ourdoodah

by Jane Odin

Beware Fire Retardants

(It is helpful to read Beware Plastics article first.)

I’m removing nasty toxins from my home. My nasties come in the forms of plastics, brominated fire retardants (BFRs) and nylon, stain-resistant area-carpets. One of the items was with me for decades, causing a friend to remark: “Don’t you think you’re over-reacting? The damage is done.” Funny nobody felt that way when I quit smoking after 45 years of contaminating myself and the universe.

No, I don’t think I’m over-reacting and neither do my little dogs whose respiratory problems/allergies seem to have improved. I keep discovering things to remove - like the office chair - because it is made of foam and foam off-gasses more with age. Soon I’ll have an empty house. Why would I go to these extremes? Just knowing the potential of these nightmare chemicals instills abhorrence for everything they inhabit.

*Phthalates*

My body load of phthalates is probably higher because of an enormous, vinyl covered, over stuffed chair. It is a true beauty given by my 2nd husband. Appearance is not always reality and the reality here: the PVC “beauty” is off-gassing phthalates. It has to go.

Don’t have any Tupperware to throw out. It always looked too, too alien. Unfortunately I had no clue various plastic wraps and plastic food-containers off-gas phthalate. Now that I know, it’s hard to purchase anything but fresh foods, given that my local organic grocer stores bulk goods in a slotted rack of BPA leaching #7 plastic and fish and cheese are wrapped in phthalates. Paying big bucks for organic produce laced throughout with BPA and Phthalates is demoralizing. I might as well shop at the local Super Save. Not really.

Stain-resistant chemicals

Bonita’s asthma should improve with removal of the cheap, Wal-mart area rugs treated with stain-resistance chemicals. I didn’t know. Content tags rarely tell the whole story. The tags on the rugs said 100% nylon period. Guess what – most nylon rugs are treated with super toxic levels of stain-resistance chemicals such as isocyanate, silane and polyurethanes. These are truly nasty chems. Isocyanate is extremely reactive and harmful to living tissue. It causes asthma. Silane is highly flammable and causes respiratory system damage. Nylon is made from petrochemicals, with all that implies.

BFRs

My small hearth-rug is so fire resistant I can put a flaming log on it and not a mite of damage occurs. Ahgga! Gone, without mercy. No wonder the Chihuahua has allergies. Brominated fire retardants (PBDE, HBCD, TBBPA) are unregulated and considered more toxic than PCBs. Less was known about PCB’s when banned than is now known about fire retardants found in the dust of every home and business tested. BFR neurotoxins are used in infant/toddler sleepwear, bedding, mattresses, fire retardant fabric, TVs, computers, textiles, electronics and foam furniture.

PBDE and other BFRs are added to plastics, in particular hard polystyrene, polyurethane foam, epoxy resins and usually constitute up to 30% of the final product. The BFRs are mixed with polymers as plastics are being made. Problem: they don’t bind chemically and off-gas continuously from the final product.

BFRs are bioaccumulative, meaning they continue to buildup in the body over a life time. In minute doses BFRs impair attention, learning, memory and behavior in lab animals. In humans - thyroid, liver, fetal brain development and respiratory systems are under direct attack; no wonder childhood asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. It is at epidemic levels with one in 13 children wheezing through life. For the bromine atom – it’s all in a day’s work.

Therefore: get rid of products containing BFRs and keep floors dust-free where infants and toddlers crawl and play. Contrary to some misinformation, BFR in the form of Deca is widely used commercially in the U.S. http://www.ewg.org/reports/inthedust Alternative products are available. Phone manufacturers and ask questions before a new purchase. When they say the information is proprietary tell them you are chemically sensitive and need to know the kind of fire proofing and stain resistance used.

Wall to wall carpet is one of the more toxic products on the market. A recent true story points this out. A small terrier in Georgia was suffering from extreme, unmanageable allergies. He had been furless for over a year. Several months after carpets were removed throughout the house, the fur began to return and now the terrie is fully recovered. If you know of stories of this nature please share them with us.

Researchers with detection devices claim the source of most BFR in homes is TV sets. They suggest keeping screens and areas around and under TV very clean, in a manner that doesn’t spread dust. Be sure TV is off when cleaning the entire set with a damp cloth. You will be amazed at the blackness on the cloth. The concluding remarks of an article on “Toxic Dust Devils” in 1/09 BARK magazine states “Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.”

Speaking of vacuums I must recommend the amazing vacuum just purchased for $69.00 via amazon.com: Hoover Widepath Tempo Allergen Filtration. It may be the best deal I’ve ever gotten. The suction is is remarkable on bare floors, rugs/carpets and the design is most functional. Be sure and check it out. No charge for delivery. While at Amazon.com you might also check out: “How To Grow Fresh Air” about houseplants that purify the environment.

Scan the internet links for some of the terms and phrases in this article and be amazed at how EPA and similar government agencies have failed us. Europe has already banned Deca and other persistant flame retardants. Our desire for “change” could have been supported by appointing Robert Kennedy Jr. director of the EPA. Meanwhile, cleanliness is next to…… life- support.

Be sure to watch the video below.

Websites for alternative products:

*http://www.healthylegacy.org/resources.cfm?refid=100431*

*http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up*

*http://www.thenaturalbedstore.com/*

*http://crystalbabyorganics.com/index.pmg/rd-1?sid=baca00d92edf3d82e81d140cbf43280f*

*http://www.ecobedroom.com/*

*http://www.green-furniture.com/*

*http://www.greenhome.com/products/kitchen/*

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