A new study at Stockholm University has found indoor cats now have high levels of brominated flame retardants in their bloodstream.

“In a previous study, the researchers demonstrated that brominated flame retardants were found in higher concentrations in the blood of cats that had developed Feline hyperthyroidism compared to healthy cats. Now, new measurements of healthy cats establish their dust exposure. Paired samples were taken from the same household — meaning that they took both dust samples and blood samples at the same time.”

The study noted that the fire retardants are endocrine disruptors that are affecting humans as well as cats.

CONSUMERAFFAIRS: Study Finds Indoor Cats Have Higher Levels of Flame Retardants

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: This and other related studies

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A whole summit is coming up in March about thyroid and since many people with sensitivities to chemicals also have thyroid problems (including myself) I thought I would pass a long a couple of interesting items that have been released in advance.

First is the post 5 Toxic Skincare Ingredients You Should Avoid if you Have a Thyroid Condition. While I know most of you have already eliminated these five ingredients entirely from your personal care products by choosing natural and organic body care products , this article gives good scientific data about why we should be doing this.

Also there is an interesting post called Why Women Have More Thyroid Disorders: The Izabella Entz Safety Theory that says the thyroid gland is part of our body’s sensing pattern that scans the environment to determine what is safe and what is dangerous. When the thyroid gland senses danger, it can actually initiate an autoimmune response.

This begs the question: Are our thyroid glands sensing the danger of toxics in our environment and causing our bodies to respond?

The upcoming summit will have more than 100 presenters talking about cutting edge cures for thyroid disease. If you want to know more, visit http://thethyroidsecret.com

Between my environmental controls, diet, and taking Armour thyroid supplement, I’ve pretty much got my thyroid condition under control. But I’d like to not be dependent on taking the supplement. So I’m going to keep an eye on the summit and see what the latest is.

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Question from Bonnie

Hi Debra,

I am shopping and looking at cotton and microfiber mops.

I checked your website and it said microfiber tiny plastic pieces were polluting water.

But I also saw another section that said microfiber is nontoxic.

Could the plastic fibers be inhaled. Are the microfiber mops safe?

Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

It’s not toxic to use a microfiber cloth or mop and it doesn’t give off microfibers into the air.

So I have no reason to tell you not to use a microfiber mop from a health viewpoint.

But microfibers are synthetic materials made from crude oil and they don’t biodegrade.

Cotton, on the other hand is a plant, which will biodegrade gracefully back into the environment after serving as a mop.

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Question from Shilpa

Hi Debra,

I have been researching for a safe mattress ever since I learnt about off gassing. My kid has turned 5 and I was startled to find out how dangerous it is, to be sleeping on the regular memory foam. I am planning to rid all mattresses at home.

I found your site to have valuable information. I would really appreciate if you can compare naturepedic vs avacadogreenmattress . Every time I try a 100% organic bed, it takes me to naturepedic. Is that the only company we should look for or am I missing something here.

Your recommendations and suggestions will be really helpful.

Debra’s Answer

Well, Naturepedic really is the best organic mattress (see Q&A: A Comparison of Certified Organic Mattresses)

But I’ll compare them to Avocado.

The biggest difference, however, is that Naturepedic is a certified organic mattress manufacturer, which means that every aspect of the process is certified organic—everything from the materials to the factory.

The only thing organic about this avocado is the cotton. Who knows what’s happening in the factory.

I’ll just mention that the Avocado website headline is false and misleading. they are not “Earth’s most green & healthy mattress.”

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White Lotus Home kapok pillow on my bed

I originally published this on Shop With Debra in 2015, and took it down when I stopped publishing that blog. I’m bringing it back because I still sleep on this pillow and it’s still the best pillow I’ve ever had and someone asked a question about kapok.

After I read that White Lotus Home had kapok pillows, I knew I had to have one. My wool pillows, which I have loved, don’t last as long as I would like, but are much better than cotton fill, which is too hard for me.

So when I learned that kapok is more resilient and lasts longer, I had to try it.

Kapok is the fluff around a seed that grows in a protected pod on the magnetic kapok tree. Fibers are pulled from the seeds pods, then air cleaned by spinning at high speed, resulting in a soft, puffy, resilient material that has no dust or pod debris. Read more about kapok here.

My pillow arrived on Monday and it’s a dream come true.

As I told White Lotus Home President Marlon Pando on Toxic Free Talk Radio , the first night I slept on it, I put my head down and fell right to sleep. And I’ve been sleeping better every night since. Amazing the difference a pillow can make.

Another thing I love about this pillow is that it has an invisible zipper on the side, so I can open the pillow and move the fill around, or add more, or change it. This way I can buy more fill if needed instead of a whole new pillow. And the zipper is “invisible” so you don’t even see or feel it.

I chose this pillow because it’s made from organic cotton and kapok collected from the wild, so it’s as pure as you can get. I know the quality of White Lotus Home. I’ve visited their work space and showroom in Highland Park NJ, so I know the manufacturing environment is clean, toxic free, and fragrance-free through and through.

I’m going to order another one.

AND…I just received an email from White Lotus Home about their buckwheat pillows and their buckwool pillows. Buckwool is half buckwheat, half wool, which offers the best of both fills. “While the Organic Buckwheat will mold to your desired shape, the layers of virgin wool provide a soft cushion between you and the firm buckwheat, and you can flip the pillow to whichever side you may need at the time.”

Listen to my interview with Marlon Pando, Owner of White Lotus Home