From Debra Lynn Dadd

I always love it when readers send me articles about toxic exposures I might not have seen.

This one is about plastic in toothpaste. She thought it was leaching from the tube, but no…Crest and other brands of toothpaste actually put bits of plastic in the toothpaste, which then embed themselves in the gums of those who use it. I kid you not.

Take a look at this article written by a dental hygenist and see her explanation and pictures.

The plastic is polyethylene, which is not toxic, but it isn’t biodegradable and will just stay stuck in your gums, I’m thinking, unless you remove it.

For some reason, maybe a long-ago tv commercial, I thought those flecks were crystals of mouthwash or something useful. But there is NO FUNCTION for these bits of plastic. Incredible!

If you are already using a natural toothpaste, you probably won’t find bits of plastic in it. But if you are using any brand with speckles in it, you might want to reconsider.

Source: Healthy Holistic Living: Crest Toothpaste Embeds Plasitic in Our Gums

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Question from CZ

The Mitsubishi Split air conditioner unit in my bedroom has a terrible odor that the heating-cooling company has diagnosed as sweaty gym socks syndrome and says it needs spraying with a fungicide/mildew remover to coat the coils–and this solution will not work for me.

Vinegar and water, my first thought, would cause too much oxidation I’ve been told.

What alternative cleaning and clearing would work for the chemically sensitive?

I would appreciate suggestions!

Debra’s Answer

Readers, any suggestions?

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Question from Genie Dillard

I plan to get the water filter you recommend.

But I wanted to ask you…

There is a great deal of promotion on the Kangen water, in terms of preventing oxidation, lowering PH and creating “microclusters” that allow water and other nutrients to enter the cells.

I’m hoping someone has knowledge of this water system, its pluses and possibly minuses. Does it really do something beyond what an excellent filter system does? Many have reported medical benefits. I’d like any information you or your reader can offer.

Debra’s Answer

I’m familiar with Kangen water and the whole concept of alkaline water.

I’ll just say first that I used to drink alkaline water, in fact, I drank it for about ten years, until I got my PureEffect filter, which I like better. The difference is that the alkaline water I was drinking before was made by a machine that “split” the water into alkaline water and acid water using an electrical charge from a metal rod immersed in the water. The machine I had did nothing to remove anything from the water, it only performed the function of splitting the water into acid and alkaline, and placing each into it’s own container.

The premise behind drinking alkaline water was—and still is—that it is healthier for your body to be more alkaline, and modern life makes your body more acid. Toxic chemicals, refined foods, and even tap water and water from some water filters make the body more acid. To make the body more alkaline, people go on diets and eat alkaline foods. A number of years ago there was a book called Reverse Aging by Sang Whang. He said that alkaline diets don’t work, but drinking alkaline water does make the body more alkaline. I read the book and it made sense to me, so I bought an alkalizer and started drinking alkaline water.

Then Kangen water came along. This machine basically splits water into acid and alkaline like my little alkalizer, by the same method, but has more settings so you can specify how acid or alkaline to a specific degree. I know people who have these machines and I have heard stories of people getting sick from heavy metals leaching into the water. One woman I know removed it from her natural food store because so many of her customers were getting sick after drinking the water.

Alkaline water also has a detox effect, so you have to start with very little and work up.

The PureEffect filter is different. In nature, water is naturally balanced between 6.5- 9.0 pH (pH stands for the Power of Hydrogen, which is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is). Using nature as his guide, the founder of PureEffect saw that rain water makes it’s way down to the ground, then is filtered through the earth and over riverbeds, where it picks up it’s mineral/electrolyte ions and becomes naturally balanced. Taking this process into consideration, he developed their filter systems to pattern this effect naturally. As tap water flows through a PureEffect filter, the pH is raised naturally by the release of trace amounts of natural minerals, rather than using metals and electricity to make water artificially alkaline beyond what is found in nature.

Since drinking the first glass of water from the PureEffect filter, I never again drank water from my alkalizer machine. It’s sitting on a top shelf. I’ll sell it cheap to anyone who wants it.

I’m interested in clean water without pollutants. That’s not what Kangen Water is about. Read this statement from the manufacturer’s website at www.enagic.com/blog/what-is-kangen-water-from-enagic

Kangen Water machines work by applying an electrical charge to your tap water, and then sending that charged water through an ion exchange membrane. This will mix positive and negative ions within the water, which can help break molecular bonds on dirt, which is why it is ideal for cleaning and personal hygiene.

The Kangen Water will break the molecular bonds on dirt and oil on your face, keeping it clean, smooth, and moist. Rather than using harsh astringents that dry out your skin, or leaving a soapy film on your skin because your water can’t clean it all off, Kangen Water can help clean your face better than regular tap water.

It can also help you clean your home by loosening the molecular bonds between dirt and the surfaces you’re washing, attracting it like a magnet. This way, Kangen Water can actually lift grime and dirt off surfaces, which makes it easy to wipe away. No need for dangerous, toxic cleaners, no need for abrasive sponges and frantic scrubbing.

That’s fine that it has all these benefits, but what does it remove from the water?

The above statement goes on to say:

“A Kangen Water system, with appropriate filters [italics mine], can clean up contaminated and polluted water, removing the chemicals, bacteria, and other unpleasant little nasties that can cause ill health.”

With appropriate filters. The Kangen unit that splits the water into acid and alkaline does NOT remove pollutants. You need to have the appropriate filters to filter the water first before it goes through electrolysis.

I can’t comment on the health claims of Kangen water.

My rule of thumb is to stay as close to Nature as possible. Until I can get water straight from a spring, I’ll stick with water from my PureEffect filter.

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Question from julien

Years & years ago, my family and i began following your advice to avoid all permanent press clothing because of the outgassing of formaldehyde from the finish.

Recently my wife received as a gift two beautiful shirts from Land’s End catalog. Sure enuf, we noticed the easy-care labels. Is it possible the no-iron finishes have evolved in a positive direction?

For approximately two years i’ve noticed most manufacturers of men’s shirts and chinos are taking the no-iron route YET AGAIN.

Even Jcrew, Ralph Lauren, and other companies that had pretty much stayed away from these finishes.

I need new chinos and will have to research again! My wife would love to keep the two unique pretty shirts, and we’ve considered the possibility of always handwashing and airdrying so as not to contaminate washer&dryer.

But if today’s no-iron easy-care finish yet has formaldehyde, is it worth having in our home? (we’ve been nontoxic and natural since 1988!!)

Please consider doing an update on this frustrating topic.

Thank you for your life devotion to helping us live healthy lives!!

Debra’s Answer

Yes, there have been some changes in how permanent press fabrics are made to be permanent press, but the active agent is still formaldehyde.

This article explains it all very well: OrganicClothing.blogs.com; Permanent Press: Facts Behind the Fabrics

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Question from Claire

Hi Debra,

I’m thinking of using Tile Lab tile and grout cleaner/resealer. Here’s the MSDS:

www.custombuildingproducts.com/media/2386841/
msds_tl_grouttilecleanerresealer_en.pdf

Do you think there’d be any lasting health dangers to it once the job is finished?

Thanks so much.

Debra’s Answer

This MSDS lists NO hazardous chemicals but it does list some health effects. It recommends skin and eye protection. It’s hard to tell without any ingredients.

On their Technical Data sheet, just published a few days ago, it says that it “Complies with all Federal and SCAQMD Standards for VOCs.” That doesn’t mean no VOCs.

Sorry I can’t tell you more, there’s just not enough data. You might call them and see what you can find out.

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Question from Claire

Hi Debra! I love your site and find the information to be extremely helpful!

I had a question about chromium in crock pots.

I recently tested five crock pots with an XRF device to check for lead.

Though the lead levels were okay (they all ranged from 14 ppm to 257 ppm) they all had varying amounts of chromium (2637 ppm, 6813 ppm, 3567 ppm, 2554 ppm, and 4223 ppm).

The XRF device does not tell you what type of chromium it is, so I don’t know if it is trivalent or hexavalent. The levels were pretty high. Do you think this would be okay?

I know you have posted about chromium electroplated into another metal before, but was curious what your thoughts were since this would be chromium on stoneware. Thanks so much!

Debra’s Answer

First, there is no safe level for lead, so I don’t consider these levels to be “OK.” Since cookware is available that doesn’t leach lead, I prefer to use the lead-free cookware.

Now about the chromium. Chrome is used by potters in the forms of green chromium oxide, iron chromite, and potassium dichromate. These are used in slips and glazes as colorants.

EWGs Skin Deep Cosmetics Database has this to say about Chromium Oxide

“Chromium oxide is a mineral pigment, Cr2O3, used as a colorant in a variety of products. This ingredient contains trivalent chromium, a form of chromium that functions as an essential trace element in human metabolism.”

Iron chromite and potassium dicromate are also naturally occuring.

So I would say that any chromium found in pottery would likely be trivalent.

There is some data that would tell us how much trivalent chromium would be safe or harmful. There is no “safe upper limit” established for chromium as a dietary supplement. Apparently chromium ingested is very poorly absorbed. So while those numbers may sound huge, it’s not very toxic and little may be absorbed European Food Safety Authority.

How many milligrams of chromium are in those crockpots? Well, 6813 ppm is 6.813 mg/g. 1 gram is 1000 milligrams. Even at 6813 ppm, for each gram of material only 6/1000ths would be chromium. And 250 mg of chromium is considered OK.

I think the chromium is fine, but somebody correct me if this math doesn’t look right.

My conclusion is: I’m not concerned about the chromium, but am concerned about the lead.

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Question from Sandy

Hi Debra, I know the camping foam you buy in sports stores is probably petro and not the healthiest. I am wondering if it is baked out in the sun for a month or so if it would eventually become safe. Thks

Debra’s Answer

Well, it would improve, however, it is made from some pretty toxic chemicals PLUS fire retardants, so I can’t guarantee it would outgas. You could wrap the whole thing in Reflectix and seal the seams with foil tape. That would make it nontoxic.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

Two years ago I had a contracter seal some areas in my spare room closet for ants.

Although I gave him some caulk to use he managed to run out and replaced it with another.

I am really sensitive to glu and caulk, I could not go in the closet for a year and even now it bothers me.

During the first year I had a lot of clothes I love stored in the closet. Last year I took them out and washed them all twice but due to cancer treatments never wore them. This year I decided to try them and have been very reactive to them. I have washed these clothes about 4 times now. I can not imagine that the seal is still in the fabric but maybe that is the case.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get the caulk toxin out of my clothes? Or at this point are they a total loss?

Debra’s Answer

I agree with you. I cannot imagine that there is still any contaminant left in the clothing.

Readers, any ideas on this?

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Question from Pam

Hello,

I am asking which air mask would be best for filtering out cigarettes. My grandmother is a chain smoker and a hoarder. When we have to go over to her house to do something the cigarettes overwhelm us. I end up with a migraine and my mother ends up with bronchitis. This happens ever single time. We have tried the face masks that doctors wear, and while they help, it’s not great.
We can’t stop going over to her house as we are her major support and she refuses to stop smoking. (she also does not believe that smoking is bad for you but that is another issue!) However, we really do not want to get sick. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank You

-Pam

Debra’s Answer

I went to the I Can Breathe! website at www.icanbreathe.com and they recommend their Honeycomb Mask with Classic Coconut Activated Carbon Filter.

They have a number of different masks for various purposes and explain which pollutants are removed by each.

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Question from Sheila

Hi Debra,

I am trying to outfit my daughter’s bedroom. I have considered purchasing organic cotton fabric from fabric vendors to make my own curtains, pillow covers, bedding, etc.

Is that a safe bet? Are all fabrics typically treated with formaldehyde and other chemicals?

I also purchased a set of organic cotton sheets from Target. Much to my dismay, they had an odor. I feel like anything with an odor has chemicals on it. Are you familiar with the Target sheets?

Any advice on what fabrics I can use in her room that are non-toxic?

Thank you so much.

Debra’s Answer

Not all organic fabrics are treated, but some are.

Unfortunately, at the moment there is a difference between an organic fabric that is organic every step of the way and fabrics made with organic fibers but then have chemical processing.

Go to the Fabrics page of Debra’s List. These are the best resources I know of for fabrics. They will be able to answer any questions you have about their fabrics.

Especially look for 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton textiles, these are made from organic fibers and processed without chemicals. One example is Naturepedic (babies + kids) and Naturepedic (adult) GOTS certified sheets (and other bedding). There are no chemicals added (fragrances or otherwise) and any cotton smell washes away.

As well, if there ever is any smell, it’s a cotton smell which will wash away.

It’s great that Target and other discount stores are supporting organic cotton, but the cheaper price point usually means some toxic chemicals are involved in the processing and finishes.

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