Question from CG

Hi Deborah,

I’ve heard about (and even seen a couple of times) food products packaged with corn- or rice-based plastic.

Do you know of any zipper bags made from corn or rice? I use tons of plastic bags, and I would like to find a better alternative.

Debra’s Answer

I haven’t seen any. Readers?

If you use a lot of plastic bags, I suggest you re-use them as many times as possible.

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Question from Miss D

Do you have a recipe for frosting made without cane sugar?

Debra’s Answer

Unfortunately, most frosting is based on confectioner’s sugar, which makes the consistency.

There is something called Boiled Icing which is usually made with sugar syrup. You may be able to make this with honey, probably not agave, probably maple syrup. I haven’t tried it, but here is the recipe.

Boiled Icing

Beat egg white until frothy, add cream of tartar. Beat until stiff and dry. Cook sugar and water until it has reaches the honey stage, or drops heavily from spoon. Add 5 tablespoons slowly to egg, beating in well. Then cook remainder of syrup until it threads and pour over egg, beating thoroughly. Add flavoring and beat until cool. If any of you try this, let me know how it turns out.

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Question from Judy V.

Hi – I have some special salt shakers that are at least 60 years old. The chrome lids have some corrosion, which I understand is from the salt. Are these shakers safe to use?

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know. Chrome is plated over another metal, and I’m not sure what that other metal is.

Readers?

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Question from Lawren Coope

Hi Debra:

I am wondering what you can tell us about this subject: When making decisions at the grocery store, are we better off buying plastic, aluminum or glass (i.e. buying a soft drink)? Which of these choices has less environmental impact overall? I have read that recycling aluminum takes more energy than recycling plastic, but I also realize that plastic can only be recycled so many times.

Thanks in advance for your help on this!

Lawren

Debra’s Answer

Ah…this brings up one of my favorite subjects: life cycle analysis!

When evaluating the true impact of a product we need to look at everything from the raw materials, through manufacturing, use, and disposal, including energy use and how far it travels.

It isn’t possible yet to get this kind of data for most products, which is why I don’t talk about it much.

But we can make some educated assumptions.

Aluminum is made from a non-renewable metal that is mined, which damages ecosystems and produces mining waste. Since you asked about soft drink cans, most aluminum that gets recycled (about 60%) goes back into a perpetual cycle of making soft drink and beer cans. Aluminum cans can be remelted and back on the supermarket shelves in as little as six weeks. The aluminum industry says that cans average more than 40 percent post-consumer content, though this fact is not generally noted on the label. While that’s good, 60% of a soft drink or beer can is new mined metal. Aluminum is safe to drink from, and can be recycled. It is fairly lightweight, so it requires less energy for shipping.

Glass is made from sand, an abundant resource. It is melted down and formed into bottles. It is safe to drink from. The drawbacks are it is heavier to ship, and breaks. At the end of it’s useful life, it can be recycled, melted down, and reformed into a new product. In Nature, the elements break glass into pieces and polish the edges–sea glass is fun to collect on the beach.

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Question from k

What is a non-toxic alternative to the recommended mineral oil for wooden spoons and salad bowls?

Debra’s Answer

This has already been covered on these posts:

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Question from Jane

Hello, I have just recently become aware of all the toxins that are in everything around me and have since stopped using all products that are not natural. But I have polish on my toenails and I do not know how to remove it without toxic removers. Does anyone know how I can safely remove the polish? If there is not a safe way to do this would it be better for me to just let my nails grow until all the polish is gone or should I get it off as soon as possible with polish remover?

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

I’m glad to hear you are giving up toxic chemicals!

There are two dangers to nail polish.

One is the fumes from the polish when you are applying it.

The other is that it forms a coating on the nail that prevents the nail from breathing, leading to nail damage.

If you have some nail polish remover, I would probably go ahead and use it one last time–outdoors with good ventilation–and remove the polish. Sometimes part of the transition off toxic chemicals is to use them one last time to be done with them.

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Question from Janis

Last year I purchased hand made, lead-free pottery dishes in a nearby city. This is an improvement over some pretty, glazed porcelain-type dishes I bought at Pier 1 Imports, which I threw away after they deteriorated and I got to thinking…this can’t be good! Now I’m wondering, what about the colors and finish used in the pottery? The pottery dishes I bought were both expensive and durable, oven-proof and microwave safe. They are works of art. But are they safe? I don’t know much about pottery, and was wondering what you knew about it.

Debra’s Answer

This seems to be a popular question at the moment, as I’ve received several inqueries about this in the past few weeks.

First, here are some posts where I’ve already discussed lead in dinnerware and glassware:

* Q&A: Lead in Glassware talks about choosing glassware and has some links to websites that tell about various sources of lead

* Q&A: Safe Dinnerware has a link to a list of low-lead china patterns (from 2001) and an excellent article from Environmental Defense about lead in china dishes.

Now, here’s some new info.

I received a question specifically about the possibility of lead in mugs from Starbucks. Because these aren’t “china”, and they are made in China. Lead in pottery is an old issue that has been well-publicized and I think most conscious companies are aware of it.

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Question from PT

Have you read about anyone having a physical reaction to Oxygen Bleach products used in the laundry?

Debra’s Answer

No, but perhaps some readers will write in about their experience.

I’ve never heard of a problem with oxygen bleach.

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Question from Cathy

Dear Debra,

Thank you very much for all the information you provide on your website. I have a question: I just bought a sleep sofa from Jennifer Convertibles. I have recently read alot about flame retardants and their effect on health. Is there any way to tell if something, e.g. a couch, has been treated with flame retardants? Thank you very much!

Debra’s Answer

You can pretty much assume that most mattresses and stuffed furniture sold today has been treated with flame retardants unless it specifically states that it hasn’t been.

To be sure, check with the manufacturer.

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Question from SVE

Dear Debra,

Are you aware of any chemical(s) that outgas from fluorescent light bulbs that are used to replace regular light bulbs such as those used in lamps or fixtures around the home?

I had to get rid of all we were using because I was reacting to something from them. GE fluorescent bulbs had an odor that I could detect (and reacted to) so we did not continue to buy those. Envision brand had no odor after 15 minutes or so, but these I reacted to even though I could detect no odor. We are back to using regular light bulbs now, but I wish I knew what it was.

Thanks so much, Debra!

Debra’s Answer

I’m not aware that they outgas a chemical.

Readers, anyone know anything about this?

Debra 🙂

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