Greener Living with Dr. G

Alarming Data from Ohio State U - Kids and Cleaners Don’t Mix

DrG — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:56:33 +0000

The statistics are alarming. A new study by Ohio State University shows children are being poisoned by household cleaners at the rate of 12,000 kids per year rushed off to the ER. Totally preventable yet it totally happens. Since 1990 a quarter of a million children under age 5 have been so poisoned in this country. The good news is that the rate is half today what it was in 1990 but 12,000 per year is still way too many.

As much as we like to think that our homes are safe and child proofed the reality is that common household cleaners are skull and crossbone products patently dangerous if over-inhaled or god forbid ingested. Bleach, ammonia, drain unclogger and toilet bowl cleaner are the most hazardous but many others contain powerful acids, bases, surfactants, and detergents that if entering the eyes or stomach can cause burns. If a child ingests even small amounts he may vomit it back up and it could get caught in his lungs, a particularly bad outcome.

Here are some facts from the Ohio State study you should be aware of:

The most common age for this to happen is in 1-3 year olds;

The most common bottle type is anything with a spray delivery – toddlers can have fun spraying a bottle of furniture polish, toilet bowl cleaner or even hair spray all over themselves – not fun once the chemicals burn the eyes, nose and stomach

This often occurs when a parent is in the middle of cleaning and just leaves the project for a few seconds to answer the phone or deal with an older child.

Prevention involves being especially vigilant with cleaning products – store them in locked cabinets and in their original (hopefully child-proof) containers. Make sure all spray bottles have the nozzle turned to the off position. Don’t leave cleaning products unattended and within reach of a toddler even for a few seconds. And look for greener cleaners that avoid harsh ingredients like chlorine, ammonia, sulfuric acid and butyl cellusolve. Yes parents – make your homes sparkly clean for your little ones but please do it safely.

Know Your Dose - Cell Phone RF Levels Now Public

DrG — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:08:30 +0000

The City of San Francisco just passed a measure to require cell phone radiofrequency radiation levels to be posted at the point of sale. This will allow customers to make a more informed choice about which phone to buy - its not only touchscreen vs keyboard, blackberry vs iPad, but now its also watts per kg of one brand vs another. Why should this matter? Two reasons: 1) much of the research on the health effects of frequent cell phone talking (hand held) shows elevated brain or inner ear cancer risk, with risks probably greatest in children and teen users; while still not proven, several Euro govts have official warnings about cell phone use in kids; 2) there is actually a big difference between brands as shown at this website - find your phone and know your dose. I just got a new Samsung Solstice and it is in the middle of the rad pack. I wish I knew to check on rad levels before ordering the phone. If you have a high rad phone it doesn’t mean you will get cancer but it is prudent to decrease your exposure by hooking it up to a hands free device (e.g., blue tooth) or spend more time texting than talking. And if buying a new phone, choose one that is low in rad emission.

Tom Brady and Lady Gi Want You to Turn Off Your Lights

DrG — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:39:14 +0000

March 27th at 8:30 PM is the time to show the world your committment to saving the future - symbolic maybe but whole cities and states are endorsing this simple act of global kindness. And so is Tom Brady and his super model girlfriend - its all in support of WWF’s Earth Hour. I see it as a protest statement - boycott power from fossil fuels and nukes for 1 hr - we are less afraid of the dark than of a world without winter for our children. While some obsess over the minor revelations from “climategate”, its obvious Tom knows where the red zone is and how to avoid it.

Is Your Town As Toxic As Anniston Alabama??

DrG — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:13:19 +0000

Lets hope not - this quiet countrified deep south kinda town was home to a huge PCB making factory from the 1930s to 1971 - and the factory was not exactly careful about where the excess and waste PCBs went - millions of pounds were discarded into the local creek and soil ending up contaminating wildlife, fish and the townspeople. PCBs cause cancer, hormonal and developmental problems. Well in 2003, the people of Anniston banded into a 3500 person class action suit against Monsanto for chemical contamination and degraded health and won a $300 million settlement. After paying off the lawyers, that works out to something like $40,000 per person, not exactly cause for celebration. To add insult to injury, now the Medicare system is suing the plaintiffs, the people of Anniston and their lawyers, for payback since Medicare covered the costs of their medical bills. In my view, if Medicare wants a piece of that pie, they should have been with the plaintiffs in court and not go chasing after the money at this point. Hopefully Medicare isn’t going bankrupt financially, but this suggests they are heading in that direction morally.

We here in Connecticut have a few toxic waste sites of our own and towns with some contamination that may be impacting rivers, groundwater, soil and homes. It could be PCBs in some cases, or fuel spills, old industrial and dry cleaning solvents (TCE, PCE), or pesticides. In most cases, the CT DEP has done a good job of identifying such issues and getting them addressed. Here is a listing of the 13000+ contaminated sites in CT - every town has some - click on the link to find out where there have been toxics issues in your town. Call DEP to find out the status. Knowledge is power and leads to smarter healthier longer living.

Is Your Car Interior Toxic?

DrG — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:09:52 +0000

New car smell isn’t an engineered scent to make a new car attractive. Quite the opposite, it is the unavoidable odor that comes off all the plastic, leather, fabrics, coatings and sealants contained in the car. And it can take quite a while for all these materials to “cure” - the contaminants you are inhaling are a brew of volatile organic chemicals including benzene and its derivatives, toluene, flame retardants, and plasticizers. No one has tested this mixture in rats but it wouldn’t be pretty. But not all car makes are the same and an environmental group is on the job, testing new and used cars for their toxics content. Go to healthystuff.org to find out the test results for car interiors and many other consumer items. And to decrease your exposure, ventilate the car before driving it - opening doors will help clear the air, but also have the windows rolled down at least a crack as you start out and have the fan on with fresh air brought into the cabin. Hot days can be the worst - leave the opens open a crack if your car is baking in the sun and ventilate as much as possible before driving away.

Toxic Chemicals in Dry Cleaning is Old School

DrG — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:49:34 +0000

Perchloroethylene (PERC or PCE) is a strong industrial solvent that is carcinogenic and toxic to the kidney, liver and nervous system. What is it doing in your clothing? PERC is the solvent used in most dry cleaners. It dissolves away dirt, grime, stains and odors and it rapidly evaporates so its in essence a “dry” process. However, residues of it remain on the garment for days when you bring it home from the cleaners. To avoid exposure to this toxic industrial solvent, hang your clothing in a well ventilated covered outdoor area (e.g., a porch, breezeway, shed) for several days before hanging it back up in your closet. Better yet, switch to a PERC-free dry cleaner. They are popping up all over. They use silicon dioxide (liquefied sand) to scrub the clothes clean without alot of water. This link will show you where in your area is a green cleaning dry cleaner.

Are all Veggies Equally Laden with Pesticides? NO!!!

DrG — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:03:37 +0000

Top 20 for Pesticide Content - Buy these Organic when possible

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (Imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes
Carrots
Green Beans
Hot Peppers
Cucumbers
Raspberries
Plums
Grapes (Domestic)
Oranges

The 20 Fruits and Veggies With the LEAST Amount of Pesticides

Onion
Avocado
Sweet corn (Frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet peas (Frozen)
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya
Blueberries
Cauliflower
Winter Squash
Watermelon
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Honeydew melon
Cantaloupe

Thanks to Environmental Working Group (EWG) for this information.

Celebrate July 4th With Your Own Version of Energy Independence

DrG — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:42:48 +0000

As we celebrate our national heritage of breaking thru tyranny and oppression to find freedom, its impt to not just think historically but also personally - what I can do to be more independent of a systm that has run amok with spiking gas prices, food of dubious quality coming to us from all over the planet, our ridiculous support of mid-East conflict through our voracious oil appetite. Here are some simple things you can do to increase your energy independence - be open-minded there are lots more:

Hang Your Clothes in the Sun to Dry - Clothesline Freedom

Ride a Bike to Work - the ultimate lean green machine = Gas Station Independence

Sign up for the renewable energy option on your electric bill - - Foreign Oil Independence - it puts wind, geothermal, solar and hydro electrons into the grid - creates the demand for more of this development instead of the default - mining for coal, oil or natural gas. To sign up go to CL&P’s website - it only costs about $5-10 per month to offset much of your household energy demand.

CT DOT Multi-Use Trails - Memorial to Allan Williams

DrG — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:51:07 +0000

Allan Williams of CTDEP, the Central CT Bike Alliance, Sierra Club, West Hartford, Planet Earth passed away this week at the age of 61 from pancreatic cancer. He was brilliant, a true community servant and strong advocate for the environment. He came on my radio show just after he spent a year of his life organizing the Hartford Neighborhoods ride in 2007, at considerable personal expense as well. One of Allan’s accomplishments was the publication of the DOT multi-use trail guide for CT - check it out and take a ride or rollerblade on one of the trails in Allan’s honor. He’ll be glad you did.

How Does Your City’s Air Quality Stack Up?

DrG — Sat, 02 May 2009 17:18:37 +0000

We know air quality in the US is not the greatest and is responsible for some percentage of asthma, early death in the elderly and babies, and cardiopulmonary disease. While we are better off than in China (all that coal burning for energy over there) and while we have made strides, US air quality has a long way to go. The American Lung Association just tabulated the results of the latest round of data reported by states to the EPA. Connecticut reported ozone levels so high they fall into the red alert category for 7 days in Hartford County and 15 days in Fairfield. Red alert means unhealthy for everyone and sensitive groups (e.g., asthmatic children) may have serious problems (e.g., requiring medical intervention). See Chapter 11 of our book What’s Toxic, What’s Not to find out more about what this means and how to avoid the bad air (no you don’t have to move to Fargo ND, which was rated as city with best air quality). Also go to the USEPA website to monitor the Air Quality Index for the current day in your locale.