak to the Supervisor. I’ve gotten a lot of information about products by just going up and up within the company until I reached someone with answers.

A better choice would be to consider shoes made by more natural companies. See Nontoxic Shoes and Are there any nontoxic shoes?.

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Question from DonnaH

Hi Debra, My husband replaced two 6×6 tiles in our hall bath shower using TEC Invision floor and wall adhesive. Later, I looked on your site and saw where you say never use mastic in a shower because of its toxicity. I can’t smell any fumes, but am very concerned because this bathroom is next to my son’s bedroom. Should we rip it out or leave it alone, as it’s only two tiles? Will ripping it out generate toxic dust? In the meanwhile, no one is allowed to use this shower. Thank you so much for all that you do!

Debra’s Answer

Part of evaluating the toxic effect of something is how much of the toxic material is present. There’s a big difference in the concentration of emissions from laying two tiles vs using mastic for the entire shower.

If you don’t smell any fumes, it’s probably fine. Ripping it out will not generate toxic dust, but you will then need to clean up the mastic, which would be a toxic experience.

I would probably just leave it. The tile and grout are blocking the fumes.

My warning about mastic really applies to installing an entire shower or floor with it. A lot of toxic fumes in the installation and someone with severe MCS would still be able to smell it. No reason to use it because thinset mortar works just fine.

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