A little story about lead

I admit, I have never been too concerned about lead. Not that I dispute the health effects of exposure, but because I never thought I had reason to be concerned for myself or my son. We live in a post 1978 condo so I don’t worry about lead paint in our home and that was the only thing that I thought was a concern. Well, lead has been rearing its toxic head in my life in the past couple weeks and I’m taking it as a sign. Let me share . . .

Seems simple enough, I bought a new iron the other day. I don’t iron often but my old iron was leaking. Since I don’t iron much, I bought an economical replacement. I mean, my last one was a hand-me-down and it lasted years. I get the $7.00 iron home and as I’m plugging it in, I notice a tag attached to the cord which said, “The power cord on this product contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.” What! I just bought a product with lead in it! What happens if I don’t wash my hands soon enough?

How could they! I was so angry, at first. But then I thought of all the other things I have bought over the years. How many of those products contained lead? I will never know. Lead has been found in so many things - children’s toys, furniture, electronics, cosmetics, glazed ceramic items, pewter, stained glass, jewelry, to name a few. I thought again of that tag on the iron and I was almost happy that the company had thought it was important to warn me. Most companies don’t disclose this. Usually we are lucky to hear about product recalls for lead content from the nightly news and I’m sure there are more we don’t know about.

Well, what can lead exposure really do to you? Plenty. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, lead exposure in adults can cause high blood pressure, nerve disorders, memory problems, and fertility problems for men and women. Children are more susceptible because they’re smaller and the toxin concentrates in their little bodies. Plus, they put more things in their mouths. As their systems are growing, exposure can cause the following development problems: nervous system and kidney damage, Attention Deficit Disorder, decreased intelligence, speech and behavior disorders, and decreased muscle and bone growth. Pregnant women are at even more risk not just for their health but also their unborn child. Lead passes through the mother’s system straight to the fetus where it has the potential to cause brain damage or death of the child. These are serious consequences that we should all avoid for ourselves and those around us.

My experience with the lead-laced iron follows on the heels of the new EPA Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) regulations. If you don’t know about this yet, this law requires any contractor who works on buildings built before 1978 (when lead paint was officially banned) to be properly trained on abating any lead paint that they disturb. At my 9 to 5 job where I am a property manager, we are busy trying to verify that our contractors have obtained the RRP certification. Many of our contractors are in compliance but some still have not provided certificates. I assume that these businesses are non-compliant and I don’t hire them. But they are still working for someone. Not only does this mean we are all still getting exposed, but the fine for getting caught is $32,500 per instance per day to the contractor. A costly mistake for everyone.

So what are you to do? Fortunately, there are resources that can help with identifying lead hazards. The RRP regulations are discussed in detail on the EPA site but I found a user-friendly guide that gives a good overview at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/pubs/sbcomplianceguide.pdf. Always ask your contractor for a copy of their lead certification. If they can’t show you a copy, call someone else. Talk to your neighbors who are renovating to make sure they know about the regulations. The Washington Toxics Coalition (http://watoxics.org/) does a lot of work on lead exposure in consumer products and offer many articles on the subject. In the past they have even had events where you can bring your items in for testing. They don’t have an event scheduled at this time but keep checking back. Increasing your awareness of the issue will result in better consumer choices. And if you want more ideas, email me at Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com.

Are you asking yourself what I did with the iron? I took it back and declared the lead issue as the reason for my return. The clerk gave me the crazy eye. My sister gave me her spare iron, which should last me a few years. This one also has a tag on the cord warning me of mercury in the switch mechanism. Oh my.

Baking Soda Shampoo

I am always looking for ways to cut the toxins out of my house. I’m also a fan of saving money! So when I read an article about using baking soda in the place of my regular shampoo, I was intrigued. But I admit, I was also skeptical that something so simple would work on my challenging locks. I said what the heck though and gave it a try.

Before I tell you how it works, let me tell you why I liked the idea. I have struggled for years to find the “perfect shampoo” and I don’t think it exists. Many of the shampoos that appeal to me smell great and work great too, but I would take them home and look them up on one of my favorite online resources, Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com), and find that they are not the best choice I could make. Even the ones that say ‘natural’ or ‘botanical’ (or any of those buzz words) can often have a poor score because they contain potentially harmful ingredients. Then the ones that have a good score are either too expensive for me to justify or they smell yucky! And then, more times than not, they don’t work the way I would like them to.

I am also very aware of my consumption of plastic items and so I am concerned about the bottle and cap needed to bring the shampoo into my house. Yes, the bottle is recyclable but the cap isn’t and I have seen way too many photos of birds and fish dying from thinking that our plastic is actually tasty seafood. I have tried bar shampoos to try to get away from the packaging issue and the same problems persist with these products – too expensive, don’t work, smell yucky.

So back to baking soda. How harmful can it be? We have been told to switch out our cleaning supplies or brush our teeth with the stuff. It can unclog a drain and make a cake rise. I say it is on the safe side of the toxicity spectrum. I have a giant bag of baking soda from Costco that cost less than $10.00 so I took a tablespoon and mixed it with a cup of water in a plastic squeeze bottle and put it in the shower for my next hair washing.

I have been using baking soda for the past few weeks in the place of shampoo and I have to say I love it! It takes some getting used to but I think my hair feels very clean and I don’t even need conditioner anymore. I think this is because I’m not using the harsh detergents that strip all of the natural oils from my hair. I even think my hair behaves a little better. My sister asked if I had gotten a hair cut because my dead ends were gone! (I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not)

A couple of things you should know, though. You have to use a squeeze bottle because it is the consistency of, well . . . water and you cannot pour it into your hands effectively. Get your hair wet under the shower and then squeeze the bottle over your head. Massage the solution through your hair, paying attention to your scalp and then rinse like normal. It should not be a surprise to anyone but there is no lather so it takes some getting used to not having the bubbles. Also you should know that my hair type is oily so I am not sure how it works with normal or dry hair.

In all, I am very happy with my new found, money-saving, eco-friendly hair solution. I am reusing the same squeeze bottle, reducing my contribution to the global plastics problem. I have enough baking soda to last me years, even if I also use it for housecleaning. And I am reducing the chemical load that I put on my body. Feel like you are ready to give it a try? Go ahead, it can’t hurt! Let me know how it goes either by leaving me a comment here or send me an email to Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com. I’m also open to ideas on new blog topics or just send me a note if you have a question about green living.

Beautiful Day at the Herb Fair!

We had such a great time at Bastyr on Saturday! If you have never been to the Bastyr campus, you should find an excuse to visit. What a beautiful campus! It’s not every day that I get an opportunity to sit amongst a giant herb garden. Just being there makes me feel healthier.

The day of the herb fair, the weather took a pleasant turn from dark, dreary and wet to beautiful, sunny and warm. A great day to be outside! And a great day to be outside launching Eco-Home Consultations! This was my first official public appearance and it was a success. I learned a lot about what people are looking for in green living advice. Motivations for living green run from concern for the environment or health, to saving money, to getting involved in a growing trend. I talked to many people who had never heard of such a service and were skeptical about what I can do for them. But there were lots of people who agreed that green living consultation is a much needed service. It was a great start to what I hope will be a great service to many.

Being at an event that was geared towards natural health issues, I encountered a high percentage of people who already live pretty green. But I’m sure there are some things that I can still help the seasoned greenie with – a fresh set of eyes can usually point out a few things. But I am certain that those who already live fairly green have people in their lives that could use some coaching. Why not give green living as a gift? And if you are thinking that Eco-Home is only for energy efficiency, I will tell you that this is only a small part of what I offer. Let’s look at your consumer practices, your food footprint, or your transportation habits. There are so many things that you can do to lighten your impact on the environment and save money doing it!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat. I hope you enjoyed Bastyr as much as I did. And, I look forward to getting to know you! Remember, if you have a question, blog idea or would like to schedule a service, send me a note at Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com.