Question from TA

Could you give me any pointers for evaluating the safety of art supplies for my toddler? It seems that many products are considered “non-toxic” on the label, but they are made from petrochemicals. My toddler is pretty good about not eating these kinds of things, but paints and glue/paste can be absorbed through the skin. So I’m a bit uncertain about how to ascertain which products are safe. Is the “non-toxic” claim good enough? Or is there something else I should be looking for?

I am specifically wondering about these Stockmar watercolor paints. I have seen them sold on various sites devoted to using natural materials in children’s toys – sites that sell wood toys, fabric dolls, and other Waldorf or Montessori types of products. So I would like to believe that this is an indication that those stores have some degree of confidence about the safety of the paints. I also gain some confidence from the fact that they are made in Germany, as their standards for children’s toys are generally much higher than ours here. But beyond that, when I encounter products such as these, are there any specific questions I should ask to verify the safety of the products?

www.stockmar.de/product_info.php?cPath=476&products_id=3848&language=en

I do have the Stockmar beeswax crayons. I like that they are made of beeswax, but I’m not sure what the pigments are made from.

Debra’s Answer

This is a very good question.

The quick answer is that there is some controversy about the “nontoxic” seal on art supplies. Until I get that sorted out, that’s all I’m going to say about that.

About Stockmar, now here is an example of a good product being made by a good company, confirmed by the fact that it has been sold for a long period of time by retaliers who are dedicated to choosing natural products. Natural ingredients are part of their ethic. And that’s a very important thing to look at about a brand. What is their purpose? What are they committed to?

See Stockmar’s Product Information page, which clearly outlines what they do to ensure their products are safe.

This is what you should be looking for when evaluating art supplies.

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Question from TA

Could you give your opinion about whether Piggy Paint nail polish is truly non-toxic?

www.piggypaint.com/

Debra’s Answer

I’m correcting this post on 10 April 2016 after a reader pointed out an error I had made. Below is the corrected version.

At www.piggypaint.com/product-info/#.U3tmHSjaPZc they say:

Piggy Paint is specially formulated from God’s natural ingredients and dries to a hard, durable finish. There are no toxic chemicals; it’s free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone….Say good-bye to harsh, smelly chemicals and hello to Piggy Paint…it’s as Natural as Mud!

They also say it is nontoxic and safe for use during pregnancy, and that you can even paint the toes of babies.

Here’s the ingredient list on their website

Piggy Paint Ingredients Water, acrylates copolymers, melia azadirachta (neem oil). May contain: mica, red 34 lake, ultramarines, titanium dioxide, iron oxide pigments.

But I called them on the phone and they immediately emailed a different ingredient list to me (see below)

Now, toxic or not, I must take issue with their statement “It’s as Natural as Mud!” I don’t know how they are evaluating their ingredients to make this claim, but this nail polish is most definitely NOT natural!

Of the list below, the only natural ingredients are water, neem oil, mica, and copper. It’s full of plastics and coal tar colors.

Yes, it’s better than most nail polish, which contain formaldehyde, etc. But it’s not natural.

Is it toxic? Depends on your definition. Coal tar colors are not considered hazardous but have a long list of health effects associated with them. They were one of the first chemicals I eliminated when I wrote my very first book on toxics in consumer products in 1984.

The acrylate copolymer SDS says that it is not toxic and EWG’s Skin Deep says it’s hazard level is “low.” And The International Journal of Toxicology also reports that it can produce irritation, but little else.

I think the question here is where does one draw the line about what is hazardous? I won’t eat coal-tar colors because they cause cancer, so I would hardly call them safe or natural. But bound up in acrylate copolymer (itself made from crude oil) would they leach into your body? I don’t know.

For anyone sensitive to petrochemicals, this would not be a good choice. It’s not a product I feel 100% confident about recommending.

2014 Piggy Paint ingredient list

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Question from di

I recently bought a replacement for my kitchen sink faucet, including the sprayer.

The sprayer hose smells very bad. From my experience in buying shower replacement head with a hose attached, this takes forever to off-gas. I have some hanging in my garage that still smell.

I just noticed this in the last few years. The replacements I’ve gotten in the past did not smell this badly.

What would I look for when choosing these products, as far as the hose attached to the sprayers?

thanks.

di

Debra’s Answer

I called a supplier of kitchen hoses and he said that you need to buy a hose that goes with the brand of sprayer. Nowadays, he said, the hoses are made either from metal or nylon. So I don’t know what would be smelling so bad about the hose.

My suggestion would be if you are buying a sprayer that you check out the material of the hose ahead of time. Neither metal nor nylon should have an odor.

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Question from andie

Just found out about the EOS mattress, and others (Essentials) from Naturepedic. My question is: do you think the organic cotton batting (which is normally very firm) would be ‘softened’ any, by the springs in the system? Their website is terrific and shows springs with a layer of cotton/batting, then more springs. Perhaps this would solve the problem of organic cotton feeling so darn hard ?? Or would wool and springs (no cotton) be better?

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

These beds are very comfortable, like any innerspring mattress. The cotton is only a relatively thin layer over the boxsprings, rather than the entire mattress. So yes, it would solve the problem of organic cotton being “so darn hard.” And cotton IS hard! One of the first natural mattresses I had was a cotton futon on the floor and it was HARD.

Wool and springs wouldn’t be better than cotton and springs, but FYI a 1005 wool mattress on wood slats is very comfortable. I’ve been sleeping on one for more than fifteen years and I love it.

If you want an innerspring mattress, Naturepedic is an excellent choice.

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Question from Marshmallowcottage

I just got a partial bridge and made sure that it didn’t have BPA or PVC in it. I’ve had it for almost a week and just started with symptoms. My tongue underneath and my bottom inside gums are starting to burn. Also, my salivary glands under my tongue are swollen and painful.

I have MCS and this bridge is necessary for eating and chewing. What kind of other plastics, acrylics are used in a dental piece and is there any way to detoxify it so it doesn’t bother me.

Debra’s Answer

Readers, any experience with this? What did you do?

Marsha, did you get this from a biologic dentist or a regular dentist? If a regular dentist, I recommend you check with a biologic dentist who is familiar with safer materials.

International Academy of Biological Dentistry & Medicine

International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

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Question from SVE

Hi Debra,
I sew a lot but haven’t bought buttons for a long time.

These are the two kinds of buttons I sent for. I know they aren’t green – polyester and nylon – but are the dyes non-toxic to the touch? Thanks!

1 – Jesse James & Co., Inc. – www.dressitup.com – “Our buttons are from nylon. They do not contain any phthalate. We hand dye our buttons on our premises and use Rit powdered dye to dye our buttons black. It is non-toxic and lead free.” Marsha Pangrass – Jesse James & Co., Inc. – Phone: 610-419-9880
Email: mpangrassjjco@gmail.com and mpangrass@rcn.com

2- Hill Creek Designs – “Our buttons are made from a polyester plastic. They are dyed with Aljo Dye so the color is not painted on and won’t flake off. Janice dyes them like you would dye a tie-dyed shirt, just color and hot water.” Janet – Info

Debra’s Answer

To the best of my knowledge, these would not be toxic to touch.

There are many buttons made of natural materials, including wood, shells, nuts, and other natural materials.

Here are a few websites

www.ecobutterfly.com/naturalbuttons/

www.fabric.com/notions-patterns-buttons-natural-material-buttons.aspx

www.lotsofbuttons.com/en/collections/natural-buttons

This website doesn’t sell buttons, but take a look. They are gorgeous and a material to become familiar with in case you see it in a store. www.corozobuttons.com/

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Question from Stacey

Hi Debra,

I’m looking for a safer garden hose for my children to use and to water my organic garden. I found a hose that is BPA -free, lead-free, and phalate-free, but it is still made of PVC (Gardener’s Supply Company). I also found a hose at William Sonoma that is also BPA, lead, and phalate-free, but is made of a polyurethane (also $20 more). Which hose would you recommend?

Debra’s Answer

We’ve had this question before and there are a number of posts already about garden hose. Just go to the icon that looks like a magnifying glass at the right end of the menu bar and type in “garden hose” to read them.

PVC is the most toxic plastic. The polyurethane hose would be fine (polyurethane itself is not toxic). There are also some made of polypropylene (also OK)

This is still my favorite page for PVC-Free Garden Hoses, though none are inexpensive (I want the purple one first on the list).

But there are now many PVC-free garden hoses available. Here’s a page of polyurethane garden hoses online.

You may be able to find some of these at local stores.

Seems some of those cute coil hoses are made from polyurethane.

This is more PVC-free hoses than I’ve seen in the past. It’s a trend in the right direction.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to try the Valspar Reserve zero VOC paint yet. I am away from home and we could not get Mystic where I live so the painter is using it in my bathroom. I had to have a plumbing job done for both floors.

I looked at the website and did not see a referral to the MSDS sheet.

Debra or anyone?

Debra’s Answer

Readers, have any of you tried this paint? Comments?

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Question from Hannah

Hi Debra… another odd question for you! I had an old work bench in my basement that I had taken apart and removed last year because it smelled strongly, an odor that I have now identified as a creosote/coal tar smell. It had a sticky glue binding it together, and I don’t know why that gooey glue would smell like creosote but it did. Above the bench attached to the wall is a wood pegboard, attached at the bottom to a piece of wood. That piece of wood also smells faintly of creosote, which I recently noticed. I can’t tell if maybe the wood was treated with creosote (not sure why that would ever be) or if the glue used to adhere it to the pegboard somehow smells like creosote. Any ideas?

It is my understanding that this smell would indicate the presence of PAHs and would be unhealthy to breathe in (though I have v=breathed it in some trying to figure out what it is!). Would covering the entire piece of wood with aluminum foil tape be the right approach to make it safe?

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

If you can’t remove the piece of wood, yes, covering the entire piece of wood with aluminum foil tape would block any fumes from it.

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Question from Dori

Looking for a new front loading washing machine. I am told they now all use antimicrobial coating on the door gaskets.
What are the coatings made of? Do they leach into the environment or contaminate my clothing? What are the risks/safety for a person with MCS?

Thanks,

Dori

Debra’s Answer

This antimicrobial thing is getting ridiculous! The other day I went to buy a pair of scissors and all but one pair had antimicrobials!

There are a number of different types of antimicrobials with varying toxicity. If it says “Microban” on the label that’s triclosan and you want to stay away from that, but I don’t know what type of antimicrobial they use on washing machine gaskets and it may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Ask the manufacturer what the antimicrobial is and let me know. Then I can better answer your question.

Debra 🙂

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