Question from Jessica Domich

Hi Debra,

I am pregnant with my first child and have been reading your blog for the ideas on non-toxic room paint, crib, organic mattress, clothing and anything I could find to minimize toxic exposure to the child.

I need to purchase a wardrobe for the nursery. I am looking at wardrobes from Ikea but I am not sure what would be the best choice and least toxic. My price range is $300 and I am looking from the following options: www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/19053/

The nursery colors are white and pink so I would prefer the white wardrobe. 🙂

Also, are there any white cribs from Ikea that you would recommend? I have been looking at some on their website but I am not sure if the white acrylic paint will release toxins into my baby’s crib mattress and if the white acrylic paint is toxic on baby’s crib if kept outside for a while to air out.

These are their crib options: www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/18755/

Debra’s Answer

One thing I love about IKEA is that you can get a lot of stylish furniture made from unfinished wood.

Here in the Q&A I can’t look at the materials list for every wardrobe on this page (if you want that, I can do it as a paid consultation) . Just spot checking, eliminate any made from particleboard.

I see that HURDAL is made from solid wood, but it’s $499. You may be able to get a solid wood wardrobe elsewhere for less.

If you want white, I would get solid wood and paint it yourself with Ecos Paints. Most white furniture is particleboard under the paint.

My favorite crib is the Sniglar, solid wood, unfinished, and only $69. Again, if you want white, paint it yourself.

If you prefer to buy painted furniture, you can offgas the paint by placing the furniture in a heated room. Once paint completely dries, there are no toxic fumes.

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Question from Nicole Raineri

Hi Debra,

I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site.

I’m expecting in August and registering for non-toxic items is becoming a bit challenging but I’m doing my best.

I’d love to find a non-toxic pack and play, car seat, stroller but they seem to be few and far between. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Debra’s Answer

I’m not a mom so these are not products I frequently use.

Readers, can you help with recommendations?

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Question from Kristen Conn

Hi Debra,

I’m wondering about the ingredient Polyvinyl Alcohol Film that is in many dishwasher detergent tabs. (Grab Green, Nellies, If You Care) Labels say it is completely biodegradable but the word “Polyvinyl” leaves me wondering if its going to leave something behind!

Debra’s Answer

Good question.

The thing that’s difficult about plastics is they are named in a way that can be confusing.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is very toxic, but polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is not. It is generally considered nontoxic and I see no information that would make me question that.

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Question from Karen Ann

Hi Debra,

A friend told me that you have a steel door on your house. All the ones i can find have polyurethane foam inside, or are solid steel (prohibitively expensive). Is yours a foam interior door, and do you know what kind of foam it has? have you ever had any problems with it out-gassing? Thank you so much for your help, in advance!

Debra’s Answer

Well, I don’t know if it has polyurethane foam inside or not. I’ve had it more than five years and there wasn’t anything on the label regarding this at the time.

The door is completely sealed. I can’t get inside to check without cutting the door open.

If it’s there, there is no exposure at all.

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Question from Catherine Triplettt

Hi Debra,

Hello, I have followed your advice for years-thank you!

I recently (one year ago) bought a nice Amish dining set as I have slowly replaced all my questionable furniture and toys with wood and domestic products.

My husband bought some felt furniture pads with the adhesive on them so the set wouldn’t scratch our 100 year old wood floors. They are the type bought at ace or home depot made oversees in China. It seemed a shame to stick these cheap pads with adhesive I am unfamiliar with on my furniture, but we did and they have been on for about six months.. He said he could find no other alternatives. I too have searched for a safe alternate. Do you think they are safe? I smell nothing, but I am afraid of the adhesive as I do not know what it is. Any suggestions would be great!

Debra’s Answer

I’ve used those too and smell nothing. I can’t evaluate them because I can’t get information on the actual materials. If I can’t get information, I go by if I can’t smell it and I feel fine when I’m around it, I use it. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s all I can do at the moment.

The only other thing would be to not use any product you can’t 100% verify.

It’s your choice.

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7 September 2015

Four months later…Chipotle is being sued in a class action suit claiming that Chipotle has been using GMOs in their food despite advertising that is is GMO-free.

Eater: Chipotle Sued for Using GMOs After Declaring It’s Food GMO-Free

Last week the fast food Mexican restaurant Chipotle announced that they were “the first to cook only with non-GMO ingredients.” They did a great job educating their customers about GMOs at www.chipotle.com/gmo. They even said, in a big headline, “CHIPOTLE SHOULD BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN EAT FOOD MADE WITH NON-GMO INGREDIENTS.”

But is it so?

First I want to say that I love Chipotle. The food tastes great and the ingredients are a lot better than other fast food restaurant chains. www.chipotle.com/food-with-integrity

And they have done a lot to remove GMOs from their food.

But no, you can’t walk into Chipotle and choose anything off the menu and have it be GMO-free.

About their GMO Ingredients they say:

The meat and dairy products we buy come from animals that are not genetically modified. But it is important to note that most animal feed in the U.S. is genetically modified, which means that the meat and dairy served at Chipotle are likely to come from animals given at least some GMO feed. We are working hard on this challenge, and have made substantial progress: for example, the 100% grass-fed beef served in many Chipotle restaurants was not fed GMO grain—or any grain, for that matter. www.chipotle.com/ingredient-statement

And then there are the sodas, made with GMO corn syrup.

Kudos to Chipotle for reducing their GMOs, and kudos for disclosure, but it’s deceptive to advertise they are gmo-free when they are not. And the disclosure was on a completely different page from the GMO claim.

As a consumer, I would have preferred a headline like “Chipotle Takes Another Big Step Toward GMO-Free” and then state what they did and what they are still working on.

Thanks to Max Goldberg for this consumer alert: Don’t Believe the Hype: Chipotle is NOT 100% GMO-Free.

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Question from L Wallace

Hi Debra,

I use glass canning jars with glass lids for almost all of my food storage—I don’t actually can with them but I store lots of different foods in the fridge, pantry and freezer with them.

I came across a blogger who used an XRF gun to test these jars and found they had 142 ppm of lead. I called the company and when I asked if the jars were lead-free, they said that no glass is lead-free. They said their jars were tested annually, and that they were made.

In Germany where they said the standards are stricter, and they said that it would be impossible for lead to migrate into the food.

I am confused because I thought glass could be lead-free, which is part of why I was using these jars for my food storage. Is it true that no glass is 100% lead-free? And if this glass isn’t lead free (I believe it is soda lime glass) how can you tell what glass is lead-free, other than taking the manufacturer’s word for it?

Debra’s Answer

First. and this goes for everyone, if you tell me you read a blog or watched a video or whatever, PLEASE give me the URL so I can see it too.

I could not find the blog you mentioned so I can’t comment on it.

Here’s what I know about glass. It’s basically melted sand.

Here’s a website that describes the different types of glass quite plainly: www.cmog.org/article/types-glass

They say:

Nearly all commercial glasses fall into one of six basic categories or types. These categories are based on chemical composition. Within each type, except for fused silica, there are numerous distinct compositions.

1. Soda-lime glass is the most common (90% of glass made), and least expensive form of glass. It usually contains 60-75% silica, 12-18% soda, 5-12% lime. Resistance to high temperatures and sudden changes of temperature are not good and resistance to corrosive chemicals is only fair.

2. Lead glass has a high percentage of lead oxide (at least 20% of the batch). It is relatively soft, and its refractive index gives a brilliance that may be exploited by cutting. It is somewhat more expensive than soda-lime glass and is favored for electrical applications because of its excellent electrical insulating properties. Thermometer tubing and art glass are also made from lead-alkali glass, commonly called lead glass. This glass will not withstand high temperatures or sudden changes in temperature.

I just don’t see that lead would be added for soda-lime glass for any reason.

To the best of my knowledge, I have never heard of any glass containing lead except for lead crystal, which is clearly labeled. I see today online there are some speciality glasses that contain lead, but it’s not dinnerware, glassware, or food storage jars.

I don’t think it’s true that no glass is 100% lead-free, but I am doing more research on this, as it is possible there is something I don’t know about this.

What is the URL of the blog post you read?

Anyone else have any information on this?

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Question from M Carter

Hi Debra,

I use hermetic glass jars with glass lids to store dry goods in the pantry. The seal on these is vulcanized rubber. Is there anything to be concerned about with the vulcanized rubber—it doesn’t actually touch the food, but I have to touch it to open and close it, and I also wasn’t sure about offgassing. I was also looking at some shoes with vulcanized rubber soles, and wondering if that would be a safe shoe material. Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

Vulcanized rubber is natural latex rubber heated with sulfur. It’s used to make everything from seals on glass jars to rubber bands to automobile tires.

Here’s an article from the Centers for Disease Control about the health effects of vulcanized rubber:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/93-106/

I don’t use products made out of recycled rubber tires, but I do use glass jars with seals and rubber bands and don’t consider those to be major sources of toxic exposure.

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Question from Tania

Hi Debra,

Hi Debra! I had a quick question for you. We want to buy an affordable bed frame for my son’s mattress. What do you think about this one from Ikea? Many thanks!!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29011673/#/S99019576

Debra’s Answer

I actually love IKEA because they have so many great products with simple designs made from natural materials. But you have to look for them carefully.

Fortunately, they give you all the materials used.

Here is the Product Description for the one you chose:

Bed frame:
Solid pine, Stain, Clear acrylic lacquer
Slatted bed base:
Bed base slats: Beech veneer, Birch veneer, Foil
Ribbon: 100 % polypropylene
Slat holders: Synthetic rubber
Bed base: Beech plywood, Birch plywood, Solid beech or birch

It has a finish and synthetic rubber

Here’s another bed base called Tarva

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70261268/

It’s Product Description says: Solid pine. That’s it. Solid pine.

So check the Product Descriptions and choose one that is as plain as possible.

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Question from Shelly Pollard

Hi Debra,

Hi Debra. I’m wondering if you are familiar with S’well bottles. They are made in China although their site claims to be responsibly made there, out of “non-leaching, non-toxic, 18/8 stainless steel” and claim to be able to keep liquids hot for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours.

They appear to be a good company but my main question is around the stainless steel – can it really be non-leaching?

Many, many thanks for your help with this.

Debra’s Answer

To the best of my knowledge at the moment, it doesn’t make sense to me that some stainless steel leaches and some doesn’t.

Resolving this question is on my ongoing list of research questions.

I personally don’t use stainless steel for food or beverage storage. I can taste the metal.

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