One of my blog readers said that she wanted to buy a nice soap without harmful chemicals, but she did not know how to look for it because ingredients were too confusing. “What do I type into Google?” She asked. “Natural bar soap? Hand-made soap? Organic soap?” I thought that it was time to clarify …
Cork is a material that finds more and more applications. You have seen wine corks. It is also used to make flooring and even yoga mats. It is considered a durable, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic material. It is also probably the most sustainably harvested material because it is re-harvested from the same tree every 9 …
Who would have thought that most kids’ backpacks are laden with toxic chemicals, such as phthalates, chlorine, mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and bromine? Who would have thought a back to school package would include toxic backpacks? Apparently, even the US government did not think that. In 2009, the US Congress permanently banned three types of …
Big verdict in Depuy hip implant case — will it make us safer in the long run? As you know, toxins come in many shapes and sizes, and often from unexpected places. I was reminded of this the other day, when my husband told me about a verdict that affects some of his cases. Some …
After I published an article about how to determine if plastic has Bisphenol A (BPA), I received a lot of questions as to whether BPA-free cans are safe. As you may have noticed, a lot of cans now feature a BPA-free claim on their label. At first, that made me happy to see that …
It took me a while to learn this secret that made my life so much easier. I am excited to share it with you today. Because BPA (Bisphenol A) is so notorious, manufacturers often claim their products are “BPA-free”. Sometimes it is a good thing, sometimes it is not – it depends. Unfortunately, we as …
I finally ordered a sectional sofa free of flame retardants, polyurethane foam, soybean foam, heavy metals, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), heavy metals, formaldehyde, etc., etc., etc. and everything else most furniture we see on the market has. All told, it took me about a year to find this furniture and get comfortable with my decision. …
Soybean Foam: Pitfalls of Non-Toxic Furniture Shopping Read More »
I often get emails from manufacturers of upholstered furniture about the fact they are fully compliant with the updated California flammability regulation (CA TB 117-2013) and that their furniture is now free of any flame retardant chemicals. First of all, it is flattering that they feel compelled to report to me (although it makes sense, …
Polyurethane Foam: What is Inside Our Furniture? Read More »
As this year’s rainy season started in Northern California, I realized that my son did not have rain boots. Most parents simply go to the store and buy rain boots. Not me. I launched an intensive research campaign to understand what goes into making rain boots, narrowed the pool of manufacturers of non-toxic rain boots to …
What if I told you that wool actually improves your newborn baby’s sleep, so you can get some rest too? What if I told that sleeping on wool helps adults with low back pain? You would probably say that it is unbelievable. I wish I knew the health benefits of wool when my baby was …
