lead in the home

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Reduce the lead in your home water supply

October 31, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Water by Jennifer | No comments

There could be lead in your water supply and that’s not a good thing. Lead can cause delays in physical and mental development plus deficits in attention span and learning abilities in children. Adults may experience increased in blood pressure and kidney problems when exposed to lead.

The stories you hear about lead in your hot water are true. If you’re used to filling up pots with hot water from the sink, make the switch to cold. Cold water, unlike hot won’t cause lead to leach from your pipes. According to the EPA houses built before 1986 are most likely to have pipes with lead. However, note that even “lead-safe” pipes can contain some lead – cool water is simply a better choice.

Cold water or not you should run water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if you have not used your water for a few hours, this allows any possible lead to drain out before you get to it.

Most tap water is pretty safe. However, if you’re concerned, it’s easy to find out if your water is safe or not. If not you may want to consider a water filter.

Put your water in a safe pitcher – it’s silly to get lead-free water from the sink only to put it in a pitcher that can add lead to the water.

Green Food Storage Options

December 29, 2008 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink by Jennifer | No comments

This morning we looked at what kind of food storage is the best green choice. Now, as promised, I’ve rounded up some green food storage options for you.

To-Go Ware Food Tin
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Green Kitchen: Eco-Friendly Food Storage Containers

December 29, 2008 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink by Jennifer | 1 comment

This week we started looking at earth friendly kitchenware options. So far we talked about Eco-Friendly Pots and Pans and Eco-Friendly Basic Dishes. Today we’re going to take a peek at what makes a food container eco-friendly.

Food storage containers are fairly green in of themselves because they massively cut down on things like foil and plastic wrap use. Food storage containers; even super cheap, not so cool containers tend to last a long time. That said, there are some greener options than the traditional old school plastic containers most of us grew up with.

Of course you want to avoid containers made of PVC (3), polycarbonate (7), or polystyrene (6). It’s nice when you have a recyclable food container you know. Not to mention you don’t want chemicals leaching into your food. For example, plastic #7 has been shown to leach Bisphenol A (BPA), which in turn has been shown to disrupt hormones. Plastics made from petroleum and natural gas release their chemicals when overheated or melted; which can accidentally happen in a microwave. There are far better choices than plastic anyhow. If you do decide to go with some plastic containers, choose ones with the recycling symbols 1, 2, 4, or 5 and avoid heating them in the microwave (NEVER in the oven).

Best food storage options:

Glass and stainless steel are good food container choices. If you’re going to microwave an item make sure you use glass or lead-free microwave safe ceramic containers. If your glass container comes with a plastic lid, don’t microwave food with the lid on.

Later I’ll post some good green food container choices.

Green Kitchen: Eco-Friendly Dishes

December 27, 2008 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 3 comments

This week we’re looking at green kitchen dishes and cookware. Yesterday we learned about Eco-Friendly Pots & Pans. Today we’ll look at basic dishes – plate, bowls, etc.

Avoid lead: Toxic lead in the human body is very dangerous, and especially so to small children and babies. The FDA does regulate things like lead and cadmium levels in dishes here in the U.S. but they don’t catch everything. To avoid lead dangers in your dishes do the following:

  • When you purchase new dishes, see if there’s a registration card offered and use it to sign up for safety notices.
  • Never store food in antique dishes.
  • Avoid imported ceramic dishes.
  • If you like to purchase dishes from thrift stores, or have old dishes around your house, then learn how to test your current dishes for lead.
  • Never store liquids in lead crystal glasses or bottles
  • Pregnant women, children, and babies should not drink from lead crystal bottles or cups.

Best safe and green dishes to choose:

  • Recycled glass dishes, plain old glass dishes, stoneware, and ceramic dishes made in the U.S.
  • Buy local.
  • Buy from handcrafters and companies who have eco-ethics.
  • Bamboo dishes.
  • Sustainable wood dishes with non-toxic finishes.
  • Stainless steel dishes – extra points for recycled.
  • If you MUST use disposable dishes, choose recycled and biodegradable disposable dishes.