Question from AnneT

Debra,

Our next door neighbor is planning to have polyurethane foam blown on as a roofing material. As a person with MCS I am concerned about the toxicity of the material as it is being applied, and the issue of off-gassing after application. I am not comfortable being in the vicinity of the material as it is applied but I wonder if I’m over reacting. I have done some research on the internet and the articles I read state that polyurethane is safe after it is cured, or dry. Do I need to go elsewhere while the foam is being applied? I understand the whole process will take 2 or 3 days. I realize that the fresh air will alleviate some of the problems but I still have doubts. Please comment on polyurethane as a roofing material.Readers experiences are welcome too.

Just FYI, the neighbor is being very cooperative and that is helpful. But he may decide on the foam roof anyway.

Thank you,

Debra’s Answer

I would leave the area while it is being applied for sure, and stay away at least a few days while it is curing.

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Question from Annette Tweedel

Hi,

I am looking for a 100% Organic Cotton Waterproof Mattress Pad.

We have been looking and so far we have only found one. It’s called Organic Mattress Protector Pad (Waterproof & Non-Waterproof) by Naturepedic for $139.

I also just found this one on the internet through Debra’s listings. And it is 100% Organic Cotton Mattress Pad by The Natural Sleep Store. It says the pads are “expertly machine quilted and will protect mattress from spills and accidents.” And this is $185.

Would any one of these be healthy for a person suffering with MCS? I need this for a queen size bed. We were hoping to find cheaper.

Would you know of any that do not contain any synthetic materials? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Debra’s Answer

There are several different types of moisture protection for mattresses.

The Naturepedic waterproof mattress pad is waterproof. It contains a layer of food grade polyethylene that does not outgas. I have personally “sniffed” this polyethylene and there is no odor. It is certified by GREENGUARD. This is waterproof. It completely protects the mattress from liquids and is washable, so it is hygenic.

The Natural Sleep mattress pad that you mentioned might be moisture resistant, but I don’t see from the description that it is waterproof. The fibers may be so tightly woven that it is difficult for water to penetrate. It wouldn’t block moisture as well as the Naturepedic pad, but it is made from all natural materials.

There are also wool pads that are moisture resistant, again all natural, but not as waterproof as Naturepedic.

You really need to decide if you want a pad that is less effective and all natural or more effective and less natural. I think it depends on your needs. If you really need something to be waterproof, using a less effective pad will only result in an unclean mattress. But if you just need some moisture resistance for occasional spills, the natural fibers should be fine.

As long as we’re talking about polyethylene, I want to clear up a confusion I’ve observed.

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Question from KJ

Thanks always for the wealth of information!! I always reply on this site and Debra.

I am looking for a safe alarm clock for kids. I think the attributes that make them safer would be: 1) made of metal and not plastic 2) analog

Are there any suggestions?

Thank you

Dear Debra,

Could you recommend a safe alarm clock to put in my bedroom? I am aware of EMF dangers, and would like to avoid them as much as possible. Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

Oh, this one is easy.

Just type “metal alarm clock” into your favorite search engine and you’ll find hundreds.

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Question from Aimee

Now I read that there is titanium dioxide in many vitamins which is pretty scary!

www.naturalnews.com:80/
027000_titanium_titanium_dioxide_vitamins.html

Anyone here know where I can get safe vitamins and supplements, preferably made from ‘live’ veggies and herbs, at a REASONABLE price? And, please, NO MLM’s…

Thank you, everyone…

Debra’s Answer

I’ve listed some at Debra’s List: Food: Supplements. There are more too.

We’ve also discussed vitamins several times on this blog. There’s a summary of links to the posts along with some general comments from me at Q&A: Vitamins.

I don’t know what you consider a “reasonable” price, but the vitamins you describe are going to be more expensive. I didn’t read the article you cited, but I doubt if any of the “whole food” supplements I’ve been recommending for years contain titanium dioxide, or anything else. They don’t need any fillers–they are 100% food.

Generally the vitamins that contain fillers need fillers to hold them together because they are synthetic vitamins and have little material of their own.

That’s why I’ve been recommending whole food vitamins for more than twenty years.

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Question from Cindy

Hello,

I would like to hear from anybody regarding any of there machines, especially the Tyent Turbo model as I just recently purchased one. They seem to be too good to be true if you believe the information they claim regarding improving severe health problems.

Here are some of the questions I have:

Thank you for any information you can give.

Cindy

Debra’s Answer

I have a medical-grade alkalizer that I got from Go Beyond Organic. It is a stand-alone unit that I pour my filtered water in.

I notice a huge difference in how my body feels drinking alkalized water. But I haven’t experienced health improvements on the scale that are claimed by some sellers of alkaline water units. I just notice a difference when I am traveling and don’t have my alkaline water with me.

I haven’t compared all the alkaline water units yet, but chose this one because it has enough “power” to really charge the water.

Readers, please write in with information on the units you have or are considering and I’ll compare them for you.

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Question from Ethel

I came across this Fragrance Jar in Lowes. On the label its states that it is organic, earth friendly and made with natural essential oils. It is distributed by Changing Paradigms Distributed, A Division of The Evercare Co. Westchester Ohio. I visited their website and found other conventional products but nothing on this one.

I googled Changing Paradigms, their website had other conventional products listed but not this one… when I searched Elemental organic and earth friendly, that search didnt bring up much either (Only that they sell Soy Candles also). I was hoping you had some information on this company. The Crisp Apple smells really nice and am hoping that this product is a safe way to add some aroma to the house.

Thanks for you help!

Debra’s Answer

I don’t have any information on this product or company other than what is available on the Internet. The distributor listed only distributes the product, they don’t manufacture it. It seems that the manufacturer isn’t listed.

“Natural essential oils” should mean that the fragrance is natural, not made from petroleum. These fragrances are generally safer to use.

What is the candle itself made of? What aspect of it is “organic”?

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Question from Greyson

Has anyone used ChemLink products? They make an interesting non-toxic caulk “NovaLink”, as well as a construction adhesive “Mean Green”. Any experiences? What do you think, Debra? www.chemlinkinc.com

Thanks

Debra’s Answer

The two products you mention have low toxicity, according to their MSDS sheets. I think they would at least be less toxic than other products of their type. I haven’t used either one.

Please read the MSDS sheets for the products offered by this company. A quick spot-check showed not all of their products are less toxic.

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Question from HEG

Hi Debra,

I was wondering if you know of the least toxic “fire caulk” available. I am not sure but I believe fire caulk is used to seal spaces as a barrier to smoke of any kind. I live in an apartment complex and have started to smell cigarette and marijuana smoke in our unit. The building assures us that each individual unit is self-contained and fire proof, but we are not smoking so it must be coming in from another unit. I mostly smell it in my air conditioner closet with pipes that run up and down, so I think that space around the pipes may be where the air is coming from. The building said they would seal it up with fire caulk but I don’t want to try to get rid of one toxin by adding another, especially because we have a newborn in our home. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Any suggestions?

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Question from Ronda

Hi Debra –

I am looking into changing out the glass in the picture frames and large artwork frames in my home to plexiglass. I’m doing this because I live where earthquakes are common and I have two toddlers.

Are there any toxic issues regarding plexiglass?

As always, thanks for your great advice!!

Debra’s Answer

Plexiglass is made from acrylic plastic, which does outgas some. It’s not a material I would use personally if I had another choice, but it’s also not the most toxic material in the world.

I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area–famous for it’s earthquakes–for almost fifty years and had glass in my frames the entire time. I never had a problem with it. Even in the Loma Priata quake that brought freeways crashing down.

I think the likelihood of your children being next to a framed picture at the very moment an earthquake is occuring AND having that picture fall to the ground is very slim. On the other hand, acrylic would be outgassing in your home every day.

BTW, in searching for what Plexiglass is made from, I came across a useful website. It’s called MatWeb, and it lists material property data. Now, I’m not so interested in the properties of these materials beyond their toxicity (which it doesn’t list), but it does list a lot of brand name products and the materials they are made from. Took me about a minute to find out Plexiglass is made from acrylic.

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Question from Ruth

Debra, there is something that has me wondering. I’ve read your MCS recovery story and it is wonderful, and I am so glad for you.

I wonder, with everything that people who have MCS do to gain back their health, why would it be that so very many, many of them never do regain the quality of health that allows them to say “Ah, I have my life back!” There are things about having MCS that have changed my life for the better…being green is the number one thing….but I would love to have more quality,

more choices of what I can do, where I can go, being able to work again, etc. You seem to be the exception to all of this.

Please speak to that if you will. I know that everyone is different in how they do or don’t recover from MCS….but there just seems to be such an extreme number of people who never get that well again. Perhaps other readers of your blog have felt the same way.

Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

Two things came to mind when I read your question.

The first is that my definition of “have my life back” doesn’t mean having my life be the way it was pre-MCS. It’s a different life. I know for many people, their idea of having their life back means having the ability to live as they did before, being exposed to toxic things with no reactions. I don’t have any desire for that. I love my nontoxic life. I feel no deprivation not having toxic chemicals around.

I do have the ability to be in “regular” environments where there are toxic chemicals because I spend so much time in my clean environment at home. I work at home, too, so most of the time I am in an environment I have pretty much complete control over. This allows me to go into other, more toxic, environments without getting toxic overload. And this is fine for me, because I understand the destructiveness to health of toxic environments and I have no need to have the ability to tolerate them.

I do not feel “confined” to my safe home environment. It’s just the environment I prefer.

The other thing I thought of is that when I first found out about MCS, I made a decision that I didn’t want to simply “cope” with MCS, I wanted to have a life. I wanted to be able to travel, go shopping, eat in restaurants, go to the movies, and do whatever I wanted. And I can do all those things, for certain periods of time. Like I went and lived in an apartment in San Francisco for three months last year, but when I came home, my body was pretty stressed. I couldn’t live that way every day for the rest of my life, but I was able to do so for three months, and then came home and recovered.

You mentioned work. I think it would be difficult for me to go to an office building every day and work. But I am very happy working at home. I think I would have a home-based business even if I didn’t have environmental concerns. I love being able to work whenever I want to, and be able to do things like take a break to prepare dinner and then come back to work while it’s cooking low and slow in the oven.

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