Question from Henry

I wonder about the safety of the plastic wrap that grocery stores put around meats (e.g., steaks and roasts). It appears to be the same type of plastic wrap that most of us have in our homes and which (I assume) contains plasticizers and other constituents of plastics that might leach into the meat. Should we be concerned? And is butcher paper any better? (It, too, has some sort of shiny, plastic-looking material on it.) I keep worrying that the meat I cook is tainted with toxic plastic. Thanks for your help.

Debra’s Answer

Plastic wrap is made from PVC, one of the most toxic plastics. In 1998, Consumer Reports magazine announced that Consumers Union (CU) scientists had found that cheddar cheese packaged in clear PVC cling wrap contained levels of DEHA (di-2-ethylhexyl adipate). Though there is clear evidence that chemicals are leaching into foods from PVC, the toxicity is not clearly established, so the plastic continues to be allows.

The most prudent thing would be to not eat foods wrapped in cling wrap, but they are so prevalent that it is very difficult to find foods in the normal lines of commerce without them.

The way to have PVC-free food is to purchased fresh ingredients from farmer’s markets or through Community Supported Agriculture programs or from stores that don’t wrap all the produce in plastic, and use paper bags. Then prepare all your meals from scratch at home.

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Question from LFD

Hi there,

I think it is great that pet poop bags are biodegradable, BUT, do they biodegrade in the anaerobic conditions of a landfill? If not, where would you put the waste in order to biodegrade? Or what do you do with cat litter? It is my understanding that pet feces is not good to compost. Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING biodegrades in a landfill. Not even food. So, no, a landfill is not the best place for pet poop.

One website that addresses this question is www.pethabitats.com/, which offers advice and products for eco-friendly pet care.

Another is Dog Waste Composter, which tells how you actually can compost pet feces.

Readers, any ideas or experience with this?

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Question from LR

Hi. I’m writing for a friend that is chemically sensitive (I am also) and has also had a masectomy because of breast cancer 3 years ago. She is very environmentally conscious and wants to get a 2009 Prius from the factory. I am very concerned about her exposure to formaldehyde and all the other various chemicals in a new car. She has a tendency for headaches upon exposures. Any advice or information would be much appreciated. Thank You.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t have any data about emissions on the interiors of new Prius cars, but you might try contacting the manufacturer about this.

While I haven’t checked out the interiors of all new hybrids, the interiors of the ones I’ve driven through my local carshare while visiting San Francisco seem to be the usual interiors. I have driven Priuses and also Honda Civic Hybrids. I actually prefer the Honda for driving.

The car manufacturers have their attention on energy efficiency, not nontoxic interiors. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong and you have come across a hybrid car with a nontoxic interior.

My suggestion would be the same for hybrids as for any other car. See Q&A: How Do I Choose a Nontoxic Car? and Q&A: Car air purifiers.

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Question from Irene

I bought organic cotton clothes from a reputable company and the smell was awful – a strong poisonous smell. I washed and soaked the items, but the smell did not diminish and is likely oil based as the smell also got onto all other clothes in the wash. Afterwards the smell also got onto my fingers and took some scrubbing to get the smell off my skin. I can’t touch the fabric due to it leaving a residue on my skin that smells strongly of pyrethrins.

The items were imported from India. There is a regulation among importers that they need to spray pesticides in order to keep from importing bugs into other countries but I don’t know if these get directly onto the items themselves.

Does anyone have an idea of what the residue is and how to get rid of it? Is it a pesticide from importers de-bugging their goods? I am concerned that my reason for buying organic clothes (in order to reduce the use of pesticides and not have those chemicals near my skin) is being nullified by the use of pesticides on foreign goods to reduce pest importation.I have smelled this same odor before on wood boxes imported from China.

I have asked the company but haven’t gotten a response yet and I am not sure they would even know if the shipments are being sprayed.

Debra’s Answer

I would return the goods to the company. Organic means no pesticides and that should include the shipping. If the clothing is not sufficiently protected from the shipping pesticides, it’s not organic.

Another reason to buy “Made in the USA”.

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Question from LW

I had started using the Seventh Generation Ultra Free & Clear Natural 2X Concentrate Laundry Liquid.

The ingredients listed on the website are:

Aqua (water), sodium laureth sulfate, coconut alcohol ethoxylate & glycerin (plant-derived cleaning agents), sodium citrate (water softener), oleic acid & glyceryl oleate (plant-derived anti-foaming agents), sodium hydroxide & sodium borate (alkalinity builders & anti-redeposition agents), amylase, cellulase & protease (non-animal derived enzymes), calcium chloride (cleaning enhancer), hexahydro-1,3,5-tris (2-hydroxyethyl)-s-triazine (preservative, less than 0.05%).

A sticky residue has accumulated on the clothes and has caused a reaction with my MCS and fibromyalgia symptoms getting worse.

Do you have any suggestions for removing this type of residue from the clothes and washer?

Also, what is a good laundry product for MCS? I noticed you said you use soap not detergent at home. What laundry soap products are suitable for MCS?

Debra’s Answer

First, I suggest you go to the Cleaning page of Debra’s List and see that there are many laundry products with an “MCS” icon next to them. Since Seventh Generation is one of those and you are having a problem with it, I can only point out once again that sensitivities are individual and you need to find a product that you individually tolerate.

It sounds to me like the problem may not be the detergent, but the hardness of your water. Minerals in “hard” water make soap and detergent stick to your clothes. A couple of ways to handle this are to add baking soda to your laundry to soften the water or get a water conditioner (I have a salt-free water conditioner from Go Beyond Organic that I love and I have very hard water).

I think what will remove the residue is a mineral called sodium hexametaphosphate. It basically softens the water and releases any detergent that is sticking to the clothes. You can get it from a local chemical supply house.

One thing I would like to add is that I have recently discovered that it may not be necessary to use any kind of laundry product. You can wash clothes and get them perfectly clean in plain water! I have been washing my clothes in plain water only since March 11 and they come out perfectly clean. Now, all I need to do is “freshen” my clothing because it’s mostly perspiration and not dirt, but it got me to thinking that if everyone separated out their clothing so as to only wash clothes with stains, etc, in detegent, we’d save a lot of resources!

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Question from ch

Hi Debra,

Do you know if a stained glass lamp would be harmful in regards to it’s lead content? I have had to throw out some store bought lampshades because of the toxic smell they gave off when the lamp was on. So, I am now looking for something with a glass shade.

Thanks

Debra’s Answer

The Australian goverment alert on stained glass warns against lead exposure during the making of stained glass items, but says nothing about lead exposure from the use of stained glass lampshades.

Lead fumes occur when lead solder is melted. Operating the soldering iron at very high temperatures releases more fumes than at lower temperatures. Even though a light bulb does produce heat, it’s not enough to actually melt the solder, which needs to occur for fumes to be released.

So I would say, based on this, that stained glass lampshades should be safe. However, I there may be some residual lead on the lampshade that may come off when you touch it. Just in case, wash your hands after installation, or wear gloves.

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Question from Dani

Hello Debra,

I am researching Prana Sleep matteresses.

I wonder if Prana Sleep matteresses are as environmental friendly as the company claims them to be? Are they free of toxins?

Thanks,

Debra’s Answer

I took a look at Prana Sleep mattresses and decided not to include them on Debra’s List because they contain a material called Outlast. As best as I can make out from the website, it is either spun into yarns and fabrics or applied as a coating, for the purpose of body temperature regulation. It was developed for NASA. It doesn’t say on the website what exactly it is made of, but it is a “technology” product for use in outer space, so I can’t imagine having it be natural was part of the specification.

My opinion is that this may have been a boon to astronauts, but it’s not needed in a natural bed. Wool does an excellent job of regulating body temperature. I’m a little concerned that Prana is mixing a material of unknown origin with their natural materials.

I don’t have any information on whether Outlast is safe for health, but also no evidence that it isn’t.

Since it is an unknown material that doesn’t give enough information to evaluate, I just passed on it. There are plenty of other latex mattresses that I know are safe and natural.

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Question from CP

Debra,

In an effort not to use canned products, I have tried to switch to pacific soups which are in cartons. Here is the description of their cartons. Are these material safe? Similarly, I love tuna fish in the pouches. Are the material in tuna pouches safe? Thanks!

Pacific Soups: “The product is not exposed to the aluminum lining; rather two layers of polyethylene shield it. In total there are 6 layers that make up the aseptic package. From the outside in they are – polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, aluminum foil, polyethylene and polyethylene.”

Starkist tuna pouches: outer layer to inner layer polyester, aluminum foil, polyamide (nylon), polypropylene

Debra’s Answer

Polyethylene is considered a food-safe plastic, which is not toxic and does not leach. I’m not concerned about plastic leaching into the food from either of these containers. If would be safer to eat soup packaged in this container than in a can with a lining that leaches bisphenol-A

However, I am not sure about the disposal of these packages. The aseptic packaging industry says they are recyclable, but I don’t know if they are really being recycled in practice.

The best choice is to always simply not use something if it isn’t necessary, and in this case, there is a lot of food packaging that could be eliminated by preparing packaged food at home. Chicken soup is extremely easy to make and much tastier, as I mentioned in another post.

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Question from KK

Hi Debra,

I try to limit my soy consumption because of the phytoestrogens and I have read that the grade of soy used in processed foods such as nutrition bars is not of a high quality and actually leftover product. Unfortunately, I have found soy lecithin in products almost to be impossible to avoi

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Suzie Peppard

Dear Debra,

I had an experience with dizziness a few months ago, and it happened to be at a time when I used ALOT of stevia for sweetening. I made lemonade almost every day with it. Then a friend made a comment about stevia possibly causing dizziness. Have you heard or read anything on this subject?

I would like to use stevia again, because I am trying to lose weight, but I’m just not sure about it.

I’d appreciate any information you or your readers have about this.

Suzie

Debra’s Answer

I’ve never heard of this, and I used to drink a fair amount of lemonade made with stevia (I stopped after muscle testing showed it made my body weak).

Readers?

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