Question from Pram

I am wondering what “stuff” is in cardboard boxes; I did a site search but could not find out much; also I could not access all the questions in any topic, maybe I’ll learn!

I have a food pantry in an outbuilding where I store bulk food and my jars of home canned food. There were many flattened stored brown paper bags and many cardboard boxes as many jars were stored in them. Now that it’s gotten warm, the smell in there is so horrible – a sicky sweet noxious smell that I can taste – overwhelmed me so much that I spent quite some time in there removing every box and bag (there are still a few I need to get rid of). It took my a while because it meant taking out jars and putting directly on the shelves, so I was in there at least a half an hour.

That was about 3 days ago and ever since then I have felt nausea, increased ringing in hears, a bit of dizziness, exhaustion, and a bit of impaired breathing. I am chemically sensitive ever since a heavy oversdose of pesticide about 16 years ago (not my choice, a neighbor’s action).

So now I am trying to figure out what is in cardboard boxes, or could it be something that was sprayed on some of them. Any info appreciated. I am now looking around my house for any cardboard boxes or paper bags so I can get rid of them.

Debra’s Answer

The answer is at HOW PRODUCTS ARE MADE: Corrugated Cardboard.

This is a pretty interesting site:

When you are wanting to know how any product is manufactured, this is site is a good place to start.

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Question from anneh

We are on a well and due to its low ph we have to add a conditoner to it (calcium). I thought to be safe I better buy bottled water and have been purchasing bottled water that comes in blue plastic 3Gallon jugs. Now I see the #7 on the jugs and research tells me its not a good thing. I found what looks like a good option by Santevia, you put your water through their filter system but their plastic jug is #5 which is supposedly safe. Any idea which way to go? Thanks anneh

Debra’s Answer

If these are your two choices, I would go with the bottle labeled #5, as that is low-toxicity polypropylene. #7 is polycarbonate, which contains BPA unless labeled “BPA-free.”

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Question from kerinreed

I have now switched all my old plastic water bottles for metal, etc. but this makes me wonder about all my plastic storage containers. I use Tupperware, Rubbermaid, Glad, and anything I can find with a lid to store my leftovers, pack a lunch, freeze short-term. I also keep my empty plastics on a shelf in my garage when they are not in use. I can’t think any of this is safe when it is not safe to freeze or heat a water bottle. What cn be used for storage and transportation of food?

Debra’s Answer

Different types of plastic containers are made from different plastics. And these plastics are different from the plastic used to make plastic water bottles.

Personally, I use a lot of glass. I also use those Glad containers. They are made from polypropylene plastic, which has minimal toxicity. I never put hot food in them, only cold. But I prefer glass.

If you are nervous about transporting glass, tie cotton bandanas around the jars or bottles. This cushions the glass and helps to keep it from breaking.

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Question from TerryAnn

Hello Debra

Having a heck of a time trying to find pureed pumpkin that is not in cans, and completely unable to locate real pumpkins during most parts of the year, to make my own puree. Any suggestions? It seems pureed pumpkin in jars is simply not made. I have been using an organic brand, but it comes in a can and worry about BPA.

By the way, when you make your own puree, how do you go about it?

Thank you.

Terry

Debra’s Answer

I’ve never seen pureed pumpkin sold in glass jars.

Fresh pumpkins are a seasonal food, you would not be able to find it most of the year.

During October and November, when pumpkins are plentiful, you can make all the pumpkin puree you want and can (in glass jars) it or freeze it for use throughout the year. However, I would encourage you to enjoy it seasonally, in tune with when nature produces it.

To make pumpkin puree, use smaller “pie” pumpkins, rather than the larger pumpkins that are more suitable for jack-o-lanterns. Do not make a jack-o-lantern and then cook the pumpkin for pie.

Cut a whole pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. I use a soup spoon for this. The seeds are held in with some stringy stuff, you need to scrape out all the strings and seeds. Wash the strings from the seeds and save the seeds for roasting. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast them until golden brown. My husband and I like to eat them hot with butter and natural salt.

Take your pumpkin halves and place them cut side down in a large baking dish. Add 1/2″ of water to pan to help keep the pumpkin flesh moist. Bake at 450º until you can pierce the skin with a fork (about 45 minutes to an hour).

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Question from happyarlenee2005

I have a renter who smokes (outside) and do not want him to wash his clothes in my washer, it leaves a smell afterwards. Is there a way that something natural could take care of this so I could allow him to wash clothes in my washer? Also help for dryer please.

Debra’s Answer

Don’t know the answer to this one. Readers?

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Question from Annette Tweedel

Hi Debra, Last year in May we bought a Haier air conditoiner for our daughter’s room, Model #ESA3109-L. My husband ran it out on the porch for a few days only during the day to get the smell out of it. And after a few days of doing that it was fine.

This year we bought a Haier air conditioner, Model #ESA410J-L, for our den. Well, my husband has been running it out on the porch for almost a week now. But, last Monday evening he put the air conditoiner in the window and ran it, but in a matter of a few minutes my tongue starting feeling funny. My tongue turned out feeling raw from running the air conditioner.

So my husband had to end up taking the air conditoner out of the window and it is still running out on the porch. I tried checking on the internet to see what might be on the inside of the air conditioner as to why it effects me, but I am not sure of what to look for. This is aggravating, because it is hot.

Is there a way I can find out what is on the inside of the air conditoiner?And if so, how do I go about it? What do I look for? Thank you so much for your help!

Debra’s Answer

There may be plastics in the air conditioner you are reacting to, or other chemicals. Contact the manufacturer and ask what materials are used in this particular model.

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In response to my article Homes Away From Home: Nontoxic Hotel Rooms, readers sent me some comments about their own experiences with hotels.

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Question from Mary Marston

I need to replace my watchband. I am more or less homebound and will send someone else to shop for it. I would prefer that it be leather rather than metal links, but am concerned about what chemicals would be in the leather that might be absorbed through my skin. On the other hand, I would probably wear it about 3 hours a week, and it is a small item, so it won’t be a lot of exposure.

Any advice about buying leather? Would something synthetic be better?

Debra’s Answer

There are various chemicals used in leather, however, my experience has been that different leathers have different chemicals. Some leathers smell a lot, others not at all.

I, for example, wear leather sandals and have a leather purse, neither of which have ever had any odor, even when new.

I’ve had leather watchbands in the past and haven’t noticed an odor. It sounds like, if you prefer leather, you’ve also had a positive experience in the past with leather.

I would give the leather band a good sniff. If there are chemicals present, they could offgass and be absorbed through your skin. But these types of chemicals are volatile, so even if they are used, at some point they evaporate out.

It’s a small strip of leather and you aren’t wearing it much. I’m not very concerned about this. If it were me, I would probably wear a leather watchband, too, if I wore a watch.

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Question from Colleen

I have MCS and asthma we recently had a water leak from our washer onto the flooring in our main and only living area in a small (900 sq ft) house and have to replace the underlayment for the floor under a vinyl tiled floor and also replace the vinyl floor tiles. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we could use to fix that 6 ft area rather than replace the entire kitchen flooring. Replacing the entire kitchen flooring is also an option and eventually we will need to do that too. Suggestions for both scenerios would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Colleen

Debra’s Answer

Please do not replace your vinyl floor tiles with new vinyl floor tiles.

If this is a kitchen area, please use ceramic tiles. You’ll need to use cement backerboard as the underlayment, lay the tiles into mortar, and put grout between them.

This is the most waterproof and nontoxic floor for a kitchen.

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On June 9, 2010 the Environmental Law Foundation filed Notices of Violation of California Proposition 65 Toxics Right to Know law, alleging the toxic chemical lead was found in a variety of children’s and baby foods. A testing program by ELF found the toxic chemical lead in a variety of children’s and baby foods.

Products tested and results

Many brands of organic juice were found to contain levels of lead that exceed the California Proposition 35 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving. There is no safe level of lead exposure for children (or pregnant women, as lead passes through the placenta).

Juice is not a necessary component to our diet, especially industrially-processed juice. All bottled juices are fractionated beverages in which the juice has been removed from the pulp. They are not whole foods. They are then heated during the bottling process, turning them into a drink that is not much different from a fructose-sweetened soda.

Dr. Charles Billington, an appetite researcher at the University of Minnesota. said, “It’s pretty much the same as sugar water.”

Juice concentrates the sugar from fruit, so it is consumed more like a concentrated fructose sweetener, rather than in it’s natural state with all the corresponding water and fiber.

Consuming high levels of fructose is known to increase risk factors for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes because it is converted into fat by the liver more readily than glucose. It seems to ‘t matter whether the fructose is from soda or juice.

“Both are going to promote equal weight gain,” she said, adding that she’s perplexed by the fixation on the evils of sugar-sweetened beverages: “Why are they the only culprit?”

I myself don’t drink bottled juice, not even fresh juice sold under refrigeration. The sugars are just too concentrated. If I want juice, I take whole fruit and whiz it up in the blender with lots of purified water. In this way, I have whole fruit or vegetable juice. And none of the contaminants that might be introduced during industrial juicing and packaging.

Source: Nutrition experts see juice glass as half empty