According to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, water- and stain-proofing chemicals can transfer from mother to baby during breastfeeding, suggesting that the mother’s milk is a major source of these harmful compounds for the developing children.

Researchers looked at five types of perfluorinated alkylate substances, (PFASs) in the blood of 81 children who were born in the Faroe Islands between 1997 and 2000. They checked the children’s blood at ages 11 months, 18 months and 5 years old, and checked their mother’s blood at week 32 of pregnancy.

They found that children who were exclusively breastfed had levels of the chemicals increase about 20 to 30 percent each month. Children who were only partially breastfed had smaller increases.

While researchers say that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks, they are also asking how mom’s exposure to these chemicals can be reduced.

The compounds also are not fat or water soluble, and are widely used in products such as waterproof clothing, food packaging, paints and lubricants [think Teflon, Gore-Tex and Scotchgard] to make them nonstick and water resistant.

Perfluorinated chemicals have a half-life in people’s bodies of more than three years, which is a long time and makes it difficult for women who might get pregnant to avoid exposure.

Environmental Health News: Breastfeeding exposes babies to water- and stain-proofing chemicals

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Read the details at
Vice News: The Chemical Long Used in Non-Stick Pans Might Be Unsafe at Any Level

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Question from Stephanie Baker

Hi Debra,

I’m trying to find affordable non toxic seating for my living room and am having trouble knowing what to look for. Is this a safe option?

www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Vinnie-Small-White-Cradle-Chair/3351579/product.html

Debra’s Answer

Well…It’s OK!

It’s made of solid wood, metal, and polyproylene plastic, which is the same plastic used to make disposable food containers.

It should be fine.

If there is a problem, it would be from a finish applied to the wood. But I can’t evaluate that without seeing the chair, because retailers typically don’t have information about wood finishes.

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Question from Carol A

Hi Debra,

Glade plug-ins give me a head ache and I was wondering if you have any sense of what it takes to get rid of the smell and the associated chemicals.

Somebody put one into my space and am trying to get rid of the chemicals.

We have removed an empty device, aired out the space (no carpet, but brick walls and popcorn ceiling), washed and brushed every square inch except for the ceiling and the smell is still there and I still get a head ache.

We also had air filters and air scrubbers, …to no avail.

Do you have any idea or know of a reference?

Debra’s Answer (updated December 2020 by Lisa Powers)

I recommend using an air purifier that removes gases and VOCs.  You can read more in the Air Purifier Buying Guide.

One of every two men and one of every three women in the USA and other western nations now have a chance of getting some type of cancer in their lifetime. Lifestyle and other environmental facts are known to be largely responsible for cancer.

So it’s none to soon that scientists are looking at what chemicals cause cancer and

A couple of weeks ago, Environmental Working Group (EWG) released their Dirty Dozen Cancer Prevention Edition which highlights 12 of the worst chemicals that are known to disrupt cancer-related pathways and gives you tips on how to avoid them.

But what’s even more interesting is their new guide Rethinking Carcinogens which summarizes new research about cancer from the Halifax Project, a collaboration of more than 300 scientists who are investigating ways in which toxic chemicals we are exposed to every day may cause cancer.

The Halifax Project team investigated 85 common chemicals not known to be carcinogenic on their own and found that 50 can disrupt cancer-related pathways at low doses typically encountered in the environment.

List of cancer-related chemicals being investigated by the Halifax Project

Just more evidence that we DO need to know what’s toxic, where we’re being exposed, how we can eliminate exposures, and how to detox these chemicals from our bodies.

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From the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health has found sucralose (Splenda) and other nonnutritive sweeteners in 65% of the breast milk tested.

Read more about the study and the health effects of Splenda:

GreenMedInfo: Splenda Contaminates 65% of Breastmilk Sampled, Gov. Study Finds

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Question from Inna Rivkin

Hi Debra,

I need to have carpet cleaning done, for decades-old carpeting and rugs in my home (which have long finished off-gassing), but I have chemical sensitivities.

Both Chem-Dry, and another company which uses steam cleaning and Procyon instead, use products that are claimed to be non-toxic and green with no VOC’s or off-gassing.

Which is better for people with chemical sensitivities?

In previous responses on the toxic-free forum I’ve seen both steam cleaning and chem-dry recommended.

The MSDS sheet for Procyon says non-toxic, non-irritating and no health hazards, but lists the ingredients Sodium – phosphoric acid – silicic acid, OSHA PEL, and ACGIH TLV. MSDS info from Chem-dry is harder to obtain.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t have any personal experience with either, as I haven’t had carpets in my house for more than thirty years. I looked at the Procyon MSDS and it lists only phosphoric acid, which is pretty safe for cleaning carpets (I wouldn’t drink it, though it’s found in soft drinks.

I actually have Chem-Dry on Debra’s List It’s just carbonated water. “The secret…is the millions of microscopic carbonating cleaning bubbles in our cleaner…The carbonating solutions penetrate deep into the base of the carpet, literally exploding dirt and grime off of the fiber’s surface. Then, we use hot water extraction to lift the dirty particles to the surface where they are whisked away…Because it uses a fraction of the water compared to steam cleaning, and contains no soaps, detergents, solvents, enzymes, or other harsh chemicals, it can be used around your entire family, including your pets.”

So your choice. Either is fine, to the best of my knowledge.

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Question from Kate E.

Hi Debra,

We’re interested in using Smart Tiles (the self-adhesive peel-and-stick kind) as a backsplash in our small kitchen. But I’m a bit chemical sensitive (and I’m also pregnant), so I just wondered if you have any advice or ideas about how toxic these tiles are. I’d read some of your information about how we should stay away from mastic adhesives (in favor of mortar), but I hadn’t heard anything about the adhesive on Smart Tiles. Do you know about this?

Thanks so much!

Debra’s Answer

Yes, I do know about adhesive-backed tiles.

I don’t recommend them.

It’s very likely you will smell the adhesive strips long after they are installed.

Better to install them with mortar.

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Question from Nancy Carew

Hi Debra,

I have been looking for a non-toxic anti-fatigue mat to use on ceramic tile. I came across an Imprint Cumulus Anti-Fatigue Mat that is made of polyurethane; it says it is environmentally friendly, non-toxic and phthalate free. I know you have posted that polyurethane is not toxic, but the chemicals added to it to make polyurethane foam are. Since this appears to be a thick polyurethane mat with a high density core (not foam), I am hoping it would be safe to order. What are your thoughts?

Debra’s Answer

Sounds like a good choice to me.

Here’s an example of when doing something that sounds like it is good for the environment turns out to be toxic.

Oil giant Chevron recycles 21 million gallons of oil field waste water each day and sells it to farmers who use it on about 45,000 acres of crops, about 10% of Kern County’s farmland, in California’s Central Valley.

Chemicals like acetone and methylene chloride are used. Government authories have required only limited testing of recycled irrigation water.

Plants do uptake toxics from the soil.

This is not a good idea.

And of course, “watered with toxic recycled oil field waste water” is not on the label of these foods.

LA TImes: Central Valley’s growing concern: Crops raised with oil field water

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