Question from Joe

Our mattress tore on the underside during a move. I can see the exposed foam and although this side is facing down on the boxspring I would like to fix until we get a new mattress as this mattress is only 5 years old. I have 3M heavy duty shipping tape covering the area now, but then was curious if using the tape was harmful. What could I do to temporarily fix. Most of the time our kids sleep with us.

Debra’s Answer

I would suggest using aluminum foil tape, which would not be toxic. You can get it at any home improvement store like Lowe’s or Home Depot.

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Question from Barb

My husband and 3 children are renting a home that was renovated 4 years ago.

There is a strong odor in the home; I think it’s coming from the cabinetry in the closets, laundry room, mudroom, etc.

I purchased an IQ air filter for my toddler’s room, but just one is not enough, as my other boys, my husband and I, and a baby on the way, are all breathing the air elsewhere.

Is there anything more I can do to help removed these odors? I’m guessing they are VOC’s (formaldehyde). I have a baby on the way and am concerned for our health. (P.S. I had the house tested for mold and the results were negative.)

Thank you Debra for all your knowledge and expertise!!!!

Debra’s Answer

I am guessing the odor is formaldehyde as well, if the odor is coming from the cabinetry. I would recommend that you get an inexpensive formaldehyde test kit and check.

There are four things you can do.

Remove the cabinetry, which is probably not practical in a rental.

Seal the cabinetry with a vapor barrier sealant, such as AFM Safe Seal, a clear sealant that is highly effective at sealing in formaldehyde. If that isn’t possible, you can put foil over all the cabinets inside and out (use foil tape to seal the seams, but that wouldn’t be attractive.

You could buy more air filters.

Open the windows and ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.

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Question from Jamie

Hi, Can you recommend a non-toxic Shutters for windows?

Debra’s Answer

Any wood shutters would be fine. The toxic part is the paint or finish. If it is not well cured, it could give off toxic fumes. Or you could get unfinished wood shutters and paint them yourself with a less toxic finish of your choice.

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Question from Jamie

I am looking to buy a organic mattress. Have you heard of this company and is this a true organic mattress? www.thenaturalmattressstore.com

Debra’s Answer

I hadn’t heard of this company until you just wrote to me, but I looked at their website and it seems like they are using all the right materials.

There is a legal thing however about labeling a mattress “organic,” which I explained at Q&A: What is an Organic Mattress?

They have pdfs of all their certifications at www.thenaturalmattressstore.com/certifications, but they are all for the materials. There is no certification for “organic mattress.”

I don’t think they are trying to be misleading. Perhaps they just don’t know about the requirement for GOTS certification in order to use the term “organic mattress.”

Otherwise, the materials and construction look fine to me and they have a gorgeous website. If the workmanship on their mattresses is anything like the quality of their website…wow.

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Question from Li

Do you know anything about HeatnBond® Lite and HeatnBond® Hem for sewing? I sew a lot and sometimes my items call for fusible things and sometimes it would make my items a lot easier to make but I don’t want to use off gassing glues! Any help with this would be great Debra! Thanks! http://www.thermowebonline.com/c/our-brands_heatnbond

I got them to send me an MSDS for the product but don’t understand it. Would you help me decipher it? I can tell that I haven’t noticed much smell using it before. She said it is a hot melt adhesive.

Debra’s Answer

Thanks for sending the MSDS. That helps me a lot to answer your question.

OK. Under SECTION 2. PRODUCT AND COMPONENT HAZARD DATA it says “Components: Hydrocarbon and/or oxygen Hydrocarbon Polymers Approx. Percent: 99% TLV ** None **”

What does that mean? “TLV” stands for “threshold limit value” of a chemical substance, which is a level to which it is believed a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime without adverse health effects. It’s an exposure limit.

Now what does “none” mean? I had to look this up and still the answer isn’t clear. The closest answer I could get was “a lower TLV means that less the allowed in the workplace air, and less you should inhale.”. So I’m thinking “none” means you shouldn’t inhale it at all. But that doesn’t make sense for this product. Yet, there are ***s around it so they want you to pay attention.

Then it says “see Section 6” which says:

Based on the above I would say that “none” means there is no need for concern.

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Question from Allison

I have been seeing some sites promoting the use of copper water bottles as the next best metal. They are claiming that is has antimicrobal qualities. It has been understanding that copper in food storage is not ideal, it being a heavy metal. However, many water pipes are copper. Can you help clear up the confusion? Thank you so much!

Debra’s Answer

This is not an easy thing to clear up.

Many years ago, I went to a nutritionist who told me I had a copper imbalance in my body. She treated me for it, and my symptoms went away. I remember at that time reading about not using copper pipes, etc, and you are right, that copper cooking pots are lined (though copper candy pots are not).

Here is a comprehensive article about Copper Toxicity Syndrome, by Lawrence Wilson, MD. In it he explains how copper is required by the body for important functions, and how too much copper can be toxic. I personally wouldn’t use copper as a container for my everyday drinking water.

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Question from Jamie

I recently painted my entire house with Zero VOC paint from Kelly Moore? Do you know how dangerous that paint is?

Debra’s Answer

On the Kelly Moore Zero VOC Enviro Coat website it says the paints “are formulated with a 100% acrylic resin, and are Zero VOC for safe and virtually odorless application.” It also says it has “antimicrobial properties.” And these paints have zero VOC colorants, which is not the case with all zero VOC paints.

Let’s look at the MSDS. There are no hazardous materials reported.

But I just have to note that some chemicals I consider to be hazardous are not required to be reported.

As paints go, this is much less toxic than many, but it’s still a plastic paint made from petroleum. There are safer paints available. See Debra’s List: Interior Decorating: Paint.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

If pesticide was used in an apartment before you moved in how long would it take to go away and no longer be harmful. Are there any pesticides that are lower in toxins?

Debra’s Answer

Different pesticides persist for different lengths of time and if you can find out the name of the pesticide, you can look it up online and find out how long it persists before it biodegrades.

The length of time a pesticide persists is measured in “half life,” which is “the time when the expected value of the number of entities that have decayed is equal to half the original number.” It’s a probability, not an absolute. So minimum time before it will be gone is the half life number.

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Question from Alyce

I’m so confused about whether LCD TV or an LED TV is best for MCS. I seem to find conflicting information. Appreciate opinions!

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Any opinions to share?

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Question from Cecilia

Dear Debra, I need to install a new laundry sink. I wanted to avoid plastic, but since the difference in price is so big (4 times more for stainless steel), I will appreciate your opinion about this one: http://www.mustee.com/product-lines/laundry-utility-tubs/index.html Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

According to their website, it’s made from fiberglass. Fiberglass is molten glass spun into fibers, but then plastic resins of various types are added. Nothing wrong with the glass fibers, but unless you know the type of resin used, we can’t evaluate the toxicity.

I suggest giving the manufacturer a call and then writing again with the answer. Then I can tell you if it is toxic or not.

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