Question from joyinjesus

Dear Debra,

I so much appreciate all the work you do to help us out. I have MCS and need to buy a new iron. I know you like your 20 year old Rowenta. Looking at reviews of the newish Rowenta’s, I am disappointed to find that they have problems — like leaking, electric cord burning out and things like that. Also, they are plastic except the soleplate.

So I was looking on ebay for a used Rowenta that has already been offgassed. There are many to choose from. If you don’t mind telling us, what model number is yours, or what should I look for in a used Rowenta. What wattage is your iron?

If I buy it used, would it be offgassed, or would it continue to smell when the plastic is heated up? I found some classic irons — all metal except the handle. But they all had non-stick coating on the soleplate.

Also, some of the new ones have platinium soleplates. Is that any kind of problem for MCS?

Thank you very much for your help,

Debra’s Answer

My Rowenta iron is Model DA-33.6, 1200 W.

Mine is plastic, but a hard plastic that is all gassed out. No nonstick finish on the soleplate.

I don’t see a problem with a platinum soleplate.

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Question from onlythegreen2

Hi, Debra! We really would like to purchase a cat tree for our rescue kitties to play on (one that doesn’t cost more than about $150), but it seems most of them have faux fur carpet and some type of pressed wood/particleboard that will emit voc’s. Would spraying the entire tree with AFM’s CarpetSeal do the trick? What about the exposed wood areas (the cubby hole inner walls)–could they be sprayed, too, or maybe painted with a zero voc paint? There is a tree I found that says it meets California consumer safety code 93120.3, Title 17–is this any safer of a choice? I realize that there are some people selling trees made from real wood, etc.; but those are just too expensive at this time. Thank you for all the great work you do!

Debra’s Answer

First, California consumer safety code 93120.3, Title 17 refers to lead paint, as far as I can tell quickly, but you might want to do more research to confirm. This doesn’t cover at all any outgassing from carpet or particleboard.

Personally, I wouldn’t attempt to seal a cat tree, as cats scratch and even just running around on it would compromise the seal.

If you can’t afford to buy one out of good materials, maybe you could make one?

Readers, any suggestions?

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Question from peebs

I just purchased a laptop that has a brushed aluminum chassis. Does anyone know if the aluminum could be harmful..ie.. get into our bodies through touching/holding it? We all know aluminum in cooking pans and deodorant is bad for our health, I wonder if this could be considered another source? Also, my 9 year old child will be using this quite a lot and I worry for her health too. Thanks for your help.

Debra’s Answer

I’m not worried about it.

Here is a statement about the health effects of aluminum and how much might get into your body from various sources: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=1076&tid=34. It states “A very small amount may enter through your skin when you come into contact with aluminum.”

We have so many exposure to toxics that it’s not a matter of eliminating them entirely, it’s a matter of choosing which exposures are most harmful to health. If you are going to use a computer, the danger from skin contact with aluminum is less than the danger of outgassing plastic.

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Question from sindeewix

I excitedly ordered this set yesterday without realizing the mugs are made “porcelain”. My question is are they lead free? I emailed them and this is the response:

“Mugs are Porcelain and 100% lead Free – The Must be to ship to the USA and have to Pass the California Prop 65 test. 90% of most mugs are made of cheap stoneware- Porcelain is a much higher Grade and fired at higher temperatures. We do not make mugs out of Xtrema Material because they will not be heater to 2,500 degrees – Too Expensive! Our Mugs are made in our Factory in China”

It is the last line that has me concerned. Also, doesn’t the CA test allow for “some” lead? I have gone to clear glass because of the concern over lead and other nasties and thought I was finally getting a good alternative. What do you think?

Debra’s Answer

The folks at Xtrema are very much aware of the lead issue, I’ve talked with them about it. If they say their mugs are lead-free, they are as lead-free as possible. They do not add lead to the glaze as some companies do.

All Xtrema products are made by their factory in China, which is well supervised to meet their standards. I have no concern about using their products. I don’t have their mugs, but do use their cookware every day.

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Question from Sue Smith

We tested for radon in our house and found the amount in the main part of our house is OK but it is high in our basement. How dangerous is this since we don’t spend most of our time down there?

Debra’s Answer

I am not a radon expert, however, I will say that if your living area tests OK, it’s probably fine to not worry about the basement if you don’t use it. If there were a problem with radon from the basement seeping into your living area, it would have shown up on the test.

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