ANSWERS TO HEALTHY KITCHEN KNOW-HOW QUIZ
(From Toxics Information Project (TIP),
P.O. Box 40572, Providence, RI 02940,
Tel. 401-351-9193,
E-Mail: TIP@toxicsinfo.org, Website: www.toxicsinfo.org )
1. To find the hole he got through & close it up. ("Home, Safe Home", Debra Lynn Dadd, 1997 P.112)
“If you have ants, follow the line of ants around to see where they’re coming in, then seal up the hole with white glue.”
2. "Air Freshener" (HSH P. 103)
“Most air fresheners don’t “freshen the air at all – they cover up the offensive odor with a more pleasant one, or interfere with your ability to smell by releasing a nerve-deadening agent or coating your nasal passages with undetectable oil film. While little (if any) scientifice research has been done of the health effects of air fresheners, they are made from a number of chemicals known to be toxic in amounts larger than is found in an air freshener: naphthalene, phenol, cresol, ethanol, xylene and formaldehyde.”
3. Almost all, but not Bon Ami It contains no chlorine, perfume or dye.
(HSH P. 103, & the product label)
4. The same one found on a chlorine bleach bottle: Never mix chlorine with ammonia – the resulting chloramines fumes can be deadly.
(How to Clean Practically Anything, Consumer Reports Books, 1996, P. 102-103)
“Ammonia is hidden in many cleaning products, so you may not always know that you’re mixing them. You could, for instance, use an all-purpose cleaner with ammonia in your toilet bowl, then sprinkle in some scouring powder. The combination is of course less of a hazard than if you poured chlorine bleach into the toilet bowl with the ammonia, but even the level of chloramines fumes produced by ammonia and scouring powder could be dangerous…”
5. Only (a) is true. (HTCPA, P. 51, 49, 48)
“The granular lye products may even create their own blockages. If you pour in more than the recommended amount, there’s a chance the granules will form a solid mass. You or the plumber may then be forced to remove the original obstruction and the cake of lye.”
“Most [biological] treatments require two to five initial applications to get the bug colony established. After that, some bacteria are regularly washed out as the drain is used, so all treatments recommend a regular monthly “maintenance” application. Avoid pouring boiling water, bleach, disinfectants, solvents and other enemies of bacteria down a treated drain.”
“Pouring boiling water into a drain is unlikely to clear a clog, but a weekly dose of boiling water can be effective to maintain a freely running drain.”
6. Peanuts. (Diet for a Poisoned Planet, David Steinman, 1990, P. 43)
“Peanuts had 183 residues in sixteen samples, representing seventeen different formulations or their environmental metabolites. Most frequently detected pesticides were chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dicloran, dieldrin, fonofos, HCB, malathion, pentachloroaniline, penta, quintozene, tecnazene, and toxaphene. Less frequently detected were BHC, chlorpropham, DDT, heptachlor, and tetrachlorobenzenes.”
7. All three are true. (DPP, P. 79)
“Physicians studying the problem found that removing chicken and milk from the children’s diets significantly reduced symptoms. An independent investigation of supermarket meats in Puerto Rico by a university researcher indicated extremely high estrogen levels in some samples of pork and chicken. Other researchers found synthetic hormones circulating in the bloodstream of the children.”
8. Only a. and b. are true; c. is false – it is used on furniture. (HSH, P. 101, HTCPA, P. 78)
“Consumers Union’s recipes can equal or best many of the aerosols, sprays, and premoistened towels in the stores….The Lemon Formula – works for lightly soiled windows. Mix 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in 1 gallon of water.”
“Interestingly enough, Consumer Reports found that plain water is more effective than half the commercial glass cleaners on the market!”
