Question from MIchael Klement

Hello Debra,

I am a residential architect in the midwest specializing in sustainable design and have been recently introduced to your site and blog by one of our future clients. Together, we are hoping to build a new Green home for them that will be as non-toxic as possible given my clients family’s health concerns.

In our office we have been specifying a low-density spray foam insulation that would be installed in the wall and rafter cavities called Icynene. There are many other products on the market in this category but after doing research, including some actual product testing ourselves, we have landed on this as the spray foam insulation of choice.

The manufaturer actually touts the healthy aspects of their product and its low toxicity as being one of its strong suits. We have, in fact, been told by manufacturer’s reps that once cured the product is so inert it can actually be eaten without adverse affect! We have passed on that particular test, however.

What is your, or your reader’s, experiences with this product and its toxicity levels?

Debra’s Answer

I have no personal experience with this product, however, it has come up in this blog several times before. To read those posts, you can find the links at Icynene Search Results.

Readers, what is your experience?

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Question from David

Hi, I want to build a fish tank out of plywood and I would coat the inside of it with an epoxy–one that is used for potable water applications. Once the tank is filled with water, the epoxy will be submerged. Will it off gas? The epoxy is advertised as being VOC-free but I understand that doesn’t mean it doesn’t off gas.

Safe to build?

Debra’s Answer

My understanding is that once epoxy cures, it is inert. Since you didn’t specify a brand name product for me to look at, the best I can tell you is that if it says it is for potable water, it should be fine.

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Question from Dianne

Hi,

I really hope you can answer my question. I bought a conventional cotton futon with several layers of polyurethane foam cores two years ago. I heard about memory foam mattress offgassing but I wonder if it is the same for futon with foam cores.

Is it possibly still offgassing? I don’t want to get rid of a perfectly fine futon if I don’t have to.

Also, can you recommend a place where I can get a organic futon in Canada?

Thanks so much.

Debra’s Answer

Yes, foam can still outgas even after years.

I know many American companies will ship to Canada, but I don’t keep track of Canadian sources (have to draw the line somewhere).

Canadians, any suggestions?

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Question from gayle

We are looking into building a “Green” home and a builder we interviewed uses “SIPS”. They told us of the structural advantage, as well as how it keeps heating and cooling cost down as they make the house very air tight.

What is known about this material? How long has it been used? What are the drawbacks?? Anything new scares me as I don’t want to go with it and learn ten years from now that it’s the “new asbestos”. Any information is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Gayle

Debra’s Answer

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are a composite building material, a sandwich of two layers of structural board with an insulating layer of foam in between (you can see a good picture of in on the website of the Structural Insulated Panel Association). The board is usually oriented strand board (OSB) and the foam either some type of polystyrene or polyurethane foam.

While these perform well with regards to saving energy, they are not a good material with regards to toxicity. I was about to just comment on the materials themselves, but then I found a paper called Structural Insulated Panels: Sustainable Design Incorporating Impact on Indoor Air Quality which gives the result of actual testing of emissions from SIPs. Using small-scale chambers, emissions were measured over a period of four months. The measured emission factors were then used to estimate the concentrations of VOCs in SIP-based manufactured houses. The testing found formaldehyde, toluene, styrene, and other volatile toxic chemicals to be present.

In my new book Really Green, I talk about how products have many facets, and can be beneficial in one aspect, while harmful in another. This is just such a case. Yes, using SIPs improves the energy efficiency of a home, but it also adds toxic chemicals to indoor air and is made from non-renewable crude oil and will not bio-degrade. So I wouldn’t consider this to be an overall good green choice.

This is a good example of why I wrote Really Green. There are so many products now being promoted as “green,” yet those who are promoting them aren’t looking at the whole picture. This is exactly why we as consumers need to know for ourselves how to evaluate products for being green so we can decide for ourselves if a product is green in the ways that matter to us.

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Question from JGPZ

Hi, I am looking to purchase a pressure cooker. I have read your information on safe/non-toxic cookware. Within the pressure cooker category, the offerings for purchasing a safe/non-toxic material seem much more limited than other kinds of cookware. I have found a few in anodized aluminum. I am just uncertain if this is the safest choice.

Does anyone have any experience in purchasing a non-toxic pressure cooker? If so, I would greatly appreciate you sharing the brand and type of material with me.

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

Readers, I haven’t looked at pressure cookers in years, but they are a good way to save energy because they cook foods more quickly. I know there is a whole new generation of pressure cookers available, but haven’t researched them yet.

Any recommendations?

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Question from Judi

HI Debra and Green people. A friend and I want to find a formulation for WASHING babies bottles. Sterilizing products fill the shelves, but there are NO baby-safe cleaning products. Can anyone anywhere in the world help source it?

Debra’s Answer

Readers? I have no experience with this.

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Question from Karen

We are in the process of replacing our countertops with a product called Granite Transformations which is an engineered stone product made of 95% crushed granite and 5% resin to hold it together. It creates a non-porous surface that doesn’t have to be sealed like regular granite does. It is only 1/4 inch thick and is glued down with an epoxy resin adhesive on top of your existing countertops so there is no demolition and disposal of old countertops. I’m wondering if there are any potential health concerns from using a product like this, particularly from the resin that holds it together or from outgassing from the adhesives used to install it? In your opinion, is this a “safe” product to use?

Debra’s Answer

Without seeing a sample of this, I can only answer in general about engineered stone. I’ve seen many samples of different kinds, and have never noticed an odor. It appears to be extremely hard and inert. Can’t speak for your exact product as I have never seen it. Also, the amount of resin is extremely small in comparison to the amount of stone.

The epoxy glue contains toxic chemicals that will smell to high heaven during application, but once it is cured, it will be inert. Also, whatever fumes that may be present would not get through the engineered stone.

I like the idea of installing these counters over the old ones.

That said, this is an objective evaluation only, I have no experience with this.

Anyone have experience?

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Question from Kathleen

Hi Debra,

I’ve been avoiding any bubble bath products for my kids. So far they’ve been happy to splash away in plain water, but they love the bubbles though and am still interested to find a safe product without foaming agents etc… Need some help here.

thank you,

Kathleen

Debra’s Answer

Oh, it’s been years since I’ve taken a bubble bath.

Readers, any suggestions?

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Question from KL

Hello – I was hoping someone was familiar with this product Pro Shot Industrial Re-Newing. Or does anyone know how to get similar results with another non toxic product or home remedy?

Debra’s Answer

The ingredients in this product are:

They are mostly petrochemicals of varying toxicity.

I couldn’t get an MSDS sheet from the company (proshotcorp.com). They said I had to mail a letter on company letterhead to get it. That makes me suspicious right there.

Does anyone have any experience with this product? If it does what it says it does and it’s nontoxic, I’d like to use it on my floors, which need some rejuvination.

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Question from Marlon Sims

Hi Debra,

I accidentally put a coat of Howard’s Feed-n-Wax Wood Preserver (Beeswax & Orange Oil) on my new butcher block. I didn’t notice that it contains petroleum distillate. How do I remove this from the table top or clean it to make it safe to cut foods?

Thank you.

M. from San Francisco

Debra’s Answer

Petroleum distillate is a volatile organic chemical (VOC), which means that it evaporates. Over time, it will just evaporate away, releasing, of course, the toxic chemicals into the air.

Heat will speed up this process. You could leave it out in the sun or apply heat in some other way.

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