Question from BJK

Does anyone know of anyplace to order novels and books that are free of formaldehyde so that people with MCS and EMF can enjoy reading again? BJK

Debra’s Answer

Here’s your question, but books contain many more chemicals than formaldehyde.

Readers, even if you don’t have an answer to this question, if you are sensitive to books, perhaps you could share how you read, or what you do instead.

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Question from Carol

What type of material do you recommend for backyard fences? I would love a wood fence but they are so expensive. Many people are getting vinyl fences that can be made to look like wood. Is that a safe alternative?

Debra’s Answer

Vinyl is PVC, which is not safe for people or planet.

Here are some options for backyard fences.

1. No fence. I come from California, where everyone has their entire property fenced along the property line. Here in Florida, many houses have no fences at all, and that is true for much of the South.

2. Hedges. Traditionally in England, they fence with “hedgerows,” which are shrubs planted to form a barrier or to mark a boundary. These are little ecosystems in and of themselves. On my street, one house has a hedge across the entire front, and you cannot see the house at all. In my backyard, a previous owner had installed a three-foot high cement block fence, topped with about four feet of wrought iron. Then the neighbor on the other side planted a hedge which, while not completely dense, is thick enough for privact and about 12 feet tall.

3. Wood or composite (planks made from cement and wood chips) offer more immediate privacy, but both are expensive. The cement and wood chip plants will last longer.

Readers, any other ideas?

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Question from Margaret Auld-Louie

Whenever I suggest Xtrema or Cuisinart Green Gourmet cookware on the Discussing NT Yahoo Group (about eating the Weston A. Price way, as described in Nourishing Traditions cookbook), the other members respond that they won’t buy this cookware because it uses nano technology in the manufacturing, therefore they don’t feel it’s safe. I know these are the 2 cookwares you recommend so how do you feel about the nano technology used in their manufacture?

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Martha Casselman

Debra: I’m sure you’ve covered this before, but we have flying critters that are certainly termites. I wonder about the advertised orange oil or other alternative methods of ridding us of them. Not only are we aware of how dangerous the usual methods of ridding homes of them; I have been treated for breast cancer over the past three years, and am especially cautious. We do vac them up, but of course that is futile in preventing further infestation. This note comes from your old friend and former agent. I find your information always of interest.

With warm regards,

Martha

Debra’s Answer

So good to hear from you! Everyone, this is my retired literary agent who took me under her wing when I was unknown and unpublished and got my first book on household toxics published in 1984. So we all have her to thank for my being here today.

The thing to use to prevent termites is Timbor. It is completely nontoxic, smells like nothing, and is so effective it has virtually wiped out the termite control industry in…New Zealand, I think. We just put some in our house.

Thanks for writing to me, Martha, and all the best to you.

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Question from Melissa D.

I am “newly” chemically sensitive and have a highly allergic child (he’s 18 months old and tolerating only four foods – which is better than no foods three months ago…). He constantly had a bloody nose or yellow snot when is his crib (it’s been misdiagnosed as a sinus infection, etc, for months), and it smelled AWFUL to me. So I “painted” it with AFM hard seal a week ago, and it smells terrible. I have tried baking it in the sun, and right now it is baking in a closed room upstairs (we are staying at my in-laws’ until we replace the toxic flooring in my house, but that’s another story…) with an oil-filled radiator. The smell isn’t going away! Will it ever? I used what I thought was a thin coat. Should I sand it away and try something else?

I am so unsure of what to do. My husband is a full-time grad student and I only work part-time, so we can’t afford a new crib right now – especially since we just had to replace all of our flooring this week (we bought some EcoTimber on sale).

He is in his pack and play for now, but the netting on that smells terrible, so I lined the whole thing in thick cotton towels for now…

Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you all very much.

~Melissa

Debra’s Answer

Everyone, if you have a problem with any product like this, where it seems to make the situation worse, please contact the manufacturer to get it resolved. They know best about what to do with their products.

With AFM Hard Seal, I just want to make a caution. It’s really important to check with AFM first to find out if it is appropriate to put their finish over another finish. Sometimes the finishes react with each other, which is what it sounds like happened here.

I’m not sure if sanding is the right thing, as I don’t know what will be exposed if you sand off the finish entirely. If it is bare solid wood, that’s fine.

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Question from Nutmeg’s Mom

I use a plastic shopping bag every day to clean the cat litter box and was wondering if you had a suitable solution to that waste.

Debra’s Answer

Readers, your suggestions?

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Question from Stephen

I recently purchased a stainless steel jelly roll pan from Fox Run. The label was adhered to the top of the pan, and I’m finding it extremely difficult to remove the adhesive. I’ve tried goo gone, and that didn’t work. I’ve soaked the pan in warm water and soap, and that didn’t work. Do you have any suggestions about how to remove the glue?

Thank you,

Stephen

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Any ideas?

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Question from Merle Weiner

Debra,

My husband has Parkinson’s and I have MCS. We have a wheelchair I still can’t tolerate after outgassing for 3 month. I have removed as many rubber items as possible…replaced handle grips with non smelly plastic ones. Only the wheels remain

and the nylon seat which has a bit of a cushy feel so it must have foam sewn inside.

I used zeolite on the seat and back…wiped most areas with baking soda/vinegar and sprayed it all with Smells Begone.

I will probably open the seams and remove the foam but don’t know how to overcome the rubber odor from the wheels. Other than covering them with duct tape which will probably wear off, (if I can even tolerate it) any suggestions?

Debra’s Answer

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Question from MS

Hi Debra,

I’ve always been a somewhat green-oriented person: I recycle, I use reusable shopping bags, I eat organic as much as possible, and use mostly organic beauty products. You could say that until now my green has been a shade of soft sage. Maybe seafoam.

However, now that we are having a baby, I’ve starting reading articles about the effects of hormones, pesticides, other chemicals, indoor pollution, etc. on children, and I want to be more of a shade of bright, kelly green! However, I have budgets to consider and I’m new at this, so I have questions that maybe you and your seasoned readers can help me with:

1. I’m committed to buying non-toxic furniture, mattress and bedding for the baby, but I’m wondering what to do with the articles people have already gotten us. This would include mostly blankets and clothes. What is the concern with nonorganic clothing and bedding (sheets and blankets)? More importantly, is there anything I can wash them in that will detoxify them, or are there certain articles I should weed out (like keep 100% cotton things, but get rid of articles that have polyester?)?

2. Is there anything I can do to OUR mattress to make it less toxic? Unfortunately I bought it last summer, so I’m sure it hasn’t gassed out yet. Can I wrap it in something? The baby will initially be spending a lot of time in our room, so this is important to me, and I think it is the biggest source of unnatural products in the room.

3. What about area rugs? Our home has wooden floors (from the 60s), but we have area rugs. Can I clean them with anything to make them less toxic? Also, does anyone know where I can buy a clean, toxic free area rug for the baby’s room?

Debra’s Answer

1. While organic cotton is better for health and the environment because no pesticides are used, lab tests in Germany have shown that once non-organic cotton has gone through the process of being turned into cotton FABRIC, it no longer has any pesticide residues. So if you have items made from non-organic fabric that are not permanent press (which has a formaldehyde resin finish), these would be fine. Eliminate the polyester and any other synthetic fabric.

2. About the mattress, you could wrap it in polyurethane plastic, which would not outgass itself, but I don’t know how much of the fumes (if any) might still go through the plastic. My view is that there really isn’t anything you can do to a synthetic mattress to make it safe.

3. I’ve found it’s pretty easy to find natural fiber area rugs. There are some on Debra’s List, and in addition in the past I have purchased them at places such as Cost Plus, Pier One, Sears, Macy’s, Home Depot…

Congratulations on your baby and for creating a nontoxic home for him or her.

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Question from Tiffany Newman

I have twin infants who are on formula and the information on the local water supply scares me to death…from jet fuel to prescription medications, etc. My question is two-fold as we are moving into a new home from an apartment in two months: First for now, will a Brita filter remove prescription medications, etc from the water? Second, can you recommend a whole house water filter that I could have a plumber install that would get ride of all these things from my family’s water? Thanks so much. Tiffany

Debra’s Answer

No, a Brita filter will not remove prescription drugs from water, but neither will any other filter I know of (readers, please let me know if you know of one).

There is no one “right” whole house filter I can recommend–it all depends on what is in your water. The best overall whole house filter I know of–the one I have in my house–is from Go Beyond Organic. But mine is specific to the pollutants in my local water, and yours should be too. There’s no need to pay for fluoride removal, for example, if there is no fluoride in your water.

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