Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Check out my new website
Friends, I am happy to announce that my new website for self-help information on mold control is now up. I took a brief sabbatical from the blog to finish the website. Do check it out. I'll be putting up a new section on the site in a few days. The new section is entitled "Dream House," describing construction that is low risk for mold and energy efficient. Do check back soon.
Labels: www.mold-control-on-a-budget.com
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Tea Tree Oil, Lavender, and Abnormal Breast Development (Gynecomastia) in Males
A new study has found an estrogen-like effect on the breasts of pre-pubescent boys from personal care products containing tea tree oil and lavender. These ingredients may be found in some shampoos, lotions, soaps, and other products.
When the skin- and hair-care products were stopped, concerns with abnormal breast development issues evaporated.
This information was published in ScoutNews, 6/28/06, and reported in Our Toxic Times, Volume 18, Number 5, May 2007, by Amanda Gardner, "Personal-Care Products Can Spur Breast Development in Boys."
When the skin- and hair-care products were stopped, concerns with abnormal breast development issues evaporated.
This information was published in ScoutNews, 6/28/06, and reported in Our Toxic Times, Volume 18, Number 5, May 2007, by Amanda Gardner, "Personal-Care Products Can Spur Breast Development in Boys."
Lime Used as an Encapsulant at a Woodmere Mold Testing Investigation Inspection
An "encapsulant" is basically something that serves as a mold-resistant coating. Since mold puts down "roots," into a substrate (the material it grows on), you can clean off the surface but unless you apply an encapsulant, the roots may grow back.
There are several choices for encapsulants. You could apply a conventional mold remediation product with a pesticide (mildewcide). You could apply a "green" product that kills mold on contact. Or you could apply a "green" product that may not be effective in the long-term.
Since I don't want to substitute one toxin for another (chemical pesticide for mold), my choice is a lime-based product. The Alistagen company offers one such product, Caliwel, which is made of lime plus a binder which extends the effective lifetime of the lime. I have seen Caliwel kills mold on contact, under the microscope. Alistagen offers a contractors' discount to mold remediators and other contractors. I have no financial interest in Caliwel/Alistagen.
For the person on a strict budget, an alternative might be whitewash, which likely wouldn't last as long. Do a search for "whitewash + recipe," and wear goggles if mixing hydrated lime. I have no experience in working with whitewash.
Other "green" products, such as comprised of enzymes, herbs, spices, etc., may be fine for cleaning surfaces, but I have yet to find one that serves as an effective encapsulant.
There are several choices for encapsulants. You could apply a conventional mold remediation product with a pesticide (mildewcide). You could apply a "green" product that kills mold on contact. Or you could apply a "green" product that may not be effective in the long-term.
Since I don't want to substitute one toxin for another (chemical pesticide for mold), my choice is a lime-based product. The Alistagen company offers one such product, Caliwel, which is made of lime plus a binder which extends the effective lifetime of the lime. I have seen Caliwel kills mold on contact, under the microscope. Alistagen offers a contractors' discount to mold remediators and other contractors. I have no financial interest in Caliwel/Alistagen.
For the person on a strict budget, an alternative might be whitewash, which likely wouldn't last as long. Do a search for "whitewash + recipe," and wear goggles if mixing hydrated lime. I have no experience in working with whitewash.
Other "green" products, such as comprised of enzymes, herbs, spices, etc., may be fine for cleaning surfaces, but I have yet to find one that serves as an effective encapsulant.
What is a HEPA Vacuum Cleaner?
"HEPA" stands for "high efficiency particulate arrestor." "Arrestor" means that the filter stops, or "arrests," debris from passing through the filter back into room air.
A HEPA filter catches dust and doesn't let tiny particulates pass through it back into room air. Many vacuum cleaner manufacturers now offer HEPA models. Generally, canister styles are seen as preferred over uprights. The chassis must be sealed, so that air doesn't leak out through cracks.
A HEPA filter removes 99.97% of dust and other particulates from the airstream. Vacuum cleaners that are not HEPA vacuum cleaners typically recycle many tiny particulates back into room air. One client said her cough was 80% better just by upgrading to a HEPA vacuum cleaner.
I test vacuum cleaner exhausts with a laser particle counter. That is, my instrument counts the dust particles in exhaust air. With a HEPA vacuum cleaner, the count is close to zero. With other vacuum cleaners, it can range up very high, to the tens of thousands or more.
A HEPA filter catches dust and doesn't let tiny particulates pass through it back into room air. Many vacuum cleaner manufacturers now offer HEPA models. Generally, canister styles are seen as preferred over uprights. The chassis must be sealed, so that air doesn't leak out through cracks.
A HEPA filter removes 99.97% of dust and other particulates from the airstream. Vacuum cleaners that are not HEPA vacuum cleaners typically recycle many tiny particulates back into room air. One client said her cough was 80% better just by upgrading to a HEPA vacuum cleaner.
I test vacuum cleaner exhausts with a laser particle counter. That is, my instrument counts the dust particles in exhaust air. With a HEPA vacuum cleaner, the count is close to zero. With other vacuum cleaners, it can range up very high, to the tens of thousands or more.
"What's Best for Cleaning Off Mold?" asks a Client at a Lawrence Mold Testing Investigation
Many people believe that chlorinated bleach is the best product for killing mold. Is this so?
In my experience, a 10% chlorinated bleach solution is a mediocre product for cleaning off mold. It ranks with hydrogen peroxide and soap and water. A 100% bleach solution can be effective (as long as you also wipe off the surface) but the health concerns from breathing in strong chlorine are probably more significant than the mold. I would NOT advise working with a strong bleach solution.
There's an easy, much healthier way to remove mold from a surface. First, HEPA vacuum to remove loose mold material. Then, scrub the surface (in 1-2 square foot segments) with a Borax solution (1 cup per gallon of water), followed immediately by wiping off residual moisture and debris with a clean rag. The abrasive nature of Borax cleans the surface like a charm. You don't have to kill the mold. Just get rid of it.
Depending on the surface, other issues may be involved. Maybe the contaminated material should be removed, not scrubbed. Or, maybe mold "roots" are present in the contaminated material. You can clean off the surface, but the roots have to be encapsulated. For a primer on mold, order a pre-publishing copy of Mold Control on a Budget, by May Dooley. Send an email to may@createyourhealthyhome.com to be notified when the manual is ready.
In my experience, a 10% chlorinated bleach solution is a mediocre product for cleaning off mold. It ranks with hydrogen peroxide and soap and water. A 100% bleach solution can be effective (as long as you also wipe off the surface) but the health concerns from breathing in strong chlorine are probably more significant than the mold. I would NOT advise working with a strong bleach solution.
There's an easy, much healthier way to remove mold from a surface. First, HEPA vacuum to remove loose mold material. Then, scrub the surface (in 1-2 square foot segments) with a Borax solution (1 cup per gallon of water), followed immediately by wiping off residual moisture and debris with a clean rag. The abrasive nature of Borax cleans the surface like a charm. You don't have to kill the mold. Just get rid of it.
Depending on the surface, other issues may be involved. Maybe the contaminated material should be removed, not scrubbed. Or, maybe mold "roots" are present in the contaminated material. You can clean off the surface, but the roots have to be encapsulated. For a primer on mold, order a pre-publishing copy of Mold Control on a Budget, by May Dooley. Send an email to may@createyourhealthyhome.com to be notified when the manual is ready.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Missing Boys + Endocrine Disrupters
The proportion of boys to girls is getting less. Fewer boys were born over the past three decades in the United States and in Japan. The "shortfall" in boys now stands at more than a quarter of a million boys.
What is happening to create this loss? One strong suspicion is that fetuses are being exposed to endocrine disrupter chemicals. For example, the area with the most skewed ratio, where almost twice as many girls as boys are being born, is Sarnia, Canada, in a community downwind of petrochemical plants. The suspicion is that "males during fetal development may be more sensitive to pollutants that mimic hormones, leading to increased fetal deaths and reproductive problems later for the surviving males." These findings could also "be linked to the increasing number of other male reproductive problems, such as falling sperm counts and rising testicular cancer rates."
Other factors may be rising obesity rates, older parental age, growing stress levels, and the increasing number of children being conceived using fertility aides.
This study was led by Devra Lee Davis, a prominent epidemiologist and director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Information for this blog came from an article, "Endocrine Disrupters May be Answer to the Mystery of the Missing Boys," by Martin Mittelstaedt, CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc, April 11, 2007, reprinted in Our Toxic Times, Volume 18, Number 5. The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer reviewed journal of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
What is happening to create this loss? One strong suspicion is that fetuses are being exposed to endocrine disrupter chemicals. For example, the area with the most skewed ratio, where almost twice as many girls as boys are being born, is Sarnia, Canada, in a community downwind of petrochemical plants. The suspicion is that "males during fetal development may be more sensitive to pollutants that mimic hormones, leading to increased fetal deaths and reproductive problems later for the surviving males." These findings could also "be linked to the increasing number of other male reproductive problems, such as falling sperm counts and rising testicular cancer rates."
Other factors may be rising obesity rates, older parental age, growing stress levels, and the increasing number of children being conceived using fertility aides.
This study was led by Devra Lee Davis, a prominent epidemiologist and director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Information for this blog came from an article, "Endocrine Disrupters May be Answer to the Mystery of the Missing Boys," by Martin Mittelstaedt, CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc, April 11, 2007, reprinted in Our Toxic Times, Volume 18, Number 5. The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer reviewed journal of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
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