Question from Helen

Is there a lamp oil that is not toxic? I tried olive oil (Bragg’s), which saturated the wick nicely, but the flame went out immediately.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know of a lamp oil that isn’t toxic besides olive oil.

A number of years ago, I was writing catalog copy for a mail order catalog that sold olive oil lamps, so I know they burn.

Take a look at the olive oil lamp page on the Lehman’s website. They have lamps for sale, materials to make your own lamps and a book called I Didn’t Know Olive Oil Would Burn. So they could probably help you figure out how to get your olive oil lamp to work.

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Question from Kelly

Hi,

I saw this story in the AP wire and thought you and your readers would be interested in it. Thankfully, I live in an old house, so I can sidestep a lot of these issues but another thing to think about for those in newer residences.

Chinese drywall poses potential risks

Kelly

Debra’s Answer

Here is another article on the same subject: Florida to test air in homes with Chinese drywall.

The articles say that drywall is making residents sick, but only drywall imported from China from 2004-2008, and the problem seems to be concentrated in Florida. So this isn’t all drywall, only this specific drywall.

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Question from Kelly

Have you or any of your bloggers had any experience with Zeolite? It appears to be volcanic rock and I’m considering using it as an odor absorber in my car. Thanks to all for any input.

Debra’s Answer

I haven’t used it personally, but I see no reason not to.

Readers, what is your experience?

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Question from Laurel

Hi Debra,

Thank you so much for all your help.

I’m looking at an engineered wood floor by a company called Simple Floors.com

I want to ask them about their construction materials and emissions levels, but am not sure what exactly to ask for so they know what I mean. Is there a standard report that companies have available with that sort of info? They just tell me about what good quality it is, but can’t give me any specifics.

Unfortunately we can’t afford the companies that are known for their non-toxicity (Eco Timber, Kahrs)

Thank you,

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know that there is a standard report that flooring companies have available, but they should understand if you ask them about indoor air quality emissions. They should be able to provide you with some kind of lab test results that show emissions.

When looking for an engineered floor, the main things that may be a problem in terms of toxicity are the substrait wood, the adhesive and the finish.

Usually the flooring has high-quality hardwood on top, with a lesser quality solid wood beneath. However, the substrait wood could be particleboard or plywood.

Many adhesives contain highly toxic solvents, which can outgass, so watch out for this.

The finish is usually fine, as it is baked on, which bakes off any toxic solvents it may contain at the time of application.

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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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The other day I was talking with a friend of mine, who said to me “there are toxic pesticides in organic produce.” That didn’t sound quite right to me, so I did some research and found that while organic produce is not sprayed with synthetic (made from petroleum) pesticides, some of the natural pesticides allowed on organic produce have toxic effects.

I found an article on this at About Organic Produce. Here are some excerpts.

Contrary to what most people believe, “organic” does not automatically mean “pesticide-free” or “chemical-free”. In fact, under the laws of most states, organic farmers are allowed to use a wide variety of chemical sprays and powders on their crops.

So what does organic mean? It means that these pesticides, if used, must be derived from natural sources, not synthetically manufactured. Also, these pesticides must be applied using equipment that has not been used to apply any synthetic materials for the past three years, and the land being planted cannot have been treated with synthetic materials for that period either.

Most organic farmers (and even some conventional farmers, too) employ mechanical and cultural tools to help control pests. These include insect traps, careful crop selection (there are a growing number of disease-resistant varieties), and biological controls (such as predator insects and beneficial microorganisms).

When you test synthetic chemicals for their ability to cause cancer, you find that about half of them are carcinogenic.

Until recently, nobody bothered to look at natural chemicals (such as organic pesticides), because it was assumed that they posed little risk. But when the studies were done, the results were somewhat shocking: you find that about half of the natural chemicals studied are carcinogenic as well.

This is a case where everyone (consumers, farmers, researchers) made the same, dangerous mistake. We assumed that “natural” chemicals were automatically better and safer than synthetic materials, and we were wrong. It’s important that we be more prudent in our acceptance of “natural” as being innocuous and harmless.

Does this mean you shouldn’t eat organic produce? No. Any organic produce is going to be safer than conventional produce which for sure is sprayed with multiple unknown pesticides. But it does mean that you should be more vigilant about exactly what organic methods growers use. Right now “organic” is a broad term, but within that some growers may use toxic natural pesticides, while others use biological controls. We now need more disclosure on methods.

This points to the importance of knowing your grower, which brings us back to farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture and, yes, growing your own organic produce in your own backyard. The organic produce most likely to have residues of toxic natural pesticides are the large monocrop organic growers, who are simply substituting natural pesticides for synthetic ones.