TIP TALKS

 

The e-Newsletter of the

Toxics Information Project (TIP)

 

October, 2011

*****************************************************************************************************

HALTING HORRIBLE HOUSEHOLD FUMES
                  FOR A HEALTHY HALLOWEEN
(Reasons for Concern – and Healthy, Clean Air Solutions)
***********************************************************
TOPICS
FUMES FROM THE FUMES BUSTERS`, POLLUTANT SOURCES
OTHER INFO RE: “AIR FRESHENERS”, INCLULDING GLADE PLUG-INS
FUMES FROM DRYING VENTS
FUMES FROM MATTRESSES
TOXIC CHEMICALS BEHIND “NEW CAR SMELL” REPORT
FIGHTING FUMES EFFECTIVELY
*********************************************************             
        FUMES FROM THE “FUME-BUSTERS”!
                      (A Query for TIP)
    11-26-11: DO you have any info regarding the toxicity of
    Glade plug ins or those other sticks with smell that people
    use to infuse rooms with noxious odors?  Patti.
************************************************************
Liberty G:  Wow, you have hit a nerve - "air fresheners" in whatever
form are the single most deceptively advertised product that exists. 
To begin with, "fragrance" is a catchword for whatever chemicals the
manufacturer chooses to include.  No regulation, no disclosure - trade
secrets.  This, even though the EPA & CPSC acknowledge "air freshener"
as an "indoor air pollutant".

The best place to start on this question is with our own "Don't Be
Fooled About Fragrance" booklet, viewable online in the personal
care part of our website at: http://toxicsinfo.org/TIPS_personal.htm
This includes specifics about particular ingredients in fragranced
products, health effects and much more.  Also see:
http://toxicsinfo.org/house/BadAirDay.htm. Below are links to some
other information, including some specifically referring to Glade
Plug-Ins and other Glade products.

By the way, I first became aware of this problem when I came across a
website put up by a grieving mother.  No, her son did not die from Glade
- not directly.  But he was in a car with some friends, and they stopped
at a convenience store to buy cigarettes - and swipe a can of Glade
(aerosol).  The driver then proceeded to "huff" the Glade at the wheel
of the car, passed out and crashed it.

More recently, I entered a college dorm room at the conference we were
attending to find myself afflicted with a rip-roaring headache.  I could
not stay in the room, and we finally found the cause - under a desk was
a fragranced "Stick-On".  It was necessary to find two other rooms - one
to stay in, and one in which to allow all our belongings to "outgas" the
sickening chemicals which they had absorbed from the "air freshening"
product.  Your concern is right on the mark.
******************************************************************
          CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
          and ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 
        www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/450.html#IAQHome1

                    Pollutant Sources
Some sources, such as building materials, furnishings, & household
products like AIR FRESHENERS, release pollutants more or less
continuously.

Sources of Office Air Pollution:  As with homes, the most important
factor influencing indoor air quality is the presence of pollutant
sources. Commonly found office pollutants and their sources include
environmental tobacco smoke; asbestos from insulating and fire-retardant
building supplies; formaldehyde from pressed wood products; other
organics from building materials, carpet, and other office furnishings,
cleaning materials and activities, RESTROOM AIR FRESHENERS, paints,
adhesives, copying machines, and photography and print shops; biological
contaminants from dirty ventilation systems or water-damaged walls,
ceilings, and carpets; and pesticides from pest management practices.

**********************************************************************
  OTHER INFO RE: "AIR FRESHENERS", INCLUDING GLADE PLUG-INS
www.chetday.com/dangersairfreshener.htm 
www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/24245
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080709205747AAiBqF7
http://pbtb.blogspot.com/2007/01/who-knew-that-high-amounts-of-glade.html
www.quakerville.com/qic/q_glade.asp
www.silentmenace.com/-Air_Fresheners_.html
************************************************************************
                    FUMES FROM DRYER VENTS
(One other “fuming” concern brought to my attention via E-Mail)
Scented Laundry Products Emit Hazardous Chemicals Through Dryer Vents:
ScienceDaily (Aug. 24, 2011)
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824091537.htm
************************************************************************
                        FUMING MATTRESSES
8-30-11 I had a call about a brand new (expensive) mattress that was
delivered and had to be removed due to the strong odor that did not
dissipate after 24 hours of windows open etc. They had to call the store
and have it removed; even the removal guys complained that it was the
3rd one they had removed. The salesperson suggested getting a child to
jump up and down on the mattress to remove the gases????  Any idea what
is happening and are the gases harmful?  Tina

Reports Of Health Problems Linked To Chemicals Used In Mattresses:
http://chem-tox.com/guest/guestbook.html

Chemicals and VOC's in Mattresses: Many of these toxins accumulate in
the body and are never expelled...
www.myessentia.com/research/glues-toxic-components 

Toxins In Mattresses:  CBC News Feature on the toxins & synthetic flame
retardants found in mattresses. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_85SnXqoGE4

The Importance Of Natural Mattresses: Get The Toxins Out:
www.healthhomehappy.com/2011/02/the-importance-of-natural-mattresses-get-the-toxins-out.html

People For Clean Beds.org: People fighting to keep our mattresses
and bedding clean from toxic flame retardant chemicals
www.peopleforcleanbeds.org
*******************************************************************
        TOXIC CHEMICALS BEHIND 'NEW CAR SMELL': REPORT
    www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/03/26/new-car-smell.html

CBS News, March 26, 2007:  A new report from a U.S. environmental group
suggests the "new car smell" long beloved by the purchasers of vehicles
could be a sign of harmful chemicals inside the car.  Much of the smell
comes from plastics and materials used inside the car, from the steering
wheel to the dashboard to the carpets — parts often made with chemicals
including flame retardants, plasticizers and other chemicals that can
give off gas or leach into the environment.  The Ecology Centre, a
Michigan-based environmental group, tested components in the interiors
of 200 new-model cars for toxic chemicals including bromine, chlorine,
lead and other heavy metals. The chemicals "can be harmful when inhaled
or ingested and may lead to severe health impacts such as birth defects,
learning disabilities and cancer," the report notes.  The group rated
the cars according to relative level of health and environmental concern
associated with the chemicals in the vehicle, in comparison with other
vehicles tested. 

                    FIGHTING FUMES EFFECTIVELY

ELECTRONICALLY

1.      INSIDE YOUR HOME OR OFFICE

**SLANT FIN PURI-CLEAN 55 AIR PURIFIER PC-55 This desktop air purifier
provides quality multi-stage air purification with a pre-filter,
activated carbon filter, 3M Filtrete electrostatic filter and a negative
ion generator.  Price varies - shop around online.  We found it for a
“sale” price of $63.99 at one site, but then for $49.99 on sale
elsewhere.  NOTE:  Comes with a “fragrance dispenser” - Ignore that!  It
uses a RFP-55 Replacement Filter:  $8.99. 

**WEIN AS-250 SANI-MATE IONIZER/ SANITIZER.  Destroy airborne odors,
bacteria, viruses, molds, chemicals, smoke and allergens pennies a
month. Using corona-discharge technology to neutralize air pollutants,
Sani-Mate draws air inside at the rate of 70 feet per minute, then
cleans & refreshes it using bursts of electricity - simulating the
air-purifying effects of a lightning storm. Use in bathrooms, sick rooms
and more. Maintenance free with no parts to replace or filters to
change. USA.  Retail is $49.  We found sales online for $44 and $33.33.
Liberty tested this on nasty bathroom smells - and it worked!

2.      IN YOUR SMELLY CAR – AIR IONIZERS

www.ehealthsupplies.com/weinautoionizerairpurifieras1250-freeshipping.aspx

www.amazon.com/gp/search?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aautomobile+air+ionizers&keywords=automobile+air+ionizers&ie=UTF8&qid=1319555644&ajr=0


WITH MOTHER NATURE

1.      Get the book, “How to Grown Fresh Air”, on plants that absorb
chemicals naturally.  Buy it using Good Shop and generate a donation to
TIP (no cost to you).  Use link below.
http://toxicsinfo.org/tipstore.htm

2.      Zeolite – the marvelous mineral odor-absorber.
See: http://toxicsinfo.org/house/ZeoliteHandout.htm

ZEOLITE SOURCES

Try the following links to web resources for zeolite.  They can
probably answer your questions, and may even be able to direct you
to local retail sources if you want to seek those. (Those are very
hard to find on the web, but can sometimes be obtained from the
manufacturer/wholesale supplier).  Pet stores sometimes carry it.
(Though, not necessarily under the name Zeolite)

1. The Allergy Store, www.allergystore.com/odorcontrol.htm 

2.  Zeolite Depot Company, 58 Warren Street, Bloomfield, NJ  07003 
Phone 973-979-3876 (Mon - Fri  9:30am - 5:30pm EST)
(Sat & Sun 9 - 5 EST) (please place orders via our website
if possible, thank you) E-Mail:  ZeoliteDepot@AOL.com
http://volcanic_zeolite.tripod.com/index.htm

3. Zeodor, a division of All Service Contracting Corp., Illinois,
2024 E. Damon Ave. Decatur, Illinois 62526, http://zeodor.com
Toll Free: 1.888-233-3018 Fax: 217-233-3019

4. The Zeo Store, Box 491, Palos Heights IL 60463
Phone: 888-zeo-odor (936-6367) OR (312-357-9935)
E-mail: info@zeocrystal.com, E-Mail:  zeoboss1@aol.com
Website:  www.zeocrystal.com

5.  Nirvana Safe Haven, 3441 Golden Rain Rd., Suite 3
Walnut Creek, CA 94595, Tel. 800-968-9355
http://www.nontoxic.com/zeoliteodor/zeoliteodorcontrol.html

 

 

**************************************************************     
Liberty Goodwin, Director
Toxics Information Project   
P.O. Box 40572,
Providence, RI 02940
Tel. 401-351-9193
Website: www.toxicsinfo.org
***********************************************