Dear Friends, This has been quite a week! Due to technical difficulties beyond my control, parts of my websites have been down. In particular, if you tried to visit Debra's List by using www.debraslist.com it would have failed to connect. I'm happy to report that everything is reconnected now, but due to the disconnection for almost a week, and the fact that I couldn't get into the website at all to make changes, there are no new links on Debra's List today. The good news is that I have finally found a super search engine that will make it much easier to find what you are looking for across all my websites. I'm going to be working on getting that up and going for the next couple of weeks and hope to report in the next newsletter that it is functioning fabulously! Debra :-)
HOME HEALTH & HABITAT ~ 3 May 2005
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AT HOME WITH DEBRA: My Home Office I've been working at home for over twenty years. It gives me complete freedom to create my own office environment that is safe for my health and better for the environment. Come see my choices walls and floors, my furniture and office machines and office supplies, and get some good ideas for your home office.
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Sick of Dust--A New Report on Toxic Chemicals Found in House Dust A new study, just released in March 2005, shows that seven groups of toxic chemicals--phthalates, alkylphenols, pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl esters, organotines, and perfluorinated chemicals--were found to be present in the vacuum dust of all sample homes tested. Most significant to me was that phthalates, which are used primarily as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride plastics (PVC)--also known as "vinyl"--made up nearly 90 percent of the total concentration of chemicals found in the dust. The coalition of groups from seven states are calling for greater government education and response from industry, however, in the meantime, each of us can reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals by following the guidelines in Home Safe Home and choosing nontoxic products from Debra's List.
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MSG Alert Years ago, it was easy to avoid MSG--you simply asked the waiter at the Chinese restaurant to leave it out. And you could spot it on food labels. Today, MSG is hidden in everything from foods to cosmetics, in vegetarian and organic foods, and appears under many aliases. It causes or contributes to many illnesses. It is virtually everywhere. It's time to take another look at MSG. You may be exposed to and affected by MSG and not know it. Truth and Labeling Campaign ~ Tons of information on all aspects of MSG... Hidden Sources of MSG (you'll be surprised)... MSG is being sprayed right on fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, and vegetables as they grow...
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Reader Tips Thanks to readers who sent in these tips: How to Repel Ants So They Don't Come Back Clean Salad Spinner With Baking Soda
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Q&A - How Do I Clean and Polish Leather Shoes? I have a question that's been vexing me for years. Is there a safe, commercial shoe polish? My shoes all need polishing, but I keep putting it off because I don't want to use conventional polish. I've asked a number of people about alternatives but have never found anything. I'd really like something specifically for my black and my brown shoes, not just some all-purpose coating. Please help!!! Thank you,
J. S.
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Q&A - How Do I Remove Mold from Shower Tiles? How do I remove mold from the shower floor tile? I have accidentally breathed in fumes taking care of this chore, and wonder how I can avoid this. M. G.
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Q&A - Do You Know of a Natural Sealer for My Wood Cutting Board? We're installing a butcher block counter top in our kitchen. Do you know of a product we can apply to protect and condition the wood? We thought of mineral oil, but you recommend against that in your book Home Safe Home. What do you suggest?
P.S.
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The new, revised, edition of
Home Safe Home is now available
in bookstores nationwide.
Home Safe Home tells what toxic chemicals are generally found in specific household products of all types, and safe solutions you can buy or make at home. It's different from other books on toxic chemicals because the focus really is what you can do to protect yourself and your family and create a healthy home. I bring over twenty years of research and personal real-life experience to this book.
*
More
information
* 10
Simple, Inexpensive
Things You Can Do To Reduce Household Toxics
* How Toxic is Your Home? Quiz (excerpt
from the
book)
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