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Will Outside Deck Offgas Into Home?

by | Nov 18, 2019 | Q & A | 1 Comment

Question from Linda

I live in San Francisco and am putting in about 50, 3″ x 10″ x 24 feet beams to cantilever a deck under our house. Its treated with ACQ-A and I’m wondering if the pesticides will off gas into our home, through the floorboards.
They will reach under our living room floor (between a basement room and the upstairs living room about 18 feet. The deck will stick outside about six feet.

Lisa’s Answer

I can’t answer that.  I assume that it would depend on the construction of your home and how airtight it is.  Readers, any thoughts?

Bite Guards

by | Nov 18, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

Question from Kathleen

Any recommendations or warnings about OTC and custom-made (by dentist) bite guards?  I know to avoid phthalates (hence methyl acrylate), formalhehyde, and BPA.  No one seems to even report BPB.  And I’m guessing there’s a bunch of other yucky chemicals in these things.

The dentist-made guard looks like a combination of silicone or soft plastic on the inside and hard plastic on the outside.  My dentist practices biologic dentistry, but doesn’t know what’s in the bite guards she makes.  Said she’d try to get that info for me.  Meanwhile, she gave me a sample.  Holding it in my mouth for a couple hours gave me me an odd taste in my mouth; not sure what else it’s doing.  Ugh….

Lisa’s Answer

Unfortunately, I am not aware of any great options.  Here is a thread on fillings and braces which shows similar difficulty with finding safe options.  I would ask your dentist to get a MSDS on the materials that will be used.  When my children got braces, I has the orthodontist help me find an adhesive that did not release fluoride.

Plastic Bins and Hairbrush

by | Nov 18, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

Question from Stacy

1) Does PET plastic containers offgas? I have the plastic in my car and can get hot.

2) What do you think of the Wetbrush materials? It says nylon66 (which is fine) but what about the epoxy tips?

Lisa’s Answer

PET does offgass but minimally as compared to other plastics such as PVC.  Keep in mind that there are many plastic surfaces in your car.  That said, I always try to use natural materials when possible, so can you replace the plastic bin with a cotton tote?
I don’t know all of the materials in a Wetbrush and they were not listed on their website but nylon is relatively inert. Again, I personally would chose an unfinished solid wood brush with nylon or hair bristles.

Washing Clothing in Unfiltered Water

by | Nov 18, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

Question from James

My house uses city water i cant afford the pure effect whole home filter at the moment but i was wondering is their another way i can wash my clothes safely without worrying about any vocs,chemcicals getting in my clothes especially the organic cotton ones.Also is this something i should be concerned about or am i overreacting?

Lisa’s Answer

There are many bigger exposures that I would first try to address such as PU foam in mattresses and upholstered furniture and formaldehyde from engineered wood.  You can get a report on your city’s water to see if there are specific chemicals of concern, but unless there is a significant contamination I wouldn’t worry too much about this. I will be writing more in future posts about clothing.

Plastics Used to Make Telephones

by | Nov 12, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

The other day one of my consulting clients asked me a question about the plastics used to make telephones.

In the process of researching this, I came across this article:

It gives the materials used to make phones throughout the history of phones.
And then it concludes that the plastics used to make phones today are unidentifiable because they are custom plastics made for performance.
So if you are using a plastic phone, you just can’t find out what type of plastic or additives are used.
I also couldn’t find a wooden phone on the internet. They used to be available when I started looking for nontoxic products.
If you are concerned about exposures to plastics from phones, the solution is to cover the plastic parts with aluminum foil tape. It looks a bit space-age, but the aluminum foil will block any plastic exposure.
Debra Lynn Dadd
new website on life beyond industrialization: https://lifelyforlife.com/

Sink Repair

by | Nov 10, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

Question from Jade

My young daughter accidentally cracked my bathroom porcelain sink. It’s a very small crack so I would like to repair it over having it replaced but the products I’m finding are all very toxic. I suffer from Environmental Sensitivity Illness so a non-toxic product is necessary. Do you know of any porcelain sink repair kits that are non-toxic?

Lisa’s Answer

I do not know of any.  The total exposure would be very small, particularly once it is cured but given your sensitivity I understand that a non-toxic product is needed.  Readers, any recommendations?

Vinyl Flooring

by | Nov 10, 2019 | Q & A | 1 Comment

Question from Liberty

Looking for your opinion for safety on the LifeProof Vinyl Plank Flooring, which claims to be both phthalate-free and formaldehyde-free, and Cali LVP flooring, which is supposed to be no voc odor free vinyl flooring.

Lisa’s Answer

Check out The Green Design Center.  The owner, Andrew Pace, tests the products he sells and has found formaldehyde emissions from products that claim to be formaldehyde-free.  Cali LVP flooring is the only LVP brand he sells.

Insulation

by | Nov 10, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

Question from Maggie

Typically we have used fiberglass insulation. Son is building a Tiny house and researching a good insulation I’m finding very mixed information…alot of it depending on what they are trying to sell. although hard at time to differentiate the information at hand. I was going with the cotton batting until I read that cotton is the most heavily sprayed product. So how that translates into insulation I am not sure. Any ideas?

Lisa’s Answer

Teflon EcoElite

by | Nov 10, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

Question from Tricia

Hi – thanks so much for this service.  I’ve been  searching for eco/health friendly outdoor gear and recently came across Teflon EcoElite as a new waterproof coating.  Have you heard about this or know anything about it? Seems to have won some eco/innovation awards, but who knows what that really means …

Lisa’s Answer

This is an alternative to PFC-containing products, so it is better.  But, it is not clear if that means it is safe.  The company does not say on their website what chemicals are used in place of the PFCs.  The industry experts cited in this post says that the new PFC-free products being developed have very limited testing and do not have consistent results that shed light on their health impact.  Teflon’s product is rated by GreenScreen, which is a for-profit rating organization for the textile industry.  It is scored as a “good” alternative with a 3 out 4 rating, with 1 being the most hazardous and 4 being the least.  The rating doesn’t really tell you much, other than it is better than PFC-containing products which would be rated a 1.

Water Bottles for Kids at School

by | Nov 9, 2019 | Q & A | 0 Comments

Question from Sarah

Hello! Thanks for your dedication and helpful research. I’ve enjoyed your website for many years. What is the best water bottle to send to school with kids (first grade)? I know that I could send a Life Factory but worried about glass and having it sent home because it is glass.
Any stainless steel ones testing well?

Lisa’s Answer

If your kids do not have a known sensitivity to nickel, I recommend stainless steel when glass isn’t appropriate.  Read this post on stainless steel bottles.  I use Kleen Kanteen when I’m not using glass.  They have a lid that is made of cork and steel.  If a hands-free lids is needed, they have one made of polypropylene.  Make sure you do not use it with fruit juice or anything acidic as it will increase leaching.
Some stainless steel bottles have tested positive for lead but it is not from the bottle itself, but rather from paint on the bottle or a solder point at the bottom of the bottle.  Read more here.

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