Question from Vivian

I found a Natural Sleep Shop in Cranberry township, PA 16066 whose mattresses are certified both by GOTS and GOLS. They have some beds set up to try out so you can determine what firmness you want before you purchase. I took me forever to find this place and thought others my be interested in knowing there is a store like this.

Debra’s Answer

Yes, they do carry mattress certified by both GOTS and GOLS, but only their Naturepedic brand mattresses are so certified. Their other mattresses are not.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

Hi I was surfing the on line Sams Club page for some organic products and noticed they carry an organic mattress set. It is called American Sleep Organic Mattress. It says it is composed of ;atex and wool. Just wondered if you have heard anything about it?

Debra’s Answer

I went to http://www.samsclub.com/sams/american-sleep-organic-mattress-full/prod865238.ip to take a look at this.

There are a few errors. Clearly the copy was written by someone who doesn’t understand mattresses.

First, there are no certifications mentioned, so “organic” is just a claim.

Second, “organic mattress” is a defined term. Though it may use organic components, the mattress as a whole is not certified organic, so there is no third party inspection that the entire manufacturing process meets any kinf of standard.

Third, it says that their “components” come from the USA. Well that’s just untrue. There is absolutely NO latex grown in the United States. All latex components of mattresses are imported.

If you are considering purchasing this mattress, ask them for their organic certifications.

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Question from sue

Hi,

I’m thinking of buying linen bedding. They are pretty expensive so buying them organic is not possible for me. I do buy organic sheets otherwise. My question is if you may know if they are free of chemicals? I’m looking into buying them from H&M as they are well priced. I will try to get info from them but I wondering if anyone here would know about Linen Bedding as well.

Thank You!!!

Debra’s Answer

I did a wonderful interview on Toxic Free Talk Radio with Tricia Rose, Founder of Rough Linen. On this show she talks about how linen is grown.

Here is another good article about linen production: How Products Are Made: Linen

Some chemicals may be used, such as herbicides, but much of the linen supply is still produced by traditional methods that don’t involve chemicals. This is not usually labeled.

In general, though, fewer chemicals are involved in the production of linen than cotton.

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Question from Jane Burkhouse

I had my new Speed Queen top loader washer delivered today and the smell from t he drum is making me very ill.

I was told to wash 4 tubs of clothing and t he smell would disapate or get less nauiating. It hasn’t and right now I’m rinsing the tub with white vinegar, letting it dry and rinsing it again, letting it dry, etc., etc.

I have severe MCS and was worried about getting a new washing machine. I was told that a Speed Queen would smell for a few days and then the off-gassing from whatever is in or coating the drum would go away. Not so it just seems to be getting stronger and stronger.

Do you have any ideas as to how I clean the drum to get rid of the smell? It was suppose to go away as soon as I cleaned the drum and removed the finishing wax. Not so. It just seems to keep right on smelling.

Would Zeolite help. I would put Zeolite in the drum and let it set for a few days. Them remove the Zeolite and rinse, rinse, and rinse again with a strong bleach and vinegar solution.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Sincerely, Jane Glora Burkhouse

Debra’s Answer

Here are a couple of things you might try.

1. contact odorklenz.com about this and see what they recommend

2. contact nontoxic.com and see what Daliya recommeds

3. There is a product you get at the supermarket called washing machine cleaner. www.clorox.com

It’s strong chlorine bleach, but the cholorine dissipates and this worked for me to get an odor out of my new washer.

Debra 🙂

Question from Lauren

Hi Debra,

Thank you for taking the time to answer readers’ questions—I can’t tell you how many times your website has been a valuable resource!

My question is we found an organic mattress from a reputable company and the only way it is affordable for us is if we buy a floor model. Do you think this is alright? The mattress is completely organic wool, organic cotton and natural latex with no flame retardants.

My second question is that we are seeking to get an air mattress to pull out when we occasionally have guests—I found one called the Kelty Sleep Eazy that is PVC-free and is made of TPU Laminate and 70D Nylon—would this be a safe temporary mattress for guests (and for us to sleep on until we get a new mattress)?

Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

I think it would be fine to get a floor model if you check and make sure it doesn’t have any perfume or other contaminants that might have been picked up on the showroom floor.

As for the air mattress, there are some red lights flashing for me. Nylon may have a finish on it, and “laminated” may involve glues. So you need more information. Ask them if it’s heat-laminated or if glues are used. Ask them if it has an odor.

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Question from Cheryl3

Hi Debra and all,

The eyeglasses my husband is considering are stainless steel front, with a zyl temple that contains a stainless steel core, silicone nose pads. I’m told by the manufacturer they contain no nickel or copper. They are covered partially by our insurance and are nice looking. However, I guess there are some concerns about stainless steel.

We could look further at places where we’d have to pay fully out of pocket to see if we can get all zyl frames since that seems the least toxic but my concern is with his schedule being so tight and it being very difficult to get info from manufacturers about specific frame composition we might not end up finding any he finds aesthetically appealing while the whole “get glasses” project is dragging on and if we end up opting for the stainless steel pair, they may no longer have them. Then we’d need to start all over again. Most of the plastic frames just say “plastic” and I have to contact each manufacturer to confirm what type of plastic. A lot of times they don’t get back to me.

Do you think these stainless steel frames are pretty safe? He has no known allergy to stainless steel, but we are trying to avoid heavy metal overexposure for some health issues he has.

Thank you so much as always,
Cheryl

Debra’s Answer

I had to look up what “xyl” is…short for xylonite, it’s just a new name for old cellulose acetate, a plastic made from plant cellulose.

Stainless steel is fine if you are not cooking food in it or putting it next to your skin for long hours.

So stainless steel front with zyl temples and silicone nose pads sounds fine to me. I don’t see any toxic exposures there.

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From Debra Lynn Dadd

Chlorine in public swimming pools has long been a concern, but now a new study by Purdue University has found even more toxic chemicals in swimming pool water.

Previous research has shown that urine in pools can react with chlorine to create potentially hazardous chemicals.

Now there is the same concern about pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

“There are literally thousands of chemicals from pharmaceuticals and personal care products that could be getting into swimming pool water.”

Of the 32 chemicals investigated, researchers found that there were three which showed up more often:

• Deet (found in insect repellants)
• caffeine
• tri(2-chloroethyl)-phosphate (TCEP) – a type of flame retardant

Read more at

Huffington Post UK: Harmful Chemicals Found In Swimming Pools, Including Flame Retardants and Insect Repellant (scroll to the bottom of the article for a wonderful slideshow of 11 Natural Swimming Spots Around the World)

Environmental Science & Technology Letters: The Presence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Swinning Pools

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From Debra Lynn Dadd

Just last week The Washington Post reported on a new “groundbreaking” study, which shows that bisphenol-S, an ingredient in many products bearing “BPA-free” labels, causes abnormal growth surges of neurons in an animal embryo.

“The same surges were also found with BPA, though not at the same levels as with BPS, prompting the scientists to suggest that all structurally similar compounds now in use or considered for use by plastic manufacturers are unsafe.”

Read more at …

The Washngton Post: BPA alternative disrupts normal brain-cell growth, is tied to hyperactivity, study says

Also read…

How to avoid products with toxic bisphenol-s

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Question from green-earth

Hi Debra,
I need a scanner for my office. I was thinking of getting a portable one because it was smaller, however I need to scan books and the smaller ones wouldn’t work for that purpose.

I am scanning a sketchbook, which has drawings in it (and I don’t want to rip out the pages of the sketchbook). If you move the scanner a little bit, the drawing might be distorted. I am importing my drawings to the computer which I will be drawing on top of, so there can’t be any distortion. So I need a flat bed scanner.

Have you or anyone else found a brand of scanner that doesn’t smell strongly of glue or plastic?

Thanks

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

After a peak up into the attic crawl space it was discovered that there is some mold up there on the wood panels. The roof was done in 06 and have not been up there since then. I will get it tested and removed. I was wondering if anyone has ever been in a house that had that done or what the process is. Do I have to move out to get it done and how soon can I return…etc.

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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