Greener Living with Dr. G http://whatstoxic.org aka Gary Ginsberg Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:14:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en Is Your Town As Toxic As Anniston Alabama?? http://whatstoxic.org/is-your-town-as-toxic-as-anniston-alabama http://whatstoxic.org/is-your-town-as-toxic-as-anniston-alabama#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:13:19 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=408 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.

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/is-your-town-as-toxic-as-anniston-alabama/feed Is Your Car Interior Toxic? http://whatstoxic.org/is-your-car-interior-toxic http://whatstoxic.org/is-your-car-interior-toxic#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:09:52 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=406 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.

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/is-your-car-interior-toxic/feed Toxic Chemicals in Dry Cleaning is Old School http://whatstoxic.org/toxic-chemicals-in-dry-cleaning-is-old-school http://whatstoxic.org/toxic-chemicals-in-dry-cleaning-is-old-school#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:49:34 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=404 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.

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/toxic-chemicals-in-dry-cleaning-is-old-school/feed Are all Veggies Equally Laden with Pesticides? NO!!! http://whatstoxic.org/are-all-veggies-equally-laden-with-pesticides-no http://whatstoxic.org/are-all-veggies-equally-laden-with-pesticides-no#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:03:37 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=400 Top 20 for Pesticide Content - Buy these Organic when possible 

  1. Peaches
  2. Apples
  3. Sweet Bell Peppers
  4. Celery
  5. Nectarines
  6. Strawberries
  7. Cherries
  8. Pears
  9. Grapes (Imported)
  10. Spinach
  11. Lettuce
  12. Potatoes
  13. Carrots
  14. Green Beans
  15. Hot Peppers
  16. Cucumbers
  17. Raspberries
  18. Plums
  19. Grapes (Domestic)
  20. Oranges

The 20 Fruits and Veggies With the LEAST Amount of Pesticides

  1. Onion
  2. Avocado
  3. Sweet corn (Frozen)
  4. Pineapples
  5. Mango
  6. Asparagus
  7. Sweet peas (Frozen)
  8. Kiwi
  9. Bananas
  10. Cabbage
  11. Broccoli
  12. Papaya
  13. Blueberries
  14. Cauliflower
  15. Winter Squash
  16. Watermelon
  17. Sweet potatoes
  18. Tomatoes
  19. Honeydew melon
  20. Cantaloupe

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

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/are-all-veggies-equally-laden-with-pesticides-no/feed Celebrate July 4th With Your Own Version of Energy Independence http://whatstoxic.org/celebrate-july-4th-with-your-own-version-of-energy-independence http://whatstoxic.org/celebrate-july-4th-with-your-own-version-of-energy-independence#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:42:48 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=396 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.

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/celebrate-july-4th-with-your-own-version-of-energy-independence/feed CT DOT Multi-Use Trails - Memorial to Allan Williams http://whatstoxic.org/ct-dot-multi-use-trails-memorial-to-allan-williams http://whatstoxic.org/ct-dot-multi-use-trails-memorial-to-allan-williams#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:51:07 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=394 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.

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/ct-dot-multi-use-trails-memorial-to-allan-williams/feed How Does Your City’s Air Quality Stack Up? http://whatstoxic.org/how-does-your-citys-air-quality-stack-up http://whatstoxic.org/how-does-your-citys-air-quality-stack-up#comments Sat, 02 May 2009 17:18:37 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=391 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.

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/how-does-your-citys-air-quality-stack-up/feed Upcoming Eco-Events in May http://whatstoxic.org/upcoming-eco-events-in-may http://whatstoxic.org/upcoming-eco-events-in-may#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:53:03 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=385  

•May 9th – St Joe’s College – 3 Local Eco-Authors, 3 Book Talks + Lunch – Rabbi Andrea Cohen – new book out: “Claiming Earth as Common Ground”,  Ann Rowthorn – Song of the Universe; Dr.G – What’s Toxic- $50 for Lunch and the talks – Bruyette Auditorium on St Joseph campus, Asylum Ave, West Hartford -  Call 231-8554

•

 

May 16 House Tour, Solar, Geothermal, Green building – Noon to 5 PM – Falls Village, Canaan, Norfolk - $15 for advance tickets - Contact PACE
]]> http://whatstoxic.org/upcoming-eco-events-in-may/feed Must Attend Earth Day Events http://whatstoxic.org/must-attend-earth-day-events http://whatstoxic.org/must-attend-earth-day-events#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:41:17 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=383 Spring is breaking out across CT and so are Earth Day Events - here is my short list - you can also go to the CTDEP website for additional listings.

 •April 22nd West Hartford 6:30-9PM – vendors, talks by the English Garden Lady Maureen Hasely Jones and on What you can do to Help Fight Climate Change – WH Town Hall, 50 South Main, $10 - 521-2300

•April 22nd – Hartford Gold – Compost - Hartford – Mayor Eddie Perez press conference in conjunction with Knox Park Found – availability of free compost – be giving it away to anyone at the press conf – Noon to 1 PM – Niles Street Comm Garden

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April 22nd – Dr. G Book Talk Canton Library, 7 PM – Greening your Home and Your Health –  40 Dyer Ave, Collinsville Section of Canton - 693-5800

•
Thurs April 23rd – Hartford Green Drinks – City Steam Brewery – 6 to 9 PM – Brewmaster from City Steam will talk about how their operation has gone green – good networking and beer/wine drinking time
•Sat April 25th New Morning Health Foods in Woodbury – over 100 vendors, music, nutrition, food, giveaways, massage

•
Sat April 25th – Newtown Middle School, Queen street – 10 to 4 PM – Environmental Maze, events for whole family lots of green companies – Dr. G speaking at 11 AM, Dance Performance at Noon – Graceful Planet Dancers doing Peter and the Wolf; Magic Act at noon as well

 

]]> http://whatstoxic.org/must-attend-earth-day-events/feed Do You Have Haz Waste in Your Garage? http://whatstoxic.org/do-you-have-haz-waste-in-your-garage http://whatstoxic.org/do-you-have-haz-waste-in-your-garage#comments Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:36:12 +0000 DrG http://whatstoxic.org/?p=378 Spring cleaning should be green cleaning.  As you look to unload your pre-Cambrian clothing and cookware, stuff not worth keeping around for the memories, have a keen eye out for toxics.  Old drugs, bug killer, lawn pesticides, fertilizer, lighter fluid, cleaning products, paint, varnish, sealants, glues, waxes, motor oil, antifreeze, fluroescent light bulbs.  What do they have in common?  They all contain toxic chemicals that should not be poured down the drain or just added to the regular garbage.   What to do with them.  Start a safe collection in your garage or shed.  Put these items into a secure box or crate where they will not fall, spill or get flooded.  Then find out when your town is next having a household hazardous waste collection day and bring your hazwaste to them for proper disposal.  This DEP website gives you more instructions on what they will take and provides listings of phone numbers for you to find out when and where will be the next collection date near you.   And plse note:  you don’t have to live in town to go to that town’s collection day pickup - so don’t delay and find a site close to you to safely remove your hazwaste.

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