Submitted questions will be posted with my response by the following Tuesday or before.
Submitted comments will be moderated and approved within 24 hours.
Are Raid Earth Options insecticides safe to use?
Question from L. L.
I’ve been seeing advertisements for Raid®’s new Earth Options insecticides. The label says the active ingredients are plant-based, but are they really safe to use?
Debra’s Answer
I contacted the manufacturer, S. C. Johnson and Sons, for the Material Safety Data Sheets for these products. They faxed them to me, along with a letter stating that they could only be used “for the purpose of safety and health evaluations by your company” and “any other use is expressly prohibited.” So I can’t tell you what the MSDS sheets say, but you can ask for your own copy, if you want to.
So I went to my local supermarket to see what it said on the label. All of the same active ingredients were listed–there was nothing on the MSDS that wasn’t on the label.
The active ingredients are eugenol and 2-phenethyl propionate. Eugenol is more commonly known as clove oil and gives the product it’s natural clove scent. It is used in many food flavorings and perfumes as well as in industrial applications. 2-phenethyl propionate is a synthetic flavoring agent made from coal tar that is on the FDA list of additives that are permitted to be added to food for human consumption.
These active ingredients are commonly used in other eco-friendly insecticide products. The critical difference between R
What is “outgassing”?
Had a question emailed to me about “outgassing”? What does it mean?
Outgassing means that there are one or more toxic chemicals present in a substance or material which are volatile, that is, they evaporate out of the substance or material into the air where you can breathe them.
Outgassing refers to the fumes (which are gasses) coming out into the air.
One of my most vivid childhood memories happened in a grade school science class. A bottle of formaldehyde was left open on a counter (I don’t know why) and it evaporated completely over a period of hours. The bottle was full and then it was empty. That’s evaporation of gasses.
Outgassing can occur quickly or over time. Often you can smell the chemicals, but not always.
When you are putting gasoline in your car and can smell it, that’s outgassing. And when you spill some on your shoes and the odor goes away after half an hour, the gasoline has “gassed out.”
But chemicals can also be bound up so they are “time-release.” An example of this is the formaldehyde resins used on permanent-press fabrics. The formaldehyde is bonded into the resin so it releases slowly over time. Same thing with particleboard. Another resin containing formaldehyde that releases over time. Many, many plastics time-release their toxic chemicals.
Has anyone used Zinnser Gardz Sealer?
Question from Gigi
This product is a water-based sealer that seals old wallpaper adhesive and has VOCs of less than 100g/l. I am curious to know if anyone has used it and if they have had any adverse reactions to it. Technically, this is a low VOC product, correct?
Debra’s Answer
Yes, technically this is a low VOC product. I have no experience with this product. Readers?
Is Modal a natural fiber?
Question from D. L.
I was shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond the other day and noticed they had a lot of bed and bath linens made from a fabric called Modal®. The label says it’s a natural fiber, but is it really?
Debra’s Answer
There are three general types of fabrics.
Synthetic fibers–such as acrylic and polyester–are manufactured from petrochemicals by turning crude oil into plastics and extruding the plastic into threads that are woven into fabric.
Natural fibers–cotton, linen, silk, wool, and ramie–are spun from fiberous materials found in nature. These fibers have been in use for millenneia and were spun by hand and with spinning wheels for centuries before industrialization.
Fibers such as rayon and Modal® fall in-between. They are made from natural cellulose, which occurs in all plants, but the process of turning the cellulose into fiber involves a lot of processing and chemicals. The finished product is not anything like the original cellulose as it was found in nature.
My personal preference is to stick with natural fibers. I haven’t been able to find out enough about the manufacture of manmade plant-based fibers to be able to determine their environmental safety or harm.
I don’t find rayon or Modal® to be particularly toxic, but I don’t consider them to be natural.
Scratched Corningware
Question from Cheryl
Hi all, does anyone know if scratched Corningware (meaning whatever is underneath is showing through in fairly fine gray scratches) and scorched(browned) is safe to use? Also, I guess the composition has changed through the years and I received mine about 16 years ago. Would Corningware from this time period in general be safe? Thanks as always.
Debra’s Answer
I don’t think there is anything “underneath” Corningware. I have white Corningware of about the same age as yours and it has some “fine gray scratches” but they look to me to be scratches that have filled in over time rather than exposing something underneath. Corningware is a single material through and through, not a coated material that can scratch.
Refinishing sink
Question from Kelly
Debra,
The finish on my porcelain sink in the kitchen is wearing through. Is there any safe way to refinish it? It’s about 25 years old. I’d like to not replace it as it means tearing tile out around it.
Thanks for the help.
Debra’s Answer
Readers, any experience with this?
Safe Window Shades
Question from nancyk
There’s a clean shade called Earth Shade.
Debra’s Answer
Thanks for posting this. This company has a good variety of shades in many styles and materials and even understands the needs of people with MCS. This is a great resource, since it has been difficult to find good window shades.
Silica
Question from Terry Ann
Debra
I can’t seem to get a straight answer about Silica…I notice that it is used in just about any supplement I purchase. Is this form of Silica dangerous?
Debra’s Answer
Silica is the chemical compound silicon dioxide, an oxide of silicon. Silica is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz, as well as in the cell walls of diatoms (as in diatomaceous earth. It is the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust.
Silica is used primarily in the production of window glass, drinking glasses and bottled beverages, as well as optical fibers for telecommunications. It is a primary raw material for many ceramics including earthenware, stoneware and porcelain, and industrial Portland cement.
Silica is common additive in food products, where it is used primarily as a flow agent in powdered foods, or to absorb water.
I know of no harmful effects from digesting silica in foods or supplements. In fact, it is sold as a mineral supplement.
Silicosis is a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by overexposure to breathing large amounts of crystalline silica, such as amounts you would be exposed to in workplace exposures. It is not toxic, it is a particle hazard. You wouldn’t be exposed to this amount at home.
Please HELP! Overpowering frangrances in my MIL’s house
Question from Eva
Hello Debra, i love your website as ever since i have discovered it a few weeks ago, i have been a faithfull reader daily.
I do hope that YOU and your readers can help. Here is the thing, my mother in law uses fragrance products such as Fabreeze, Glade plug ins, the whole nine yards, etc all the time and has been for a LONG time so these TOXIC materials are in the walls, furniture, rugs…
My mil does not consider these TOXIC, however i do + my 2 young children , aged 1 & 3 and myself included are at risk, ecpecially since we all have allergies and asthma.
Please help! What can i tell her? And what is worse, there is a good chance we will be moving into her house in a few months…i feel at loss.
THANK YOU!
Debra’s Answer
All these products you mention ARE toxic and you should not be breathing them. It may be difficult if not impossible to remove them from her house if she has been using them for years.
I would try to find another place to live and not move into her house if at all possible.
Readers, any suggestions?
Secret chemicals in consumer products
On January 4, the Washington Post published this article: Use of potentially harmful chemicals kept secret under law.
It begins, “Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States — from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners — nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision.”
The article goes on to say that the policy was designed 33 years ago to protect trade secrets in a highly competitive industry. But now many–including the Obama administration–are recognizing that this law makes it impossible for regulators to control toxic chemicals in products for consumers to find out which toxic substances they might be exposed to.
Currently the law protects the financial interests of business while putting the health of consumers and the environment at risk.
The article gives one example of a nurse being exposed to a toxic chemical while treating a patient, and then herself having symptoms from the same chemical. She was unable to find out exactly what the chemical was.
In my opinion, there should be full disclosure of all substances and materials used in all consumer products. I’ve been saying this for decades. Otherwise, we cannot make informed decisions.
The Obama administration is working on reducing secrecy.
Fortunately, there are many nontoxic products available, made by companies who choose to not use secret chemicals. Many of these products can be found on this blog and listed on Debra’s List.
I want to thank everyone who sent me this article this week and all of you who continue, every day, to be vigilant about finding and sharing products we can all use that do not contain secret harmful chemicals.
