Free Carbon Monoxide Alarms Available!

The Air Quality office now has home carbon monoxide alarms available for the Grand Portage community. These alarms detect dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that causes thousands of deaths each year. These are battery powered alarms similar to smoke detectors and should be placed near the bedrooms of the home. These detectors are required in all new construction but many older homes lack them and this could be deadly. I also have equipment to test your appliances and check for carbon monoxide production.

Please stop by my office or give me a call and I will install it for you. My office number is 475-2027 and is located at 27 Store Road in the Trust Lands building.

Free Radon Monitors Available!

The Air Quality office now has free radon monitors available now for the Grand Portage community. These monitors test the air in the home over a period of time and are then mailed in for analysis. Since home ventilation levels vary over the seasons a one-year test is the most accurate but the detector can be analyzed with as little as a 14 day exposure. Here is how the company describes them:

Each RSSI Alpha-track radon gas detector contains a detector element, called a foil.  When radon atoms decay inside the detector, they release alpha particles.  If the alpha particles strike the foil, they make microscopic tracks in the surface of the foil.  When the detector is analyzed, the foil is chemically treated to enlarge the alpha tracks, which are counted on an automated system.  The average radon level is calculated from the number of tracks and the number of days the detector was exposed.  This level is reported in picocuries per liter (pCi/L).  

Radon levels vary in daily and seasonal cycles, and in response to weather conditions and ventilation patterns.  For these reasons, it is preferable to make the test period as long as possible.  A full year test provides the most reliable prediction of future radon exposure and health risk.  However, RSSI's Alpha-track detector can be used for tests as short as 14 days.

Call my office at 475-2027 or stop by at 27 Store Road and I can set one up in your home. If you have any questions about indoor air quality or would like your house tested Just let me know and we can set it up.

Invisible and Deadly - Carbon Monoxide

The heating season is upon us again, and with furnaces firing up along with ovens baking holiday goodies the hidden danger of carbon monoxide (CO) in the home becomes greater. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and can kill without warning. This silent killer is responsible for hundreds of deaths each year and thousands more are sickened by it. In the last week there was an incident in Duluth where a hockey arena was evacuated because players and coaches were becoming sick and it turned out they had elevated levels of CO in the blood. Another incident a few days later at the Duluth Goodwill prompted the fire department to check for CO but levels turned out to be insignificant. These are only a few instances where high CO levels have been suspected or confirmed to adversely affect human health.





CO poisoning symptoms include; mild nausea, mild headaches, and shortness of breath at low levels, severe headaches, dizziness and confusion at medium levels, and death at high levels. If you suspect CO then get out of the house and to fresh air immediately. Get medical help and tell them you suspect carbon monoxide, they can give you a blood test to check.

Many of us use portable generators as back-up in case of power failures. These generators often produce far more CO than a car due to the lack of pollution control devices. If you use a portable generator it should be at least 25 feet from the house and well away from any windows, doors, or air intakes. Never use a generator in an attached garage and never use a charcoal grill indoors. The EPA has an excellent site with information on carbon monoxide, please take some time and check it out.

A carbon monoxide detector is a great idea near bedrooms and is required in new homes but check the date of manufacture since they wear out over several years. I have equipment that can test your appliances and equipment for CO output so if you would like them checked please give me a call at 475-2027 or stop by my office at Trust Lands - 27 Store Road. Don't think that just because an appliance is new it won't produce CO, I have seen newer gas ranges that produce much more than older, cheaper stoves. When in doubt, check it out. it only takes a few minutes and it could save your life.

Mercury Exposure in Your Home

Human exposure to mercury is primarily caused by consuming fish that contains methylmercury. Another common cause of exposure is contact with elemental mercury, a silver colored metal that is liquid at room temperature. Exposure to a small amount of elemental mercury over time can cause serious health effects, especially in children and fetuses. Mercury is present in thermometers, barometers, thermostats, blood pressure instruments, and compact fluorescent (newer energy saving) light bulbs. The most common cause of mercury contamination in homes is from broken fever thermometers. Humans are exposed to the mercury by inhalation of mercury vapors or by absorbing the mercury through the skin.

Health effects from long-term exposure to a small amount of elemental mercury:

· Personality changes, including mood swings and irritability

· Tremors

· Muscle weakness or twitching

· Insomnia

· Headaches

· Reduced cognitive function

Children and fetuses are extremely sensitive to mercury contamination, so pregnant women and women of child bearing age should avoid exposure.

What to do with mercury thermometers:

The easiest way to avoid exposure to mercury is to remove anything in your home that contains mercury. Replace old mercury thermometers by taking them to the Grand Portage hazardous waste collection or to your local hazardous waste collection. The Grand Portage Clinic will replace a mercury thermometer with a new one, so call the Clinic for more information.

Image courtesy of projectmindwake.blogspot.com/2011/02/end-of-mercury-thermometers-is-near-due.html

What if I already spilled mercury in my home?

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is willing to come to Grand Portage to test homes for mercury spills. If you have spilled mercury, they can test to ensure that all mercury has been removed. It is extremely important to remove all mercury, especially if there are children or you expect there to be children in your home. Call Yvette at Trust Lands to set up an appointment.

How to clean up a small amount of mercury (from the Minnesota Department of Health):

1. Isolate the spill. Open all windows and exterior doors in the room where the spill occurred. Close all interior doors and air ducts and turn off air handlers or heaters to ensure that mercury vapor does not travel through the house.
2. Keep everyone away from the spill, and children and pregnant women should leave the house.
3. Only clean the spill yourself if it a small amount, such as the amount in a fever thermometer. Otherwise, call professionals.
4. Remove any clothes or shoes that may be contaminated with mercury and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Take a shower to remove mercury from your skin.
5. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the mercury because the mercury will be broken into smaller drops and will evaporate quicker.
6. Wear gloves to clean up the spill. If the mercury spilled on a hard surface, push the beads of mercury together using a piece of cardboard and place it into a container that can be sealed. Use a flashlight to look for any additional mercury. The drops of mercury can spread far and can drop into cracks and crevices.
7. If the spill occurred on a carpet, cut the contaminated area of the carpet and pad, and fold the carpet piece so that the mercury is trapped inside. Place into a plastic bag. If you refuse to cut out the carpet, use wet paper towels or an eyedropper to pick up the drops of mercury.
8. Place the mercury and anything that has been contaminated by mercury into a plastic bag, label the bag Mercury: Hazardous, and dispose of at your local Hazardous Waste Collection.

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

I received an update about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. A bill has been introduced to the House of Representatives that will allow the FDA to have more enforcement over what ingredients are in personal care products. I posted previously about how harmful ingredients are added to the products that we use daily. They can contain chemicals that cause cancer and other serious effects, even the care products for babies. Watch the Story of Cosmetics!! It is really good.

Image from an interesting blog: http://fumblingtowardsagreenerme.wordpress.com/


Here is the update that I received:

This year, you and thousands of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics supporters urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to get cancer-causing formaldehyde out of Brazilian Blowout and other hair-straightening products.

And recently, you signed the petition to the Obama Administration asking for prevention to be a major focus of our country's cancer plan (we joined our allies at the White House in May and dropped off all 73,000 signatures!).

Well, we have exciting news: you've helped build the momentum for Congressional leaders to reintroduce the federal Safe Cosmetics Act in the House of Representatives Friday.

This bill (H.R.2359) would give the FDA the authority it needs to ensure that personal care products are free of harmful substances like lead, 1,4-dioxane and chemicals linked to cancer.

Existing law, which has not been updated in 70 years, allows companies to use these and other toxic chemicals in products we use on our bodies every day. We know that the U.S. can do better to protect our families and to remain a world leader in the marketplace!

Please urge your House members to co-sponsor the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011. Here's how:

1. Email them using our easy form.

2. Call them. Use our Legislator Lookup, dial the number for your federal Representative (we're not contacting Senators yet), and use the email text as a guide for your message to the staff person who answers the phone. Calls usually take about 1 minute, but they are really important!

3. Visit them. You have the right to meet with your Representative (or his or her staffers) to tell them that you want safe cosmetics. Check out our Legislative Toolkit to learn more.

Please take action and spread the word!

Learn Before You Burn

Want to chop less wood and/or spend less money buying firewood this winter? You can reduce the amount of wood you burn by learning how to burn more efficiently. The EPA's Burnwise Program has a lot of great information about this. Spend some time checking out their website, and see if you can learn how to build a better fire.

Here are a few tips:

1. Use only seasoned, dry wood (make sure you keep your wood pile off the ground and cover it up to keep it dry).
2. Use kindling to start your fires, never use trash or paper.
   
3. Remove ash often.
4. Burn hot fires.
5. Check your chimney to make sure there is not too much smoke coming out. If there is a lot of smoke, you may need to have a hotter fire and check to make sure your wood is dry.
   

Here is a great video summarizing important burning tips from the EPA.

Stay warm!

Popular Products are Found to Emit Hazardous Chemicals

An Environmental Impact Assessment was recently performed by the University of Washington and the EPA. They tested fragranced products in order to examine what chemicals they may be releasing. They found that products with fragrances, including "green" and organic products, release VOCs, Volatile Organic Compounds, and every product tested released at least one chemical that is known to be toxic. Here is a summary of the article, and you can find the entire article here.

It seems it may be better to use products without any fragrance and even better to make your own, if possible.

Image from Non-Toxic Kids.

Summary of article:

The researchers analyzed 25 popular fragranced consumer products including:

• air fresheners and deodorizers (sprays, solids, and oils)
• laundry products (detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets)
• cleaners (all-purpose sprays, disinfectants, and dish detergents)
• personal care products (soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorants, shampoos, and baby products)
  

These products are widely used in the U.S. and other countries—in homes, workplaces, schools, airplanes, hospitals, and public places.

What did the researchers discover?

These 25 products emitted 133 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), for a collective total of 421 VOCs, and an average of 17 VOCs per product.

Nearly one-fourth of these VOCs are classified as toxic or hazardous under federal laws. Each product emitted at least one of these chemicals.

Some of these VOCs are classified as probable carcinogens with no safe exposure level, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Virtually none of the VOCs emitted from the products were listed on any product label or material safety data sheet.

But this is legal, because no law in the U.S. requires disclosure of all chemicals in consumer products, or of any chemicals in a mixture called "fragrance."

What about green products?

About half of the products made some claim of "green" or a related term, such as "organic," "natural," "essential oils," or "non-toxic."

But the "green product" emissions of toxic or hazardous chemicals were not significantly different from the other products.

What do these findings mean?

Previous studies have found that most of our exposure to pollutants occurs from common sources, such as consumer products.

However, the ingredients in these sources are not fully disclosed.

Thus, consumers may be unknowingly exposed to potential hazards.

Dryer Sheets Contain Toxic Chemicals

While looking around for ideas on greener living, I found that several articles contained warnings against using fabric softener dryer sheets. They contain toxic chemicals that can be harmful when exposed to your skin or when inhaled. It seems like so many products contain chemicals and toxic substances. We really need to read the labels and find out what is in each product we are using. I try to look for products that have only a few ingredients listed.
Instead of using these dryer sheets, you can add about 1/4 cup vinegar to your laundry when washing to remove static and add a few drops (only a few) of essential oils to make the clothing smell nice. You can also use a natural alternative which will have less chemicals, like these sheets in the photo from Seventh Generation. Remember that all these chemicals, in our food, our cleaners, our furniture, and our clothes (especially if you dry clean them) add up in our bodies, and our pets and kids' bodies. Many chemicals can cause illness and may even lead to cancer.
I just read a new study about asthma and toxic chemicals. For years we have known that an increase in asthma is linked to children being raised in an overly sterile environment. It was thought that children who were not exposed to bacteria and viruses were not able to build up their immune system. Now, this new study shows that asthma is more likely to occur in children who are exposed to toxic cleaning products. So, both lack of exposure to germs and the type of cleaning products used may be causing an increase in asthma. I have previously posted about how to make your own cleaning products. You can use those recipes, make your own, or find more online. It is so important for improving your indoor air to use safe, non toxic cleaning products. Let me know if you have any questions about asthma or about products you think may be toxic.

Mold in Your Home

Mold exists everywhere, inside an outside. It is present at all times, but it cannot grow on dry surfaces. It needs a moist environment in order to proliferate. It also needs oxygen and food. Their food includes basically any building material, and mold especially loves drywall. So, if you are planning on putting in a basement, which typically has a more moist environment, do not put drywall in your basement. For that matter, do not put carpet in your basement either as carpet is a great breeding place for mold.

Another tip to prevent mold is to finish your window sills with a polyurethane finish. Windows tend to collect moisture in the winter, and if their is unfinished wood collecting all that moisture, then mold will grow. If you already have mold on your sills, clean the area with soap and hot water, and then finish the sills. Now, I too am guilty of having unfinished window sills, so I need to add this task to my project list as well. It is quick fix to preventing mold growth and is advisable to complete before the snow flies.

All mold is dangerous to have in your home, regardless of the species. It aggravates breathing and can worsen any respiratory illnesses, even just having a cold. Find out more about mold at the EPA mold website. You can also give me a call at 475-2027 or stop by my office at Trust Lands. I am here to help with improving indoor air quality , and I can help you to identify any areas that may lead to mold growth.

Picture from www.toolbase.org

Reduce Your Exposure to VOCs

Paints, paint thinners, wood preservatives, chemical cleaners, dry-cleaned clothing, newly installed carpets, and moth repellents (i.e. moth balls) are all sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can be very harmful to your health, causing a variety of symptoms, including: headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and nose and throat irritation. Exposure to them may eventually lead to cancer.

If you plan to use any products that release VOCs, buy a small amount that you will use up right away, and do not store them in your home. Make sure your house is well-ventilated when using them, and remember that people with asthma or respiratory diseases are more likely to suffer from exposure to VOCs.
You can always purchase products that have low or no VOC content, as these are more readily available now. I purchased low VOC paint in Grand Marais when I needed to paint my home, and it was comparable in price to the other paints. If you would like further explanation or would like help with removing these products from your home, call me at 475-2027, or stop by my office at Trust Lands. You can visit the Minneostoa Department of Health website to find out about more sources of VOCs and steps that you can take in order to reduce exposure.

Picture from www.lighterfootstep.com

Burning Candles in Your Home

Well, an article I found prompted me to do some research on burning candles and incense in your home. I found some mixed reviews from green websites and candle websites, so read on and take what you will from it all. The information I am going to share with you is from research conducted by the EPA. It is not all inclusive research, so you will have to read more and use common sense to decide for yourself. Personally, I have loved scented candles in the past, but I am not willing to sacrifice my breathing health for some good smelling candles.

Picture from beeswaxcandleco.com

According to this EPA Analysis and Review:

1. Some candle wicks still contain lead, and when burned, they will emit more lead concentrations than what the EPA recommends for inhalation.
2. Candle and Incense Smoke produces particulate matter, which at elevated levels is dangerous to your health. It is especially harmful to those with asthma and other respiratory diseases.
   
3. In worst case scenarios (low ventilation and many candles burning), candles are found to release Acrolein, Formaldehyde, and Acetaldehyde, which are cancer causing compounds, at above the EPA's recommended levels.
4. Paraffin candles release soot, which can cause property damage, but effects to human health are unknown.
   
5. Incense smoke has been linked to causing illnesses and contact dermatitis and can cause cancers. It should be noted that this study was done on a limited number of brands and types of incense. Even so, make sure to well ventilate any room where incense is being burned.
   

So, here are some basic recommendations based on the EPA review and these websites Green America and All Things Natural:

• Trim wicks down to 1/4 inches, at all times, even while burning, and do not blow out candles but cut the wick off to put them out (will reduce soot). Or, you can use beeswax candles, which are cleaner burning.
  
• Look for candles that do not contain added colors or fragrances but contain essential oils for the fragrances.
• Check the wick for lead by rubbing the wick against a sheet of paper in the store. If the wick has lead, it will leave a gray mark like a pencil.
• Green websites recommend beeswax or soy candles, but I have found no actual evidence that paraffin (petroleum based) candles are detrimental to health. If anyone knows more, please let me know. I did find on this website about Eco-friendly shopping that soy candles are more Eco friendly because they are a renewable resource and are biodegradable.

I hope this helps! Happy fall everyone!