Green Guy of Green with Envy Home Store

Formaldehyde and Asthma: Not in our Schools

As the summer winds down, many students are planning to return to school. Most students (and parents) are excited about this annual event. However, many students, about 6.2 million in the United States, are facing school with the challenges of Asthma. The disease can be triggered by many sources but a recent study by McGwin, Lienert and Kennedy in the March 2010 edition of Environmental Health Perspectives showed a link between formaldehyde exposure and Asthma in children. We have written about Formaldehyde in our past blogs and its adverse health effects including skin, eye and throat irritation. Children in our schools are facing chronic exposure to this chemical due to its use in the manufacture of furniture, particleboard and carpeting. The authors of the study were inspired by the concerns about the high levels of formaldehyde in the temporary trailers that were provided to displaced Gulf residents after Hurricane Katrina. The study, which involved 5,930 participants, showed an increase in asthma rates with rising rates of formaldehyde exposure. The authors believe that their results support a positive association between increased formaldehyde rates and risk of childhood asthma.

 

Green with Envy Home Store provides formaldehyde free alternatives with products from AFM Safecoat, Vermont Natural Coatings and Earthweave Carpet.  We ship nationwide.

New Website for Green with Envy Home Store

We rarely plug our own store, Green with Envy Home Store, on our blog.  We strive to provide  up to date, science based information to our clients and friends concerning many topics including toxins in our homes and businesses.  This is still our main focus on our blog but please take the time and visit our new site.  One of the great additons  is our shipping calculator.  You can easily figure out your  shipping charge before proceeding to checkout.  We are sure that our shipping charges are some of the lowest for our products in the United States. 

Scented Products and VOCs: Perfect Partners

During a recent search on Google Scholar, Green Guy of Green with Envy Home Store noticed an interesting article in Environmental Health Perspectives concerning scented consumer goods.  The author, Carol Potera, completed a great review of a study completed by the University of Washington, Seattle and published the results.  The article really shocked us at Green with Envy Home Store and we actually underestimated the amount of different chemicals in certain products.

A survey of selected scented consumer goods showed the products emitted more than 100 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including some that are classified as toxic or hazardous by federal laws. Even products advertised as “green,” “natural,” or “organic” emitted as many hazardous chemicals as standard ones.

Anne Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to analyze VOCs given off by the products. They tested 25 air fresheners, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, disinfectants, dish detergents, all-purpose cleaners, soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorants, and shampoos. Many of the products tested are top sellers in their category.

A single fragrance in a product can contain a mixture of hundreds of chemicals, some of which (e.g., limonene, a citrus scent) react with ozone in ambient air to form dangerous secondary pollutants, including formaldehyde. The researchers detected 133 different VOCs. Most commonly detected were limonene, α- and β-pinene (pine scents), and ethanol and acetone (often used as carriers for fragrance chemicals).

Steinemann and colleagues found the average number of VOCs emitted was 17. Each product emitted 1–8 toxic or hazardous chemicals, and close to half (44%) generated at least 1 of 24 carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants, such as acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, or methylene chloride.1 These hazardous air pollutants have no safe exposure level, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Of the 133 VOCs detected, only ethanol was listed on any label (for 2 products), and only ethanol and 2-butoxyethanol were listed on any Material Safety Data Sheet (for 5 products and 1 product, respectively).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and laundry products, currently does not require manufacturers to disclose any ingredients on the label, including fragrances in these products. The same is true for fragrances in personal care items, which are overseen by the Food and Drug Administration. The Household Product Labeling Act, currently under review in the U.S. Senate, would require manufacturers to label consumer products with all ingredients, including fragrance mixtures. “Disclosing all ingredients could be a first step to understanding potential toxicity and health effects,” says Steinemann.

Although the authors did not seek to assess whether use of any of the products studied would be associated with any risk, Steinemann says she receives hundreds of letters, phone calls, and e-mails from people who report a variety of respiratory, dermatological, and neurological problems they attribute to scented products: “Children have seizures after exposure to dryer sheets, and adults pass out around air fresheners,” she says. Steinemann and colleague Stanley M. Caress have written elsewhere that 19% of respondents across two U.S. telephone surveys reported health problems they attributed to air fresheners, and nearly 11% reported irritation they attributed to scented laundry products vented outdoors.

“It’s important to take people’s complaints seriously,” says Steinemann, because “these human experiences are helping to inform science.” One of her next projects will focus on biomarkers of exposure and effect to better understand how fragranced products may cause a range of adverse health effects. “The ultimate goal is to improve public health,” Steinemann says. For now, she recommends cleaning with basic supplies like vinegar and baking soda.

Steinemann’s study “strongly suggests that we need to find unscented alternatives for cleaning our homes, laundry, and ourselves,” says Claudia Miller, an allergist and immunologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. An expert in chemical sensitivity, or toxicant-induced loss of tolerance, Miller created the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory, a screening tool for chemical intolerance. According to Miller, products intended to keep homes smelling fresh can set people up for a lifetime of chemically induced illness, and repeated exposure to small amounts of household chemicals can trigger symptoms to previously tolerated chemicals. “The best smell is no smell,” Miller says.

 

Formaldehyde and Styrene added to list of Carcinogens

Green with Envy Home Store strives to provide our clients and blog readers with the most up to date information relating to products that we use in our homes and businesses. This is a great, straightforward article by Remy Molina of LiveScience.com describing the listing of two of our least favorite chemicals, Formaldehyde and Stryene, as carcinogens.    It is very ironic that we just published in our last blog on how to tame formaldehyde with AFM Safecoat Hard Seal!!Thanks to the United States Government for telling us something that we have known for years. 

The congressionally mandated report identifies substances that are either known to be human carcinogens or are reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. The new additions, announced on June 6, include formaldehyde and aristolochic acids, a family of acids that occur naturally in some plant species, which are now both considered known human carcinogens.

In addition to being used in medical laboratories and mortuaries as a preservative, formaldehyde is widely used to make resins for household items such as composite wood products, paper product coatings, plastics, synthetic fibers and textile finishes.

 

The six other additions, all of which fall into the second "anticipated" category, include:

• Captafol: a fungicide that had been used to control fungal diseases in fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, and grasses, and as a seed treatment. It has been banned in the United States since 1999, but past exposures may still have an effect on health.

• Cobalt-tungsten carbide (in powder or hard metal form): commonly referred to in the United States as cemented or sintered carbide, this substance is used to make cutting and grinding tools, and wear-resistant products for various industries, including oil and gas drilling, as well as mining.

• Certain inhalable glass wool fibers: include only those fibers that can enter the respiratory tract, are highly durable, and are biopersistent, meaning they remain in the lungs for long periods of time. The largest use of general purpose glass wool is for home and building insulation, which appears to be less durable and less biopersistent, and so less likely to cause cancer in humans.

• o-nitrotoluene: used as an intermediate in the preparation of azo dyes and other dyes, including magenta and various sulfur dyes for cotton, wool, silk, leather and paper; it is also used in preparing agricultural chemicals, rubber chemicals, pesticides, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and explosives.

• Riddelliine: found in certain plants of the genus Senecio, a member of the daisy family, grown in sandy areas in the western United States and other parts of the world. Though not used commercially in the United States, many species have been identified in herbal medicines and teas.

• Styrene: a synthetic chemical used worldwide in the manufacture of products such as rubber, plastic, insulation, fiberglass, pipes, automobile parts, food containers and carpet backing. People may be exposed to it by breathing indoor air with styrene vapors from building materials, tobacco smoke and other products. The greatest exposure to styrene in the general population is through cigarette smoking.

"Reducing exposure to cancer-causing agents is something we all want, and the Report on Carcinogens provides important information on substances that pose a cancer risk," Linda Birnbaum, director of both the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, said in a statement.

With these additions, the 12th Report on Carcinogens now includes 240 listings, which can all be found here. Each substance undergoes an extensive evaluation with numerous opportunities for scientific and public input before it is added to the report.

However, even if a substance is listed in the report, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will cause cancer. Many factors influence whether a person will develop cancer, including an individual's susceptibility to a particular substance, and the amount and duration of exposure to the substance.

 

AFM Safecoat Hard Seal Reduces Formaldehyde Offgassing

 

Green Guy of Green with Envy Home Store really enjoys the science of testing products claims made by the manufacturer.  AFM Safecoat Hard Seal was recently tested for its effectiveness in reducing formaldehyde offgassing.  The study involved MDF board with 3 coats of Hard Seal applied to the surface.  The control board was left untreated.  After 7 days of drying and curing, the boards were measured for formaldehyde offgassing.  The control board measured 1.414 mg/L of formaldehyde, which is considered a very high reading.  The Hard Seal treated board measured .053 mg/l, which is considered an extremely low reading.  The Hard Seal reduced the formaldehyde offgassing by a whopping 96% in the experiment.  The experiment was conducted using proper scientific protocols and instruments. 

 

Green with Envy Home Store uses Hard Seal on a daily basis and noticed these results without the scientific study.  Many of our customers praise Hard Seal and feedback concerning the product is always positive.   Green with Envy Home Store in Hillsborough, NJ ships nationwide and always has a supply of Hard Seal in our inventory. 

Waldorf School of Princeton May Fair Saturday May 14, 11am to 4 pm

Green with Envy Home Store will be exhibiting at the Waldorf School of Princeton May Fair on Saturday May 14.  The School is located at 1062 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.  PLenty of fun for the kids and homemade crafts.  Please stop over at our booth and check out some of our new products. 

How Healthy is Spray Foam Insulation?

Green with Envy Home Store likes to pass on relevant information to our clients and readers and a great article from Peter Yost of BuildingGreen.com continues this tradition.  His article,  “EPA Takes Action on Spray-Foam Health Risks”  is a great example of how more and more “green” products are finally being scrutinized by the EPA.  The Building Green website is a great source for many of your green building  questions and Green with Envy Home Store regulary uses the site. The following is Peter's excellent investigative article:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new action plan for chemicals used in spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation.  Isocyanates, such as MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate), are highly reactive chemicals that can cause skin, eye, and lung irritation, asthma, and chemical sensitization when absorbed through the skin or inhaled.

When SPF is applied on a job site, both the ingredients and the byproducts of the process involve potentially toxic emissions that require protective measures for workers as well as any occupants. This is not news: worker protection protocols and quality assurance programs for SPF installation were developed by the SPF industry decades ago. Why the fuss now?

“There has been an increase in recent years in promoting the use of foams and sealants by do-it-yourself energy-conscious homeowners, and many people may now be unknowingly exposed to risks from these chemicals,” Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, told EBN. You can add to that a growing number of complaints about adverse health effects from homeowners and occupants of office buildings where SPF has been applied during energy retrofits.

The EPA chemical action plan

EPA’s SPF action plan for MDI is being developed within its Design for the Environment (DfE) program under jurisdiction from the Toxic Chemical Substances Act (TCSA), which requires U.S. chemical manufacturers, importers, processors, and distributors to report to EPA any information suggesting that one of their chemicals “presents a substantial risk of injury to health or the environment.”

While the reported data is technically public information, penetrating it is very difficult, in some measure because manufacturers often claim confidentiality for proprietary components in their chemical formulations. But the cumulative evidence to date has moved EPA to take real action on this issue. The plan calls for the agency to:

issue a data call-in from manufacturers of reports they have received of significant adverse health effects (TCSA requires EPA notification but not submission of all data);

consider issuing a test rule requiring exposure monitoring studies for MDI;

consider initial rulemaking for both consumer-applied and professionally applied SPF products;

and consider identifying additional chemical substances that may be present in uncured form in consumer products.

The action plan leaves open questions about how far EPA will go to clamp down on these products, but it’s safe to think of this as a shot across the bow from EPA for the SPF industry.

Safe re-entry times

In addition to the presence of MDI in the product, the chemical reaction and curing of SPF can produce other chemicals of concern: excess isocyanates, aldehydes, amine catalysts, and other volatile organic compounds. We don’t know much about the nature and quantities of offgassing of these substances, the curing rates of SPF, or how health risks can change with improper environmental conditions or mixing ratios during the SPF process. To that end, there is a new ASTM standard under development. John Sebrowski, a senior associate scientist with Bayer MaterialScience and chair of the task group working on this ASTM standard, is helping develop a standard practice to establish re-occupancy times after onsite SPF application. “We are currently getting ready to conduct research using micro-scale chambers and thermal desorption techniques to measure emissions,” he told EBN.

When asked what relationship the current ASTM draft standard and research might have to the existing protocol offered by Bayer MaterialScience (which recommends re-occupancy times of 12 hours and 24 hours for workers and occupants, respectively), Sebrowski responded that the protocol would be used as a starting point, but “we are also investigating other approaches to measuring the emissions.”

According to EPA, safe re-entry times put forward by manufacturers vary between 8–24 hours for one-component SPF and 23–72 hours for two-component SPF. But more research and standardized testing is clearly needed. EPA is not working alone on this issue; several other federal agencies—including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission—are part of the team. Each is concerned about protecting workers or consumers from health effects from the increasingly prevalent site-applied SPF.

Should we stop using SPF?

“I think you have to be careful when you discuss the toxicity of spray foam,” says David Price, environmental scientist in the indoor environment division of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “I have not seen any information at this point that there is any hazard to occupants.” While Price supports EPA’s decision to gather data on possible post-occupancy issues with SPF, he doesn’t want the public to “find the accused guilty before you hear the case.” Price has seen some of the anecdotal evidence as well as some of the scientific findings, and says that no cause-effect relationship has yet been found between SPF installation and post-occupancy illnesses. “It’s appropriate for EPA to look at this stuff; that’s what we do,” Price told EBN. “But I’m very sensitive about tagging a product as ‘of concern’ or ‘may be toxic’” before the data has been gathered and reviewed.

EBN contacted several builders and foam industry professionals, and found that most were unwilling to be quoted on an issue they deemed sensitive and still-unfolding. One leading green remodeler offered this perspective: “I have stopped using SPF in any of my projects at this point. I simply can’t and won’t jeopardize my clients’ health and the reputation of my company by using building materials with the emissions profile of SPF.”

What Color Should We Pick? Helpful Hints from Green with Envy Home Store

Green with Envy Home Store is constantly asked about what colors to use when painting a bedroom, bathroom or even a pet’s room.  The parameters are endless but our research found a very useful article, “Color and Light: Using Light to Help Color” by Debbie Zimmer of the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute.   Some tips about light and color:

*Always look at colors in artificial and natural sunlight. Colors look darker when light is in short supply.  The best choice may be a lighter color when comparing 2 different tones.

*Take into account the time of day the room is in use.  Breakfast areas may have morning light while a family room may be used only in the evening when artificial light is present. 

*Different lighting affects paint color in different ways.  Changing of the room’s lighting is one factor that many homeowners do not factor into a color decision.

*After dark, incandescent light tends to soften darker colors while fluorescent lighting tends to make the color seem cooler.  Warm colors like red, orange and yellow will take a blue cast in fluorescent light while dark blues and greens look even darker.

*Halogen lighting is the closest to daylight and tends to look similar to the color that you have selected.  This type of lighting is used in many museums and art galleries.

*Paint does affect lighting.  White and pastel colors reflect natural and artificial light to brighten a space while dark shades tend to absorb light.  More lighting may be necessary in a room to avoid the room from looking to dark and gloomy. 

Some think that picking colors is just a lucky decision but we hope that this article helps you select the correct paint for your project.  Please feel free to contact Green with Envy Home Store with you eco paint needs. 

Upcoming Green and Street Fairs for Green with Envy Home Store 2011: Free Product Delivery

Many of of our web visitors and clients are asking us about upcoming street fairs and green events in New Jersey that we will be attending in the next few months. We are very similar to many indie bands and add dates as the weather  warms up nd we learn of new events.   These are the events so far:

April 10 Montgomery Earth Day Fair

May 21 Founders Day, Basking Ridge

May 22 Highland Park Street Fair

June 5 Metuchen Street Fair

June 11 Westfield Street Fair

Many clients have ordered material and picked it up at the street fairs.  This is a very simple process and really cuts down on shipping charges and our carbon footprints.  Simply call or mail Green with Envy Home Store and we will have your order ready for pickup.  It is that simple!!

The Myth of Green Paint: Why We Sell AFM Safecoat Part 2

Andy Pace, a fellow AFM Safecoat dealer, adds his great knowledge and expertise to our conversation about green building products and the alphabet soup concerning certification groups.  I thought his blog would benefit the readers and clients of Green with Home Store.  Here we go!!

As a regular columnist for Green Building Product Dealer magazine, I receive hundreds of emails every month asking for my opinion on various green building subjects. While I try to be neutral and give answers that are not too much of a free advertisement for a specific manufacturer, once in a while, its just unavoidable. Considering the amount misinformation being spewed across the Internet these days, I thought it was a good time for throwing my 2 cents worth into the cloud to see what comes back. Please enjoy this exchange with a reader in Illinois…

Q: Andy, I’ve been in the market for healthier interior paint and have received differing opinions on what I should be looking for. Do these “certifications” I see on some of the cans tell me anything? Who or what can I trust?

A: While this answer might get a little technical for some folks, I’ll guarantee that it WILL get opinionated. But, ask and you shall receive.

Those of you who have read my columns over the years are probably well aware of my skepticism over any of the “gatekeepers” of our industry, whether the LEED programs, NAHB’s checklist or, most notably, third-party product certifiers. While many of these were started with noble intentions of reducing emissions and improving the outdoor air, I believe they are failing miserably when it comes to protecting the health of the human occupants.

Let me give you a prime example: the VOC regulations. I wont bore you with the all the details (email me if you want the whole enchilada), but here’s the synopsis… VOC’s are regulated by the EPA solely because of their propensity to react with nitrogen and UV to create low-level smog. It is the EPA’s goal to improve the environment…the OUTDOOR environment. The EPA is not the Human protection agency. If they were looking out for us lowly humans, they would have addressed things like formaldehyde years ago. (Note to self: don’t ask for more regulations, as it usually only makes things worse…like the VOC issue.) Now that manufacturers are being forced to reduce the amount of VOC’s in their paints, they are free to use hundreds of other chemicals that may (or may not) be hazardous to us humans…just as long as they don’t pollute the outdoor environment. Does this make sense to you? Me neither.

Enter the gatekeepers, who facilitate this approach. USGBC’s LEED program uses VOC content as its primary metric for whether or not a product can be used. All of the third-party certifiers (Green Seal, Greenguard and Scientific Certification Systems) have created testing protocols (along with some pretty hefty fees) for determining whether or not a product is worthy of use, which again focus extensively on VOC’s.

Worse, many paint companies, in an effort to jump on the green bandwagon, have started to self-certify their products. This means that they belong to a trade association with other paint manufacturers who have decided to write their own rules, just so they can put a 'Green Certification' on their cans. Works great for people who actually believe just about everything they read. In my opinion, third party certification of a paint product, particularly by an industry created certifier, proves absolutely NOTHING when it comes to human health.

I’ve come under some fire from readers who feel that I have “interests” in recommending products that I write about. I’ll make no bones about it…. I’m a fan of AFM Safecoat. Heck, I even sell their products in my stores. Why, you ask? I didn’t make that decision because some of some third party or industry certifier. I sell AFM because my customers like their products…pretty simple. Beyond that, they are not a bandwagon rider who just decided to put some eco-verbiage on the label to attract the un-educated. AFM literally has a 30-year history of successful use with folks with allergies, asthma, chemical injury, autism, depressed immune systems, etc. Most importantly, AFM is the only paint company that hasn’t sold out their ethics just to make a buck. And in this economy, that says a lot. AFM doesn’t spend millions of dollars on celebrity endorsers or other hollow endeavors. They’d rather focus their attention on the formulations and the folks who need them.

A representative from just about every brand of so-called environmental paint has walked through my front door, looking for my endorsement and my business. I evaluated every one of them and based my decision upon what I believe is best for my customers. If that makes me biased, good. I’m proud of it.