Question from SARA

Debra,

As you well know, I have a great amount of respect for your expertise and opinion.

I am on the hunt for new bedding, including a latex mattress, organic cotton sheets, and wool topper & comforter.

I have perused your list of recommended vendors, but I happened across a local company that manufactures latex mattresses, organic cotton sheets, and wool toppers, comforters, and pillows. It just so happens that the company, CozyPure, based in Norfolk, VA is not on your list.

Have you heard of this company and do what is your opinion about the quality?

Their list of certifications include GOTS.

www.cozypure.com/certificates-and-memberships

www.cozypure.com/why-choose-cozypure

www.cozypure.com/natural-components

Debra’s Answer

The description looks good, but I can’t speak to the quality as I have no experience with this company.

Readers, anyone know about CozyPure?

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Question from Hannah

Question about my bathtub…

I had my house spot-tested for lead today in preparation for a possible remodel next year.

The thing that tested highest for lead was the bathtub.

I knew this was a possibility but had not had it really on my radar until recently.

The lead inspector said that it was not an issue at all – that the lead from bathtubs does not leach and poses no danger to my kids.

But I was a bit skeptical as I have a 5.5 year old and a 1.5 year old who bathe in the tub nightly. so far their blood lead levels have always been

Do you consider the lead from a tub to be a hazard?

If so my options are to avoid that bathtub entirely and just have them shower in the newer bathroom upstairs that only has a shower stall.

Or I could refinish the bathtub.

My understanding is that the refinishing would be highly toxic and we would have to leave the house for it. But for how long would it be toxic? More than a week? Do you know how long the porcelain glaze takes to fully outgas?

Would love your thoughts as always. Thanks 🙂

Hannah

Debra’s Answer

I wrote about lead in bathtubs in Home Safe Home in 2004. It was first reported in 1995 on the television show Good Morning America.

Tests showed that hands ribbed along the side of the tub, bath water allowed to sit in the tub, and washcloths soaked in bath water and rubbed on the bottom of the rub all tested positive for lead.

But here’s the interesting thing. I recently learned that lead is not absorbed through the skin. What happens is that lead gets on hands and then children put their hands in their mouths, or children and adults pick up food and it gets on the food and that’s how lead gets in the body.

That said, keep in mind there is no safe level for lead.It’s something to be very careful with. Personally I wouldn’t allow my children to soak their bodies in a tub leaching any amount of lead.

Lead is a heavy metal, so if you are concerned about lead exposure, PureBody Liquid Zeolite detox drops will remove any lead that is accumulated in your body or your children’s.

If you want to refinish your bathtub, you would probably need to leave the house for it. If I remember correctly, they use lamps to cure the porcelain glaze. Call a company and find out the details. Once cured, porcelain glaze is totally nontoxic.

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Question from R SWANSON

Can you tell me if Mikasa Bone China is lead-free or safe to us, our daughter has cancer and wants to stay away from dishes containing lead?

Thank you for any help you can give.

Lisa’s Answer (updated September, 2020)

I will be updating Debra’s List with safe brands.  As a guide you can read “Is Ceramic Dishware Safe?”

From Debra Lynn Dadd

Spain has recognized Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
AC / MADRID
Day 09/26/2014 – 3:56 a.m.

Incorporating the health system has been made in accordance with guidelines approved by WHO and other countries had already adopted

Spain has officially recognized multiple chemical sensitivity ( MCS ) to incorporate its International Classification of Diseases or ICD (the system that classifies the Health and encodes their diagnoses). With this decision, Spain joins the list of countries that recognize MCS as a disease: Germany (2000), Austria (2001), Japan (2009), Switzerland (2010) and Denmark (2012).

The process was carried out through a non-legislative proposal (PNL) presented by Deputy María del Carmen Quintanilla’s Party;following a request made to it by the Fund for the Protection of Environmental Health ( Fodesam ), in collaboration with theInformation Service Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Environmental Health ( SISS ).

The SQM radically changes the lives of those who suffer. The recognition was a longstanding demand of those affected by a disease that turns many common chemicals in everyday life a torment for those affected by MCS. Detergents, soaps, colognes, or air fresheners become aggressive to them products they produce palpitations, vomiting, skin irritation or recurrent headaches. “MCS changes the lives of those who suffer and forces, in many cases, to live with many preventive measures to not contact or in the air, with these products,” says Carmen Quintanilla. Go outside or into a store can be, for these people, impossible to perform tasks.

This condition was further added the inappropriate treatment that many of these patients receive from the health system. Because it does not appear in the ICD as a disease is in an administrative “limbo” that involves “a state of complete helplessness. Something that should end with the recognition of MCS as a disease.

“The situation of these people is very difficult,” says Carlos Prada,Chairman of Fodesam. His intolerance synthetic substances frequently used in society often forces them to live homebound, almost like “bubble people”; wear a mask and the few times they go out.

MCS affects the central nervous system, but may also cause malfunctions in other systems such as respiratory, gastrointestinal or heart. This is an “emerging disease” of chronic nature and “environmental toxic ‘causing a’ physiological response to many agents and chemical compounds” that can be found in air fresheners, colognes, personal care products, cleaning supplies, food, water Griffin, clothing, cosmetics, snuff … Therefore, although as in other diseases MCS have degrees and symptoms vary according to the parameters of health and “chemical” environment of the patient, it is a problem difficult to handle, further “limited remarkable quality of life “form, noting the non-legislative proposal.

See article at BBC: Mundo: La difícil vida de las “personas burbuja”

International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

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Question from Stacey

Hi Debra,

I have some dry-cleaned clothes still in the plastic that have been in my closet for about 6 years. Would these be safe by now to wear, or would you dispose of them?

Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

The dry cleaning solvent perchorethylene is very volatile and will evaporate completely. I can’t tell you exactly the evaporation rate because it depends on the conditions. (Just so you get how complex this is, take a look at this paper on how to calculate evaporation rate).

So if you brought you dry-cleaned clothes home from the cleaners 6 years ago and had removed the plastic and hung them outdoors so the perc could freely evaporate, I would say in a day or so. Certainly 3 days or 7 days there would be nothing left. The plastic, however, slows evaporation. At 6 years I don’t know what it would be. But you could simply take the clothing out of the closet, remove the plastic, put them outdoors, and within several days the perc would evaporate completely.

As long as we are talking about evaporation, there is a toxicological factor of solvents called the “evaporation rate.” Each solvent has it’s own evaporation rate. These rates are established by supposing the evaporation rate of ether (or some other substance) = 1 and by indicating other slower drying solvents as multiples of the evaporation rate of substance it is being related to.

As an example, here is a chart of the evaporation rates of solvents used in printing inks, using ether=1.

But this still doesn’t tell us how long it would take for your perc to evaporate.

The MSDS definition of evaporation rate is “the rate at which a material will vaporize (evaporate, change from liquid to vapor) compared to the rate of vaporization of a specific known material. This quantity is a ratio, therefore it is unitless.” (MSDS HyperGlossary: Evaporation Rate)

In general usage we think of it as the amount of material that evaporates from a surface per unit of time. So there are three variables
* amount of evaporated material
* per space
* per time

Here is a chart where butyl acetate=1.

The problem is that you need to start with the evaporation rate of butyl acetate, which is unknown because the number would depend on a number of variables, such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, air flow, viscosity, and, as in the case of your dry cleaning, whether or not it was covered.

But here’s something you can glean from this chart. The evaporation rate of water is classified at 0.3. Heat the water and it will evaporate faster as we can observe as steam. Freeze it and it won’t evaporate at all. That’s true for solvents too—heat speeds evaporation. But if you know water is classified as 0.3 on the butyl alcohol scale, and you know that is slow evaporation, then you can tell that acetone (nail polish) at 5.6 is five times faster.

There is a line on the MSDS for “volatility” in Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties, but there is no data on the MSDS for perc.

Well, there’s the science lesson for today. I wish it were simpler. I just try to think in terms of is it going to evaporate fast or slower. Formaldehyde, for example, evaportates pretty quickly from an open bottle, and very slowly when bound up in a resin in particleboard.

From Debra Lynn Dadd

I’m forwarding this to you from Max Goldberg…

The USDA is very close to finalizing standards for organic
fish and what it has come up with is absolutely horrible.

If organic is important to you (even if you don’t eat fish), I
strongly urge you to read what is going on and take action.

Why Organic Fish is a Bad, Bad Idea

As always, thank you so much for supporting organic food!
Max
—-
Max Goldberg
livingmaxwell.com/
www.facebook.com/livingmaxwell

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Question from Mira

Does anyone know of a chemically safe electric tea kettle? I drink tea all day long and would like something that heats up quickly and turns off automatically. Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from Gayle

Hi,

I’m needing to add more insulation to my home which was built in the 1960’s. There are SO many choices. Since it’s an established home, it seems easiest to have insulation “blown in”. Foam types scare me. Has anyone used “Green Fiber” from Lowe’s? They say it’s formaldehyde free and made of 85% recycled materials . . . I’m open to suggestions!

Thanks,

Gayle

Debra’s Answer

Readers, can you offer your experience?

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Question from SARA

Hello Debra,

My name is Ines and the story I am about to tell you is truly horrible.

I am a victim of the false advertising of piggy paint, which was what lead me to your article. My 4 year old daughter almost died because she accidentally ingested piggy paint. But it wasn’t the chemicals that affected her…it was the NEEM OIL!!!!!

I originally bought the product because the founder advertised that her kids put their hands in their mouths all the time and that’s why she created the product.

I desperately need more help because the research in this is so limited. I am worried that something can happen to another child.
The symptoms include drowsiness, lethargy, seizures, respiratory arrest which can lead to death and coma. I do not understand why neem oil would be in a product advertised for children since it is known to be hazardous even for pregnant women. If you can help me in any way I would be very grateful. Thank you for you article as well.

Debra’s Answer

I agree with you that neem oil should not be in a product where it is expected that children would put it in their mouths.

Here is the neem oil side effects list from WebMD:

What kind of help do you need? Is your daughter OK now?

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Question from Annette Tweedel

Hi Debra,

I use the Oral B blue indicator toothbrush. Well I just did some research and found out that the blue indicator is a blue dye, Coomassie Brilliant Blue. Wouldn’t that be considered not healthy? Should I be looking for another toothbrush?

Debra’s Answer

Well, I looked up Coomassie Brilliant Blue dye and found out that it is not soluable in water, so it would pretty much stick to the material of the brush, which is probably nylon.

I prefer using natural bristle toothbrushes myself. That way there is no question about dyes.