Question from Stacey

Hi Debra,

I would like to purchase some ceiling fans for my home. It seems a lot of the blades are made of ABS plastic, or plywood/wood veneer. Are either of these okay to purchase, or would you recommend finding a fan made with solid wood blades?

Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

It’s pretty easy to find ceiling fans with wood blades (I just searched on “wood ceiling fans”) but the problem with wood might be the finish. And they are very expensive.

Plywood with veneer would have adhesives and finish.

ABS plastic is plastic.

So…

I personally would choose the ABS plastic, as much as I prefer not to use plastic. Though it’s made with toxic chemicals, as plastics go, by the time they are reacted into the final material, the end result plastic is stable, non-leaching, and not considered toxic per the MSDS.

I’ve purchased several inexpensive white ceiling fans, and never had a problem with them.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

Hi Debra,

My basement walls are concrete and need to be washed down for mildew and then painted with drylock. I hear it is very toxic. Even being out of the house for a week I am fearful.

Is there any other basement paint/sealer that is less toxic to use? Someone mentioned Sherwin Williams having something like that but I called and no one sounded like they knew. It is an old basement with just small upper windows for ventelation.

Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

I looked at the MSDS for Drylock and can see why you are concerned.

It contains several VOCs, including Diethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether, which is one of those hazardous chemicals required by law to be reported if released into the environment (here’s the whole list if you are curious).

Better to use something nontoxic.

Fortunately, someone has already compiled the list: Green Building Supply: Concrete & Masonry Sealer

Still on my search for a toxic free office chair, I was browsing yet another site and found quite a few covered with “eco-leather.” So I had to find out what it is.

I’m not sure I can give you a definitive answer since I’ve found several explanations.

This seems to be a general term rather than a trademarked brand that has a specific description.

First, it could simply mean that there is some environmental benefit somewhere in the manufacturing process.

One description said that Eco-Leather is a new seating upholstery material made of 20% recycled leather, offered as an alternative to fully synthetic vinyls. The recycled leather is used as the backing, with the face made of polyurethane (60%) for “a softer-than-leather feel”. The remainder of the material (20%) is fabric.

It’s the recycled leather that makes the material “eco.” Leather is a renewable resource, and recycled leather is diverted to this additional use on it’s way to the landfill. But these benefits to the environment don’t make it nontoxic. It is well known that the tanning of leather uses various toxic chemicals, which would still be present in the recycled leather.

Recycled leather is also known as “bonded leather” or “composition leather,” which is a recycled man-made material containing elements of recycled leathers, leather scrap & tannery leather fibers, which otherwise would go to a landfill. Most bond the fibers together with adhesives and resins.

But there is one, known as E-Leather(r) that is made from “wet blue” leather that comes straight from tanning and has had no other treatments, and uses only water to bond the leather fibers together. Hmmm, aren’t there toxic chemicals in tanning?

Lots more to learn about leather and it’s alternatives, but for now, if you see the term “eco-leather” it means it’s recycled, not toxic free.

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Update September, 2020:  Here are some options;

https://www.theorganicmattress.com/products/organic-cotton-pregnancy-wedge

https://www.sleepdesign.com/Talalay-Latex-Sleep-Wedge

https://www.beyondbeds.com/latex-bed-wedge.aspx#

Question from Barry

Hi Debra,

I just want to write to inform you of what has recently transpired (at least somewhat of a surprise to me) and perhaps ask a question.

I’m a caregiver for my mother. I brought her home from Life Care Center (where she had been “rehabbing” from breaking two bones on January 1 of this year) on April 29.

Due to an unbelievably complicated set of events, she is on a PEG (feeding) tube, and at this time I do not see evidence it is going away soon.

When she is getting 4 cans, that is 13 hours and 20 minutes. We both prefer for most of that time to be while she is sleeping, overnight. That way she can be disconnected from “that pole” more during the day, when she might want to go somewhere and do something without “that pole”. (She can’t stand or walk for very long, but she does make brief trips through the house for various things.)

She was laying flat, overnight, while feeding. I was aware of some warnings about don’t feed people while laying flat. I had — at that time — presumed that it was because a lot of people can’t eat right before bed, and if they lay down having recently eaten, various stomach problems, acid reflux, whatever, might develop. And, she didn’t have that.

But, early in August, I discovered that indeed, I don’t want Mom to feed while laying flat, because there is a risk that she may aspirate, whether she had ever had that problem occur yet or not!

I was talking about getting a hospital-like bed, so that bed frame itself could raise the upper body to about 30 degrees. But, she really didn’t want to.

As I was doing research, I found an article that was quite intriguing to me. The URL is: [link no longer available]

Reading that article, I know about gravity, and can affirm that many things talked about regarding that is true! I was convinced enough that I decided I also wanted to sleep with my upper body around 30 degrees, and I also got the ortho bed wedge so my legs/feet would also be raised!

I thought “it’s worth a try!”

Online, I found a foam bed wedge pillow. I got two! One for Mom and one for myself! They were delivered on August 20.

Well, fast forward, Mom loves hers, and she is now sleeping with her upper body at least close to 30 degrees (she doesn’t lay on it at the right spot, it is so hard for her to scoot herself in bed when she lays down). At least her upper body is raised now.

Well, within a week, I had absolutely concluded that I will sleep that way for the rest of my life! I no longer had morning congestion AT ALL! I did awake slightly more alert, most days! It was — as the article indicates, amazing!

But, two days ago, I stopped using mine. 🙁

Now, first of all, it DIDN’T EVEN OCCUR TO ME (!) things like “wait, so what is it made of”! 🙁

(It WAS appropriate for Mom, and having just read something that convinced me to try sleeping that way myself, hey! Let’s just get two!)

It was just late February of this year I discovered that I can’t have ANYTHING synthetic touch me. After replacing 99% of my clothes, all of my bedding, bathroom/kitchen rugs, towels, oven mitts, table clothes, etc., my
body got SO MUCH BETTER! That, too, was “amazing”.

That’s also when I discovered your web site. At first I didn’t believe you enough to act upon what you said, but I continued to “check you out” and concluded you DID know what you were talking about! (And THANK YOU!)

(I now get ALL of my clothes from cottonique, rawganic, faeriesdance, two wool-filled pillows and a wool-filled comforter from Shepherd’s Dream, etc.!)

So, back to August 20…

My itch came on.

Since February of this year, I am quite adamant in seeking to find “okay, this rash… this itch… what is causing it?” (I had given up trying to find out what I was eating nearly two years ago, because I couldn’t! I was quite disappointed in myself when I finally concluded that hey! Clothing and bedding and things touching me 24/7, if it touches my skin,
it enters my body! I’ve known for YEARS that I can’t have anything not natural, no processed foods, no preservatives, etc.!)

I have been successful in tracking down the cause, really, I believe every time, until this time, at least the first couple of weeks!

I SO LIKED SLEEPING THIS WAY! The covers are 100% polyester. Okay. I wear silk glove liners if I have to touch them, when I’m changing/removing the pillowcases I have for both of them. Both pillowcases are 100%
Egyptian cotton. I have washed them at least 8 times. Here is a URL:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NZGLGU4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

I possibly was HOPING more than anything else that this itch and rash was something else! Maybe I got a tad of gluten or dairy, and didn’t realize it! (Both of those are absolutely HORRIBLE at bringing on this itch and
rashes! Not a crumb!)

It goes away slowly. If it’s bad, it will get noticeably better within a couple of days, but it is a couple of weeks before it completely goes away.

During the time since then, I’ve had more and more places itching. Even worse at night (while I was laying on them). Getting up for itch cream up to three times a night!

(Raw, almost bleeding again, which I hadn’t experienced since the middle months of 2013!)

With it getting no better, and I haven’t found anything else that I know of that would be causing it, now for the last two nights, I haven’t slept on them.

Both nights, I didn’t get up once for itch cream. Oh, it’s not gone yet, but the SEVERITY of it is so much better again. At this time, those pillows, my “chief suspect”, appears to be the cause.

This is a WONDERFUL and AWFUL discovery! 🙂

The wonderful part is my itch and rashes aren’t that bad any more! 😀

The AWFUL part is I WANT TO SLEEP THIS WAY!

The last two mornings, I’ve had a full share of morning congestion again and a couple of other though not as significant things.

I’m kind of wondering what the cause of this is…

After they arrived, the out gassing gave me a headache. Three days in our hot garage (I’m also in Florida) got rid of that.

I know the “100% Egyptian Cotton” pillowcases may very well have something
synthetic in the trim (there is a zipper on both, though that is on the bottom, I’m not laying against that).

Is it possible the 100% polyester covers — even though covered by the “cotton” pillowcase (and again, the “up” part, the part I touch, I believe that part would be all cotton) — might (what’s the word?) “seep” through, with the increased heat of my legs and back laying against them for hours?

Well, anyway…

I have told Mom that I WILL FIND A WAY to sleep this way again, and soon!

The problem is I’m existing on her savings account! 🙁 (I was last a software engineer on the SLRSC contract, which ended in April when RGNext took over. I was laid off, as were many others. I haven’t worked since. I haven’t even had time to THINK ABOUT “where might I go to look for work”, because Mom, my #1 priority, has needed me.)

I don’t know whether anyone else has even tried to sleep this way. (I hadn’t even heard of it until I was researching some things when I realized that Mom’s upper body had to be 30 degrees, and since she wasn’t open to a new bed, what else is there!)

If anyone has any suggestions: I’m open! (And this time, I most definitely do need to consider “what is it made from” before the next thing I try!) :-O 🙂

Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

So I think you are looking for wedge pillows made of better materials. Here’s one made from latex foam: www.thesleepstoreusa.com/catalog/oxygen-bed-wedge/

I see there are others, like one is made from soy foam, which is the same polyurethane foam with a little soy.

You know, what you want them to be made from is polyethylene foam, which is very nontoxic. You could get some from a local foam store or online and cut it to whatever shape you want. Use your smelly wedges for a pattern.

And then you could start a business making them!

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Question from Karen

Hi Debra,

I have recently been doing a lot of research on flame retardants and removing flame retardants from my family’s lives as much as possible. I can’t seem to find an answer as to whether washing clothes in a washing machine removes any flame retardants we may have come in contact with throughout the day?

I really hope you can answer this for me. Thank you so much for all your help.

Debra’s Answer

Yes, washing clothes in a washing machine WILL remove any flame retardants from clothing that you may have come in contact with throughout the day.

Here’s an interesting article that answers your question with a scientific study: Chemical & Engineering News: Fire Retardants Wash Out in Laundry.

Some scientists did do a science experiment in which they collected samples of household dust and laundry wastewater and compared the fire retardants found in each.

The scientists analyzed the dust and laundry wastewater samples with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and uncovered 21 flame retardants in the household dust, 18 of which also were in the laundry wastewater. The highest concentrations they measured came from chlorinated organophosphates, also known as Tris. These flame retardants, which have replaced banned or phased-out polybrominated diphenyl ethers, accounted for 72% of the retardants in the dust and 92% in the laundry wastewater.

This is good news. What I don’t know is if the washing machine is then contaminated with flame retardants.

NOTE: Simply washing items that are treated with fire retardants, such as children’s pyjamas, will NOT remove the fire retardant. Such items are required by law to be flame retardant for a minimum of 50 washings. If you want to try to remove fire retardant from fire retardant treated fabric, use soap or vinegar, but best is to not buy it in the first place.

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A new report concluded that children who had been exposed to insecticides indoors were 47% more likely to have leukemia and 43% more likely to have lymphoma, both common types of childhood cancers.

Report: Pesticide exposure linked to childhood cancer and lower IQ

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If you have a child in school, your’ll want to read this story about head lice: Lice With Drug-Resistant Mutations Found to Be Widespread in US, But Experts Say Don’t Panic

And then read this great post by a natural mom about how to effectively control them: Natural Ways to Fight Drug Resistant Head Lice

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Question from Nancy

Hi Debra,

I have sent you questions a number of times and really appreciate all the help you provide.

We are having new kitchen cabinets built (using solid wood doors and Purebond plywood interiors). My builder is suggesting using waterborne products for finishing but I am nervous about the VOC’s. He would be spraying them at his shop then bringing them to our house. I was searching for info. on the internet and came across this claim by a cabinet company. Is this true?

“Some interesting facts about any finishing product:
Only top coats emit gases.
By the time cabinetry reaches the home, 97% of the off-gassing has already dissipated.
The remaining 3% takes as little as 28 days (stained with top-coated product) or up to 40 days (painted product) to dissipate; no off-gassing occurs after this.”

I look forward to hearing from and thanks again.

Debra’s Answer

Mmmm. Yes and no.

First of all, there are many types of finishing products and each are formulated differently.

Some act as barriers and others don’t.

If a coat is not fully cured, it will still outgas, and if the coat on top of it does not block gasses, I don’t see why outgassing from layers below wouldn’t go right through it.

It takes different amounts of time for different finishes to fully cure, so to say 97% of all outgassing has occurred for all finishes by the time the cabinet reaches the home can’t be accurate. And it also depends on how long the cabinet has been sitting from the time it is finished and it reaches the home, and under what conditions.

Again claiming that the remaining 3% takes a specific amount of time for all finishes is inaccurate.

The part that’s true is: once the finish is fully cured, there is no further outgassing.

All paints and finishes are made from solids and solvents. The solvents outgas until there is no solvents left, leaving a film that becomes more and more solid as it dries. That’s just the mechanics of it. How long it takes to cure fully differs according to the finish and conditions. Heat speeds as it aids the solvent in outgassing.

I suggest a low-VOC finish and contact the manufacture to find out “how long it takes to fully cure.” Don’t let them tell you how long it takes to be “dry to the touch.” Dry to the touch is still outgassing.

My favorite finish at the moment is Vermont Natural Coatings

Question from Sami

Hi Debra,

Visiting The Container Store for first time, I noticed their closet storage containers (shoes, sweaters) are made of polystyrene, or polypropylene. Are these non-toxic? Tried to ask them, but they have no idea what I mean (huh?)

I knew who to go to 🙂 Thanks for all you do; enjoy the Fall – it’s almost here.

Debra’s Answer

Yes, I had that experience at The Container Store too.

Polyprolylene is OK, polystyrene is not.

Good you knew who to go to! 🙂

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Question from Andrea

Hi Debra,

Our 12-gauge steel oil tank has sprung a leak, and we have been advised to replace it as soon as possible. It is located in the basement of our home, so it is accessible (i.e., it does not have to be unearthed, although naturally all proper environmental precautions must be taken in the removing and disposing of it).

I am concerned that the newer oil tanks are more cheaply made and may not be as built to last as our old one was (which lasted decades). I am also concerned about health-related and environmental issues concerning the installation of a new tank. Is there a specific brand, or type, of oil tank that you or your readers can recommend to replace the old tank? There are a few different kinds–some made of steel, some of plastic, some a combination of both.

I hesitate to use one containing any plastic, for fear of them off gassing, or of the plastic possibly having toxic interactions with the heating oil, or of them just not lasting as long as an all-metal tank, although the manufacturers claim they won’t corrode the way metal tanks do. But I just don’t know for sure. Plus the manufacturing of plastic presents its own environmental problems, as well.

I know oil heat is not an ideal heating system overall, but since solar panels and geothermal heating systems unfortunately are not options on our particular property, I still think it is preferable to gas heat, so I am stuck with it for now.

Any advice that you or the readers can provide on the type of tank that would be the best to choose in terms of health, air quality in the home, and the environment in general would be deeply appreciated. As would any tips on avoiding toxic exposure in the home during the tank replacement process.

Thank you very much.

Debra’s Answer

Readers, any experience with this?

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