I have heard cooking with olive oil can be toxic when it smokes from the pan.  I have also heard that the NON extra virgin is better for cooking  because it can take high heat better and the cold pressed extra virgin should be used for salad eaten raw . What do you think? 

I need to do some caulking and have been looking at the MSDS for Elmer's caulking.  There are two products that appear to be less toxic than most other brands.  One is the All Purpose White Acrylic Latex and the White Squeeze and Caulk.  Has anyone else had any experience with either of these?  I have included the links to the MSDS for both.  Thank you for any help or advice that you can offer.

http://www.elmers.com/MSDS/me840_a.htm

http://www.elmers.com/MSDS/me940.htm

We just moved into our first home, so all this is new to me. I’m so scared of getting sick.

We’re installing a shower into the corner of the bathroom. I want to do all tile. The contractor said we could save some money if we used a pre-made, square, shower floor and do tiles just on the walls.

He said he didn’t notice any smells from these floors. Does anyone here have any experience with these?

I'm looking for a safe, product list that I can just hand to the contractor. I've never done anything like this in my life. Tile and grout should be safe. I know that I need non-toxic, latex-free grout (we redid some kitchen tiles with this and it worked great). I have no idea what else is involved. We'll probably need to do some plumbing, but he looked under the house and everything looks good, so I think we'll just need the shower hardware. Is there anything that I should be aware of like welding materials?

Also, we have an old, claw-foot bathtub with some chips around the drain. The contractor mentioned doing the shower first and then reglazing the entire tub in the summer and putting it outside to outgas (we have some space under the house). I was told by the house inspector when we bought the house that we could get the porcelain repaired. I haven't been able to find anyone who can do a non-toxic spot repair or even specifically a porcelain repair person.

Will fumes seep up through the floor if the tub is under the house? There’s a large space under there with just a dirt floor.

I’m tempted to leave the tub “as is” and just fix the faucet leak causing the problem (other than the chips down to the metal, the tub is in great shape and it doesn’t look like it’s going to leak any time soon).

I’ll be grateful for any advice or guidance to the best resources for this project.

I finally found a safe place to live after several years and I don't want to mess it up. We aren't set on using this particular contractor either.

Thanks!

Airy

Twice a year the maintenance people in my building put a couple algae tablets into our air conditioners.  Do you know whether these are toxic and therefore I should have them removed or if they are nontoxic and beneficial as they told me?

Thanks!

Here's an interesting interview with Meryl Streep, in which she talks about how she lives green and her more than twenty years of environmental activism.

http://www.simplesteps.org/food/eating-well/catching-meryl-streep#pagination-top

The woman who cooks for me told me today that she has trapped two mice and one rat in her apartment.  She has complained to the owner but nothing has been done.  She has a two-year old daughter and is concerned that a rat could bite her.

The manager of my apartment complex here told her to call the city (San Diego.)  Obviously, one option is to move, but that would take time and money, and would involve breaking a lease.  In terms of expecting the owner to do something, I am wondering what the owner could do, and is there anything non-toxic that could be done.  We discussed checking for holes where the rat could have entered.  Trapping may get rid of any rats that get in but would not prevent them from entering the apartment in the first place. 

The subject of fumigation came up.  I advised her of the danger of that, and I don't see how that would keep the rats out anyway, at least not for long.  Can you or your readers shed any light on this? 

Hi Debra,

My husband bought himself some Stonyfield Organic OIKOS Greek Yogurt, Blueberry flavor and I don't allow him to eat it in the house because when he ate the first one the smell was potent for me.   Here are the ingredients, let me know if there is something wrong with it.  Cultured pasterized organic blueberries, natural flavor, pectin, organic elderberry juice concentrate (for color), contains five live active cultures:   S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus and L Casei.   The package also says Certified Organic by QAI.  I know it has live cultures, but what about the other ingredients.  If this is not a good yogurt for him to eat, could you recommend one for him?  Thank you.

Does anyone know of any products which are safe and effective for reducing cellulite? Except for Nivea's, (rated moderate) none of the ones listed as safe on EWG was available when  I checked.

Thanks again.

Continuing my quest for safe, effective antiwrinkle antiaging creams that aren't tested on animals, I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with a company called beauty naturally, particularly their Bio Skin Repair, Sun Dew, Dermafade or LaVie de yeux (eye contour cream ) products. I can't find them on EWG, safety database. Or, does anyone know of any safe wrinkle creams that work especially under and around the eyes and forehead? Their website is: beautynaturally.com

Thanks!

In addition to homemade recipes for skincare, I have been investigating antiwrinkle creams. It is difficult to find a safe and effective one and one that does not do animal testing. Finally,  I came across a company called Xtend- Life ( xtend-life.com) their eye contour, active day and restorative nightcream appealed to me. However, as one of their ingredients is: Nanobelle Coenzyme Q10 ---" a special ‘nano-emulsion’ form, which can penetrate down through seven layers of skin." 

I emailed them about its safety. This was their response: 

" I understand your concern as to nano technology. I can assure you that the type of technology used to produce our Nano-Lipobelle ingredient (the only ingredient that applies this technology base) is totally natural and without detrimental effects in any way.
 
Here is some further info to help you....
 
Nanotechnology has been around a long time, only recently has it been given a name.  As long as there have been crèmes and other mixtures of oils and water then this technology has been present.

How most crèmes and skincare products are made is that a water phase is dispersed in an oil phase in microscopic droplets that are too small to coalesce and separate.  In the same way nanotechnology – in the common understanding – involves microscopic or even smaller particles, and like any technology it has both its positives and negatives.

Apart from the manufacturing process of skincare products there is only one
ingredient that could even be considered under this topic; that is the Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10. However this ingredient is quite different to the common understanding of “nanotechnology”.

The Nano-Lipobelle material consists of CoEnzyme Q10 – a powerful and natural antioxidant - wrapped in a ‘nano-shell’ of a natural oil material – in this case Lecithin.  These shells are what are referred to as “nano” material and in fact occur naturally in a huge number of situations.

So we are not doing anything that does not occur naturally.

While nanotechnology can be used to deliver materials that do not occur naturally in skin cells, such as zinc oxide or artificial  preservatives, we use nanotechnology to deliver natural material to the skin cells to aid in its regeneration and health.

I hope that this helps put your mind at rest. "  

I have read elsewhere that if the particle being made nano is a natural substance, it should not be harmful, but if the substance is a toxin etc. the danger would be in its penetrating so deeply that, being unnatural, it could compromise our immune or other internal system. Debra and all, what do you think; does it seem safe enough? I need something to undo  and prevent future damage that really works! Also, has anyone had experience with their products? Thanks!