Question from Jean W.

My husbands office at work was painted with low VOC paint, and now it is chipping.

Can anyone tell me why this would be happening?

He doesn’t know what brand was used since he wasn’t there when the work was done.

Thanks for your help.

Jean

Debra’s Answer

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Question from YH

Hi,

I would like to live in a place where most houses and buildings have tile or hardwood or other safe floorings and not carpet. Otherwise, it is really hard to find a job or house to live in where there’s no carpet. I think the hotter a place is, the less people install carpet in homes and businesses, right? So other than Texas, what are the states where most houses have hardwood or tile floorings and not carpet?

Heat is another problem. A lot of houses use forced air furnaces, and dust, mold, and other pollutants come out of the vents. I am allergic to dust. If a person smokes in a room, another person can smell it in another room. Radiators are better, but most newer places don’t use radiators anymore. What are the states where most houses don’t use heaters or forced air furnaces?

Air conditioners can also emit dust, but I am not sure. Some houses have both central heat and air. Other than radiators, what kind of heat is better for our health? Electric heat is good, I suppose. What kind of AC is the best?

I would like to move to a place where most houses have hardwood or tile flooring and no forced air furnaces.

Debra’s Answer

Well, that would be the South. Here in Florida, many houses have ceramic tile floors throughout because that’s the coolest. We have hardwood and ceramic tile.

Many houses here do not have central heating because it is rarely needed. Most houses do have air conditioning.

But you can also take out the carpet and install any flooring you want. Likewise heating and air conditioning. You’re not stuck with what is in a house. You can always change it.

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Question from YH

Hi,

Does reverse osmosis filter remove all minerals from the water or remove some minerals? Or does it leave the mineral content intact? I heard that it makes the water more acidic… I can’t drink distilled water or water filtered by Culligan or other machines that use many filters (activated carbon + reverse osmosis + UV light + micron filter), because most of the mineral, if not all, are removed by the machines.

I want to live in a city or town where the water is not fluoridated. Is there a website or somewhere to find places that don’t have fluoridated water?

Debra, do you use a reverse osmosis whole-house filter? It removes chloramine and fluoride, right?

Thanks

Debra’s Answer

Reverse osmosis as a rule removes all types of particles, but not 100% of them. Most of them, but not all. Depends on the system. It makes the water more acidic.

In Nature, spring water contains lots of natural minerals because it has gone through the soil, where it picks up minerals. Rain water is “distilled” because it goes through a cycle of purifying evaporation from the earth and condensation in the cloud before it returns to earth. Historically, spring water has been valued to a point of being spiritually revered. Re cities without fluoride: San Jose, San Diego, New Orleans…for more you might try contacting Fluoride Action Network.

I do not use a reverse-osmosis filter. Mine removes fluoride, but leaves the minerals. For more information on my filter, contact Winston at Go Beyond Organic.

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Question from Fran H.

My elderly aunt just moved into an assisted living facility. This is the type where each person has a small apartment, but there are common living and dining areas. She has lung disease and is very sensitive to odors and chemicals, and is bothered by the plug-in air fresheners used in the common areas and hallways. The facility tried removing the air fresheners but the air smelled stale. Does anyone know of something that would continuously remove odors without adding odors or chemicals to the air? Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

I’d say more ventilation.

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Question from Jen

Hi,

I was wondering what you thought of California 93120 compliant for formaldehyde, phase 1?

www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2007/compwood07/fro-final.pdf

I just purchased a small wood shelf that I thought was solid but apparently it is not but it did have a small sticker on it stating the above (even though I am in CO).

Debra’s Answer

I didn’t read all 59 pages, but it appears to be a phase-out program. Compliance with these regulations does not mean NO formaldehyde, nor even safe levels of formaldehyde. It looks to be a gradual decrease of formaldehyde in certain wood products from now through 2012.

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Question from Laura

The deck of the house where I live is going to be sealed with Thompson’s. I requested a non toxic sealant to be used, but my parents refused – they will use what they have on hand.

My bedroom, the stairway and kitchen are all on this side of the house. How long will it take to cure or will it continually outgas? It had been done last a few years ago shortly before I arrived and I seem to remember conpletely avoiding the deck, closing the door to the deck, closing my bedroom windows, especially in the morning sun.

Debra’s Answer

How long it takes for anything to outgas depends on the original toxicity of the material and the conditions. The hotter the temperature, the faster it will outgas. Also, being outdoors, the sun and other elements will aid the outgassing.

Thompson’s is particularly toxic and will continue to outgass for quite a while. This is could be a significant exposure to toxic chemicals for you.

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Question from Lauren

Dear Debra & Readers,

We recently painted our interiors with Yolo Colorhouse Paints. It is supposed to be Zero VOC and we even went out of our way to tint it with Zero VOC (from a Eco store not Kelly Moore). I know Zero VOC does not mean Zero Toxicity. I usually do my homework but this time I didn’t do my usual due diligence. We didn’t choose dark colors, the colors we picked were Air 01, 03 & 04 and Leaf 01, most were in eggshell, baseboards done in semigloss and we used their transitional primer for the baseboard, and part of the kitchen as it had oil based paint prior (just a few areas). Anyway, it was painted over the past Memorial Day weekend and most of it was done by Sunday of that weekend. A few days later, it still wreaked paint, I could only be in the house for a few minutes as it would trigger respiratory issues and a migraine that wouldn’t quit. So, we tried Debra’s bake out method for 3 days and airing out for 4 days (with fans blowing etc). Not knowing, we did leave a few cracks open in the window. Debra’s bake out method was very helpful and I was able to be there for an hour before my body started to react. Every day, it is improving. I did contact the retailer who swore it is nontoxic, I was surprised she thought that, she thinks Zero VOC means Zero Toxicity (not realizing that there is unregulated VOCs that could be in there).

I finally contacted Yolo and they asked for batch numbers and even want me to ship some samples back. I was impressed with their willingness to look deeper. However, they say there is no solvents and they can’t understand why I am reacting. They share that they normally do well with the chemically sensitive which was news to me.

They sell these poster size paint samples (painted by real people which was impressive) and when the paint was mixed they actually painted it on my poster to match the color, what was odd was that splash of paint they put on to match the poster sample still smelled a week later. Normally, I would have painted only one room or just put a little patch on the wall before painting an entire home (so unlike me to do this). I think the fact that someone I knew painted their home with conventional paint and I barely noticed the smell… made me illogically think that Zero VOC must be even better!? The good news is that the empty paint can after 9 days stopped emitting, the house is smelling better, I can now stay in for a few hours but a long way from living there 24/7 (we are still living in a hotel). I live in San Francisco Bay area (Peninsula) so the weather is mild. I wonder if anyone else had this experience with Yolo paints. I spoke with someone who recommended that I wash the walls with baking soda (wipe down), using 2 buckets (clean vs. dirty bucket method) which I will try this weekend. I do feel like it will improve a matter of weeks as every day it seems to dramatically change but I am still puzzled why the conventional paint my friend used did not smell after one day!

Yolo I found out later is manufactured by Kelly Moore in Hurst Texas… had I known this prior I would not have purchased Yolo… this makes sense why Kelly Moore sells the line even though I did not buy it there (I bought it from a Eco type store that uses Zero VOC tints). Yolo claims that Kelly Moore is only their toll manufacturer and Kelly Moore produces to their spec and claims it is not a Kelly Moore product. But, it’s not hard to wonder since Kelly Moore is not a “eco” or green or health minded company. Hmmm….

Wondering if anyone else had this experience with Yolo? Yolo also claims that acrylic resin is the same as latex paint, I thought they were different!

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Marcia

Hi Debra:

The other day I tried out a mattress at a company called Ergo Cusdtomized Comfort in Irvine,which is in Orange County, Calif. They carry the Natura bed and a bed called the Silhouette Sleep Solutions bed. It comes on a slat suspension which consists of two parallel rows of responsive steam-cambered beechwood slats mounted into strong thermo-plastic shocks. According to the brochure, they give just the right amount of give and support for the body. The bed is solid natural latex foam which they say is pure Talalay Latex and comes in a 6″ or 8″ core range of firmness choices. It has an organic stretch cotton cover and states that it’s inherently hypoallergenic, bactericidal and anti-fungal and also has lightweight wool lining and doesn’t need to be turned or flipped. I was wondering if you have heard of this bed and what your opinion is. It came with a mattress topper and felt fairly comfortable. The did say it wasn’t completely organic,but I’m not sure what that means. I also did try the Natura bed which is completely organic, but it didn’t feel quite as comfortable. I would love to know if any of your readers have either of these beds and what their experiences are.

Thanks so much as always!

Marcia

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Michelle Clark

My daughter will start school next week and we need a sleep mat. I would like to find an organic one. She already sleeps in all organic bedding/bed/mattress, and it only seems appropriate to have an organic mat for school. any suggestions?

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Miemiemuis

Dear Debra

I love having the windows open, but since we live in Florida we don’t want to let the house get too hot and humid. My husband is also allergic to pollen and since I have small children I don’t want open windows at night for safety reasons. Our house is fairly new and tight and I’m concerned about indoor air quality. So, to improve indoor air quality, I was wondering if it is worth it to have our A/C changed to let filtered outside air in. We do have a good air filter that we change often, but I am concerned that the outgassing of new construction is polluting our indoor air and not going anywhere.

Thanks for your help

Debra’s Answer

You mention two factors: air conditioning and new construction.

You don’t say how toxic the new construction is.

New construction requires ventilation, so it would be a good idea to have more outdoor air coming in.

However, you can speed the curing of new construction by using heat. You might want to try a bakeout (instructions are on page 395 of my book Home Safe Home, under the head “Curing a Sick House.”

That said, it never hurts to have more ventilation.

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