Deciphering the New Report on Carcinogens (Including Styrofoam – Ha, Told You So!)

The 12th Report on Carcinogens put out by the National Toxicology Program added 7 ingredients to its list of known or strongly suspected human carcinogens. And none too soon, I might add.  The ingredients are a little tough to decipher, so we’re going to give you the low down on how to avoid these substances. It is particularly important to minimize your exposure to these substances if you have a high risk for cancer, are exposed to them frequently through work or other exposure, or if you’re pregnant or have little kids.  For the full report of all known carcinogens, you can click here.

1. STYRENE. Found in styrofoam. The cups in the Congressional Cafeteria were changed back to styrofoam due to Republican pressure this year. If it’s any consolation, you can take comfort in knowing that your elected representatives are slowing being poisoned by their bad choices. Read this post to learn more about the dangers of styrofoam which contains both styrene and benzene (another neurotoxin and carcinogen).

2. ARISTOLOCHIC ACIDS. This is an odd one. In 2001 the FDA issued a warning against Chinese Herbal Medicines and Herbal Teas containing or contaminated with this ingredient. The plants Aristolochea and Asarum are the source of these acids which have been used as anti-inflammatories and diet supplements. In addition to urinary bladder and urinary tract cancer, this ingredient has been linked with severe kidney disease and failure. The Chinese supplement Guan Mu Tong contains this ingredient. A partial list from the FDA is here.

3. CAPTAFOL (OR DIFOLATAN). This is a fungicide that was no longer produced after 1987 in the United States and no longer used after 2006. Don’t ask me why it took 20 years for people to stop using it – that’s above my pay grade. People were primarily exposed to this fungicide through agricultural applications and groundwater in the late 70s to mid 80s.  Suffice it to say, this one shouldn’t be at the top of your list of worries for present exposure.

4. GLASS WOOL FIBERS (THINK FIBERGLASS INSULATION). When we were kids my Dad worked for Owens Corning Fiberglass and we used to have lots of pink fiberglass rolls in our garage. It seemed so much like cotton candy that we loved playing with it, even though it was scratchy and we were not allowed to.  Well, now we know why! The danger of lung tumors developing from fiberglass insulation is lower than from “special purpose fibers” used in aircraft, spacecraft and acoustical insulation.  Nevertheless, it makes sense to wear a mask when removing insulation and replace fiberglass insulation with something safer and more eco-friendly like denim insulation (provided you can afford it, stuff is not cheap).

5. COBALT TUNGSTEN-CARBIDE. Used in making blades for tools. Basically you won’t have been exposed to this unless you work in a factory that makes blades using this ingredient or you live near a hard metal production or maintenance facility, such as in Fallon, NV.

6. FORMALDEHYDE. This is a BIG one and I’ll do a more comprehensive blog post on all of the possible risks for exposure.  Formaldehyde, as we’ve warned before, is in many products but it’s confusing because other chemicals are also made with or offgas formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is in many nail polishes, so make sure your nail polish is formaldehyde free (OPI is formaldehyde free, Sally Hansen and Orly are following suit).  It is also found in glues and resins, so opt for formaldehyde free wood products. Finally, it’s in car exhaust, tobacco smoke and even that new car smell is formaldehyde offgassing.  From what I understand formaldehyde is most dangerous in airborne form and the chemical DMDM hydantoin, found in many personal care products, works as a preservative by offgassing formaldehyde. So if you’re using a hairspray or detangler (Biolage Daily Leave In Tonic – very effective, hugely toxic detangler).  Another chemical Benzyl Alcohol is sometimes created by reacting phenylmagnesium bromide (C6H5MgBr) with formaldehyde. So, watch out for the Toxic Trio: Formaldehyde, DMDM Hydantoin and Benzyl Alcohol.

7. ORTHO-NITROTOLUENE. Okay, I’m going to admit this one is pret-ty technical so get ready. This ingredient is used in the manufacture of (or the manufacture of intermediates for) azo dyes and other dyes, such as magenta and various sulfur dyes for cotton, wool, silk, leather, and paper.  Exposure to this chemical is primarily through skin contact or inhalation, but it has also been found in U.S. water supplies, particularly near military training grounds and munitions production facilities and there have been documented cases of exposure through spills.  Bottom line: not a huge worry, but if you hear of a spill in your area, run do not walk to the next green planet.

8.  RIDDELLIINE.  The riddelliine-containing plant Senecio longilobus has been used in medicinal herb preparations in the U.S..  There isn’t a list of herbal medicines on the market containing this substance, but you can get more information about possible ingredients in herbal products that contain the Senecio plant (and hence, contain riddelliine) by clicking here.  A good rule of thumb is that if it says Senecio on the ingredients then you should avoid it.

Adventures in Green Living-Gardening in the High Mountain Desert

In these parts, gardening can be a pain in the *$#   challenge. We live in an arid mountain desert in which our “soil” is more of a hellish sand/clay mixture. It’s lovely for growing! In spite of all of these factors, I decided that 2011 was going to be The Year of the Garden. Since deciding to eat animal-free, I subsist mainly on plants. (such a coincidence!) Even with weekly CSA deliveries, I wanted to ensure that I was getting quality, nutrient dense produce (in large quantities) all summer long. I was also interested in the cost savings of gardening. As I’ve shared, I love to cook; which means I buy a lot of ingredients. Mostly organic ingredients, to boot. This gets expensive. No shock there. I really wanted to see how much I could save between a garden and a CSA share. I spent about $50 on supplies for the garden and my CSA share breaks down to $12.50 per week. Depending on how well my garden fares, I think I will spend next to nothing on produce for many months to come. I also plan to can and freeze anything/everything I can. My mother is an AVID gardener, to say the least, so I immediately went to her for guidance. (My mother and sisters operate a CSA farm in my hometown. She is legit.) Although she has been growing in a drastically different climate, she was able to offer me some very sound advice on how to get started. My local nursery has also been an invaluable source for advice on what I can grow here. They have been more than helpful throughout this process! If you are just dipping your toe in the gardening waters, go to your local nursery. They know stuff! They can help! They are awesome at growing things! With the weather that mother nature through our way this “spring”, I needed all the help I could get. Case in point; here is my garden as of 10 days ago:

What is that you say? That doesn’t look like a garden to you? You think I’m making this whole garden thing up? I understand, this looks like nothing more than a pile of dirt covered in snow. (Which, let’s be real, that’s basically all it is.) Before I put anything in the ground, and when it wasn’t snowing, I turned the soil until my fingers bled. Literally. I added local compost and grass clippings and essentially treated the soil like the delicate organism that it is. I also started composting myself! Yay! I’ll obviously have to wait a while for my compost to….well, compost. Once it’s ready, I will add to soil regularly. I also throw my grass clippings on the soil each time we mow. (Another tip from Mom.) I hope this will keep my garden very happy and keep me veggie-rich! Eternal optimist, I am.
I did some research on what would be my safest bets in the veggie department. I went with two different varieties of carrots, both butter and green leaf lettuces, spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, beets, bush beans a few hearty herbs. Everything but the potatoes has come up, which pleases me to no end. We shall see how well things go from here. I will keep you posted. PLEASE share tips and success stories in the comments section. Only your success stories, though. Please be kind and spare me any stories of your epic fails in the garden, I’m only allowing positive garden thoughts to travel through my conscious mind.
Oh and ps. The snow is *finally* gone. For now, at least. The kind gentleman at the garden center shared with me that our last snow day in 2010 was June 23rd. So we are not out of the woods just yet. I’ll keep that thermal blanket at the ready. If it does snow, I will find comfort in the wise words of my mother: “Snow is poor man’s fertilizer”.

This Green Earth Interviews NY Times Eco-Journalist & Blogger Andy Revkin

On Tuesday,’s This Green Earth we interviewed Andy Revkin, world renowned environmental journalist with the New York Times.  He has traveled all over the world on assignment and in connection with books he’s authored.  He is now the writer of the Dot Earth blog which is a fascinating, well researched analysis of environmental issues.  Andy is a super nice guy and we had a great conversation – not always the case with very accomplished environmentalists.

Andy Revkin talked to us about population trends, climate change, fracking and a host of other environmental issues.  He said if you read just one of his blog posts, it should be this one, Confronting the Anthropocene.  His writing is like Lay’s Potato Chips (oh, the horror, you don’t actually eat those things do you?!), you really can’t read just one (oh, the horror, I just made a bad pun from a processed food tag line).  If you’d like to listen to the interview it’s posted on the KPCW website and you can listen by clicking here.  The second half of the interview is about solar hot water systems which is actually also very interesting.

On next week’s show, we’ll be talking about the corporatization of the organic food system and the epidemic of disappearing frogs and amphibians.  This Green Earth is every Tuesday from 9-10am on KPCW.  You can stream it live on www.kpcw.org or listen to past episodes on the website.  Thanks for listening!

Holy Exploding Watermelons! One More Reason to Avoid Chinese Produce

We’ve been pretty harsh critics of products from China on This Green Earth and this is further proof that our criticism is justified.   Today we learned that watermelons are exploding in China because they were given high levels of a growth hormone, among other additives.  Apparently, the Land Mine Melons were given the growth accelerator forchlorfenuron.  This particular growth hormone is deemed “safe” (okay, sure, whatever), but the exploding melons have raised other concerns about Chinese farming practices.

According to this Yahoo article, “[i]n March last year, Chinese authorities found that “yard-long” beans from the southern city of Sanya had been treated with the banned pesticide isocarbophos. The tainted beans turned up in several provinces, and the central city of Wuhan announced it destroyed 3.5 tons of the vegetable”.

There is also widespread overuse of food additives like dyes and sweeteners that retailers hope will make food more attractive and boost sales.  Last year, there was an extensive study of arsenic in apple juice that found arsenic in almost all commercial apple juice but found particularly high levels in apple juice coming from China.
The bottom line is that the Chinese are just starting to police their food system, so it’s unclear what is being added to Chinese food.  Read your labels, don’t buy Chinese and buy local when you can.

In the meantime, it’s sad that these inexperienced farmers have lost their crops due to this growth hormone.  The crops have been ruined at alarming rates and they’re now using the watermelons as fish and pig feed.  I sure hope we don’t see exploding fish and pigs out of China next week!

Crane Cam – We Have Babies!!! So Proud!

The Sandhill Crane Babies have arrived!  There are two and they are so cute and fuzzy.  The Crane Cam live feed is up but right now she’s sitting on the babies.  Here is a link to a recording from about an hour ago where you can really see the babies.  Yay, babies!  It’s time for diapers, binkies, bottles and playpens!  What should we name them?

Some more interesting Sandhill Crane Facts:

• The babies can walk on the day they are born
• Sandhill Cranes mate for life and migrate together
• Sandhill Crane females and males look almost identical.  The male is slightly larger
• One way to tell them apart is that the male calls once and the female responds twice

What’s Your Green Ability Level? From Bunny Hill to Double Black Diamond

When people learn to ski or snowboard, they love mastering one level and moving up to the next.  The same should be true for going green.  Once you master one level, it’s time to move on to the next.  Or, if you are comfortable at that level, just stick to working on what you’re good at without backsliding.  What’s your Green Ability Level?  Have you mastered the basics or are you trying to jump straight to the double black diamond?

BUNNY HILL – JUST LEARNING

• Only run the dishwasher when it is totally full
• Only do full loads of laundry and wash on cold
• Turn off the lights, tv, stereo when you leave the room
• Pick up after your dog every time
• Don’t let your clawed cat out of the house during nesting season
• Donate used clothing, toys and household items, don’t throw them out
• Don’t take a bag for items you purchase unless you absolutely need it
• Don’t throw away or flush prescription drugs.  Take them to your local police station or hang on to them and make your heirs dispose of them properly!
• Recycle plastic, aluminum and paper
• Limit your consumption of fast food by reducing the number of times you go in a month
• Don’t stand in front of an open refrigerator, close it immediately after you get what you need

GREEN CIRCLE – NOVICE

• Improve air quality by buying a plant for your office and home or plant some windowboxes
• Use biodegradable bags when picking up after your dog
• Recycle electronics, paper board, batteries, plastic bags (including those inside cereal and cracker boxes)
• Stop using disposable dinnerware and utensils, especially styrofoam
• Hang hard to dry items like towels, sweatshirts and jeans out to dry, then put them in the dryer once they are almost dry if the “crunchy” texture is too much for you
• Use reusable bags at all stores – grocery, retail, bookstore, etc.
• Stop drinking bottled water and buy other beverages frozen or in large containers
• Cut down on meat consumption by having a Meatless Monday
• Reduce driving by combining trips to stores, only going somewhere if it’s on the way to another destination, etc.
• Put a 1/2 gallon milk jug (glass is better) filled with sand in your toilet tanks to reduce water consumption
• Install a programmable thermostat and keep house temperatures within EPA guidelines
• Reduce your consumption of processed food and replace with foods closer to their natural state

BLUE SQUARE – INTERMEDIATE

• Plant a flower or herb garden
• Hang a clothesline in your yard, shower or basement and use it
• Stop using styrofoam food containers, bring your own or ask for something other than styrofoam
• Compost your food scraps
• Recycle cork, cds, bike tubes and tires, silver lined bags and wrappers
• Use a ceramic reusable mug or stainless reusable bottle for beverages
• Take public transportation or ride your bike instead of driving
• When you need to buy something, see if you can buy pre-owned first
• Buy organic meat and dairy when you can afford them, local is preferable.  By limiting meat and dairy consumption, you can afford to spend more when you do buy meat and dairy
• Get as much as you can from your local fruit stand or Farmer’s Market
• Perform a Home Energy Audit to find out where your house is losing energy and leaking money
• Install low flow showerheads and faucets
• Plant trees, lots of them.  If you don’t have a yard, find someone who does and would like your help
• Go fragrance free in your personal care products, cleaning products and laundry soaps
• Buy only chlorine free and unbleached products such as toilet paper, tampons, diapers, paper towels.  Bleach used in industrial processes is very bad for water quality and contains the carcinogen, dioxin

BLACK DIAMOND – EXPERT

• Plant vegetables, fruit and flowers
• Buy as much local and organic as you can afford
• Can or freeze your own food
• Make your own soap and beauty products
• Buy at least 75% of your things used, bartered or make them yourself out of things in your home
• Avoid the Dirty Half Dozen in Personal Care Products
• Shop from the Green Grocery List
• Live in a home that is 2500 s.f. or less
• Stop using pesticides and insecticides, find organic alternatives
• When replacing your car, buy an electric car, hybrid or diesel car that you plant to run on biodiesel
• Build a hoop house to extend your growing season
• Xeriscape your yard and replace sprinklers with a drip irrigation system
• Build a birdhouse, bathouse or frog pond
• Only use no VOC paints and adhesives if you can afford them
• Drink only shade grown organic coffee.  One cup of shade grown coffee saves roughly 2.3 square feet of rainforest per cup
• Replace your lightbulbs with CFL’s.  Be aware that these must be recycled and can’t be thrown away due to mercury content
• Get PVC, the poison plastic, out of your life – it’s in yoga mats, plastic shower curtains, toys, vinyl flooring, siding, etc.

DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND -  SUPER EXPERT

• Become a backyard beekeeper
• Become an urban farmer if you live in a city or suburbs
• Make your own biodiesel
• Become a vegetarian
• Start a tool library in your town or neighborhood where people can lend and borrow tools, including larger power tools like chainsaws, lawnmowers, table saws
• If your town or city is warm and dense enough, start a bike borrowing pool where people can borrow bikes
• Build a greenhouse to grow food year round
• Install a solar hot water heater
• Give up one of your cars or try to go 5 days a week without using your car
• Don’t buy anything new unless its food, personal care products or medication.  Buy it used, make it out of something else or barter with friends
• Install a rainwater collection system and reuse it to water the lawn and plants
• Start a community garden in your town or on your property if you live in a condominium or apartment building with a little land
• If you own several acres of land, consider putting a conservation easement on it to protect it from further development
• Buy a share in a CSA (community supported agriculture)

BACKCOUNTRY – SUPER DUPER EXPERT

• Retrofit your home with a geothermal, solar or wind power
• Build a LEED certified home
• Build or buy an Earthship
• Get your home “off the grid”
• Give up all of your cars or try going 6 days a week without a car
• Grow or raise all of your own food or barter with neighbors
• Move your business to your home or into a LEED certified building close to public transportation
• Install a greywater system that lets you reuse your shower and sink water
• Become a vegan
• Start a food co-op in your town
• Start an environmental nonprofit and use it to further your green passion

Green Recipes: Southwest Rice and Corn Salad

Now that spring is [finally] upon us in Utah, I have begun craving lighter dinners. As much as I love all those stews I made over the winter, it’s time to move on. I can’t wait to begin receiving my CSA deliveries, but I still have some weeks before this happens. My local Whole Foods has just started receiving things like snap peas, spring strawberries, and my favorite: corn on the cob. Making me very happy. I’ve been making this salad for a a while now; long before I ever decided to eat vegan. I used to serve this with grilled chicken and it was delicious. So if you’re not crazy eating a plant-based diet, you could add chicken, fish, or even beef. I would guess that some shredded cheddar or cotija cheese would be great sprinkled on top as well.
I originally found the recipe at Epicurious and over time I’ve made some adjustments to suit my tastes and diet:
1 cup white/brown/long grain wild rice, whichever you prefer. (all are equally awesome.)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon raw agave nectar (or your sweetener of choice)
1 1/2 cups grilled fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 ears) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup chopped green bell pepper (can use any color pepper)
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (leave some seeds/white membrane if you like it SPICY)
1 cup diced seeded yellow bell pepper
1 cup 1/2-inch cubes yellow summer squash
1 cup 1/2 inch cubes green zucchini
1 avocado, halved, peeled, diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Cook rice until just tender (this will vary greatly depending on the variety of rice you use). Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.
If using fresh corn, remove husks. Grill on all sides until you begin to see char marks. Once cool enough to handle, cut corn off cob.
Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, agave and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add corn, jalapeno, bell pepper, squash and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are just tender, 6 to 7 minutes; scrape into large bowl. Add rice, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
I serve this over a bed of lettuce and often turn the meal into “tacos” by eating it all inside a whole wheat tortilla. Happy Spring!