his Q&A blog is open for all to participate. Feel free to ask your own questions and answer questions posted by others. I know all of you have a wealth of information and experience on healthy living and you are welcome to share it here. 
Water
Washing dishes
I always hand wash my dishes in hot water; I don't really use the dishwasher. Do you recommend using gloves? We have the Radiant Life whole house water filtration system, as well as the water purification system ( for drinking). However, I am concerned it's not enough after reading the section on water in "Home Safe Home." I am wondering if I should protect my hands from chemicals that migt still be present. Also, do you still use Castile soap for dishes? I bought Dr. Bronner's liquid soap to wash dishes and baby bottles/ parts, but notice it's not 100% pure. What do you recommend? Thank you!
I personally wash my dishes by hand in the same water I shower in, because it all goes through my whole house filter. Sounds like you have the same situation. I don't use additional gloves. I also don't soak my hands in water. I just put the soap in one of the pots or bowl, dip the sponge in, the wash the item with the sponge, and rinse.
What part of Dr Bronner's organic liquid soap do you think is not pure? I just looked at the ingredient list. Looks pure to me.
Flexible Stainless Steel Water Connectors
I am trying to decide if it is healthier and/or worth the expense to change the flexible plastic (PVC?) hose connectors that connect the piped water supply to the faucets for each sink for the flexible stainless steel ones. It appears as if the "rubber" lining of these stainless connectors is EPDM rubber. Is that really a superior choice in terms of health? Thank you for your analysis/advice.
First of all, the flexible hose could be PVC, polyurethane, or polyethylene, each of which has a different degree of toxicity. So I can't evaluate this without knowing which plastic it is.
EPDM rubber is ethylene propylene diene Monomer (M-class) rubber. Ethylene and propylene are both low toxicity plastics. However, I looked at the MSDS for EPDM rubber and it lists some other ingredients. It warns that there could be a cancer hazard if the rubber is heated.
So I'm not sure there's much difference if both are in contact with hot water. But, hot water rushing through is unlikely to release emissions.
Study Shows Which Water Bottles Leach BPA
We all know to avoid clear plastic water bottles because they leach endocrine-disruptor BPA into the water, but what about the alternatives?
A new study by the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine was done to find out whether or not water bottles claiming to be "BPA-free" really are. The researchers used old (but unused) polycarbonate and resin-lined aluminum bottles that they had put in storage several years earlier, along with new BPA-free “Tritan” plastic bottles (by Nalgene), stainless steel bottles (by Sigg) and new “EcoCare” resin-lined aluminum bottles (by Sigg). They also purchased some new aluminum water bottles.
Room-temperature water was storied in three bottles of each type for five days and another set of bottles was filled with boiling water (and then let the water cool to room temperature over the next day).
Levels of BPA were below the limit of detection for the new Sigg and Nalgene bottles.
The old polycarbonate bottles leached 0.17 to 0.3 nanograms of BPA per milliliter of water during the room temperature tests. The old aluminum bottles with an epoxy-resin liner leached 0.59 to 0.14 nanograms per milliliter.
Brand-new epoxy-resin-lined aluminum water bottles leached up to six times more BPA than the worst-leaching polycarbonate bottle and more than 10 times as much BPA as the polycarbonate-plastic bottle that had leached the least.
Hot water quadrupled BPA leaching over what occurred when water had been kept at or below room temperature.
The bottles that had been sold as BPA-free in fact did not leach the steroid-hormone-mimicking pollutant.
Poly B Water Pipes
A reader sent me this question this week:
We are looking at buying a new home and one we are interested in has Poly B pipes. Anything I read online is concerns of the pipes not lasting. However, my concern is more with the fact that my water is flowing through unsafe plastic. Do you know anything about it? Thanks so much, Jennifer
Polu B is polybutylene plastic.
Here is the MSDS: www.plasticsmadesimple.com/DataSheets/PBT_MSDS.pdf
I don't see any health effects mentioned here, however, 25% of it is polycarbonate which contains BPA (endocrine distruptor).
BUT water is rushing through these pipes, so there is no time for leaching.
An extra precaution would be to not drink the water that has been sitting in the pipes overnight.
water bottles....AGAIN
So I'm using glass as much as possible.
But I have kids who run around outside a lot and wanted to know if its better to use the stainless steel versions like Kleen Kanteen or a BPA free plastic for these outdoor periods?
I assume that the leaching is more problematic when heated, is that right? But which one is more resistant?
It's hot year round here, bottles are often left in the scorching sun or baking in a bag.
Thanks!
I can't evaluate which is the lesser of the two evils.
Sitting in the sun would release more plastic when heated, so I would probably go with the stainless steel, if those were the only options.
Best whole house water filter for well water? Reverse osmosis or not?
I've read conflicting information about whether reverse osmosis would be good or not for chemical sensitivities and a whole house filter for well water. We need advice. What would be the ideal house water filter system (brand names welcome) for someone who is severely sensitive, and for living on a well system that could have icky stuff in it (e.g. dead animals were in our cistern for a while).
The first thing you need to do is have your water tested to find out what you need to remove. If you are on a well, you don't need to remove chlorine, or chloramines, for example, because they are not in the water naturally.
Go to the National Testing Laboratories website. Call them and let them help you choose the correct test for your well water. When the results come back, you can then make an intelligent decision about a whole house water filter.
EWG 2011 Bottled Water Guide
Environmental Working Group recommends that you drink filtered tap water and not bottled water. Find out why.
CDC Lowers Optimal Level of Fluoride in Drinking Water
ASSOCIATED PRESS: US says too much fluoride in water
A government study found about 2 out of 5 adolescents have tooth streaking or spottiness because of too much fluoride. In some extreme cases, teeth can even be pitted by fluoride.
Most communities have fluoride in their water supplies, and it is in toothpaste too. Some kids are also given fluoride supplements.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is announced a proposal to change the recommended fluoride level to 0.7 milligrams per liter of water. And the Environmental Protection Agency will review whether the maximum cutoff of 4 milligrams per liter is too high.
The standard since 1962 has been a range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the splotchy tooth condition, fluorosis, is unexpectedly common in kids ages 12 through 15. And it appears to have grown much more common since the 1980s.
Other concerns...A scientific report five years ago said that people who consume a lifetime of too much fluoride — an amount over EPA's limit of 4 milligrams — can lead to crippling bone abnormalities and brittleness.
Electric water heater and electric boiler recommendations?
We need an electric water heater and I've been searching for glass lined/magnesium anode. But they all have a plastic dip tube in them - all.
Anyone have recommendations of electric water heaters that have worked for them?
Also seeking recs for electric boilers. Looking at Slant Fin and Allied.
Readers?
optimal water source
Hi Debra and readers,
I am trying to identify the best source of drinking water for my family. We live in a highrise so a personal full home filtration system is not feasible. We currently drink spring water out of glass bottles from different brands including Mountain Valley, Saratoga Springs, Aqua Panna, Voss. I am wondering if it is best to continue doing this (and spending lots of money) or if a Brita or other very basic tap filter would suffice and be healthier and more environmentally friendly. I want to drink the cleanest water possible so if that means buying glass-bottled spring water then that is ok, but if the Brita water is just as clean then I will make the switch. thank you.
In my opinion, water from a Brita filter is not as clean as Mountain Valley Spring Water. In addition, filtering tap water is not the same as drinking spring water from a glass bottle.
In my opinion, you're already doing the best thing for your situation.
