DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers, what have you used?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I see no problem with this from your description, if you want an innerspring mattress.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Coir is coconut fibers held together with latex. Many babies are allergic to latex. And it's not organic.

I prefer the organic wool mattress.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Oh, this one is easy.

Just type "metal alarm clock" into your favorite search engine and you'll find hundreds.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

This is my second response to this question. I misread the question originally and was receiving comments that obviously also showed some misunderstanding, so I'm just starting over with my answer. Snack Taxis are reusable sandwich bags made of 100% cotton (not organic). The website says, "The manufacturer from which we order most of our cotton has had their material tested and found that it is free of lead and phthalates. We are considering ordering all of our cotton from this manufacturer in the future." They are "lined with a waterproof material that consists of nylon with a polyurethane coating" which is also "free of heavy metals (including lead), phthalates, PBBs, and PBDEs." This coated nylon DOES come in contact with the food. Some readers have written that they think the polyurethane coating is on the back of the nylon and does not come in contact with the food. I looked up polyurethane, as I know it can be toxic in other applications, such as floor finish. Apparently, the fully reacted polyurethane polymer is chemically inert (floor finishes contain other chemicals, such as solvents, which are toxic). No exposure limits have been established by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) or ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists), nor is it regulated by OSHA for carcinogenicity. However, when it breaks down, it decomposes into carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and hydrogen cyanide. There is such a thing as food grade polyurethane. It may very well be that by the time this polyurethane coating is fused to the nylon fabric, it is completely inert. I don't know. I doubt this is any more toxic than any other plastic sandwich bag, but it can be reused a greater number of times, thereby keeping disposable plastic bags out of landfills.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know if nylon is considered "food safe" by the FDA, but I know of no toxicity to nylon. Toothbrush bristles, for example, are made of nylon. I don't know of any reason it wouldn't be OK.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I can't give you a definitive time, as the amount of time it takes for a finish to completely cure depends on the conditions, but you want to allow time for the finish to completely cure and stop outgassing volatile vapors.

Heat will speed the process. I would say that if you heated the rooms for about a week, they should be safe at that point.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I understand your anger.

I would just like to give a little perspective.

It's important to remember that we don't live in a perfect world. Yes, we need to stop poisoning our children. Yes, nobody should be using hexane to manufacture organic baby formula, but--and this doesn't excuse this manufacturing practice--organic baby formula is so much less toxic than standard baby formula.

I haven't seen any studies on this, but it would be interesting to compare the amount of chemicals in organic baby formula with the amount of chemicals in breast milk. Breast milk has many health-giving factors, but it is NOT pure. Probably wouldn't qualify as being organic. Breast milk contains the chemicals that are in the mother's body.

I know this sounds horrible, but think about this. To sell cow or goat's milk as organic, the animals are fed and cared for in a strict organic way. How many mothers can say the same for the production of their breast milk?

It is my opinion that if hexane is used, there should be a test to show that no residues remain, or better yet, don't use hexane at all. But it's not the most important exposure to toxics to be worried about. Your baby probably gets more exposure to toxic chemicals breathing the air when you take him or her for a ride in the car. I'd be more concerned about your cleaning products, pesticides, carpets, water pollutants, toxic chemicals in the crib mattress--all these are much greater dangers than maybe there's a residue of hexane.

I know that we all want everything to be 100% pure. In today's world, that isn't going to happen the way things are now. We can acheive a significant decrease in toxic exposure over the average--enough to improve our health, but not 100% pure.

When assessing toxic exposures, it's important to consider both the toxicity of the substance and the amount and frequency of exposure. Hexane is toxic, but the amount your baby has been exposed to is miniscule in comparison to other possible exposures. Again, this doesn't excuse the exposure. It absolutely shouldn't be there, but in the broader picture, there are more important exposures of concern.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Cotton FABRIC does NOT contain pesticide residues. This are removed during processing. This has been laboratory tested in Germany. Cotton BATTING DOES contain pesticide resides, if it is not organic, as it is not as processed as cotton fabric. So it is imperative to buy organic cotton batting, as in a mattress or pillow, but not important to buy organic cotton diapers or clothing.

The problem with cotton fabric is the finishes, such as a permanent press finish, which releases formaldehyde. Most fabrics of any kind have a "sizing" applies, which washes out in the first wash. Five washes is plenty to remove sizing, but no amount of washing removes permanent press. Dyes are also not a concern if they are "colorfast," that is, they don't bleed when you wash them.

The reason to buy organic cotton is that conventionally-grown cotton uses a huge amount of the most toxic chemicals, which get into our air and water and soil, and indirectly into our bodies. But the amount of pesticide residue from conventional cotton fabric is nothing.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Polyethylene and polypropylene are two of the safer plastics. In this use, they would outgas very little, if at all.

I'm not concerned about toxic exposure from breathing these plastics.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Moms, what are your recommendations?

Can't tell you about the safety of Little Tikes. Their website doesn't list the materials they are made from. Please find out what type of plastic is used and then I can comment.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

To the best of my knowledge, plastic is plastic through and through unless it is layered with something else, so to cut a plastic film, would not make it outgas more. From looking at a picture of the unit though, isn't the whole thing plastic? I'm not sure how much difference it would make to cut away just that piece.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Everyone, if you have a problem with any product like this, where it seems to make the situation worse, please contact the manufacturer to get it resolved. They know best about what to do with their products.

With AFM Hard Seal, I just want to make a caution. It's really important to check with AFM first to find out if it is appropriate to put their finish over another finish. Sometimes the finishes react with each other, which is what it sounds like happened here.

I'm not sure if sanding is the right thing, as I don't know what will be exposed if you sand off the finish entirely. If it is bare solid wood, that's fine.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

No, a Brita filter will not remove prescription drugs from water, but neither will any other filter I know of (readers, please let me know if you know of one).

There is no one "right" whole house filter I can recommend--it all depends on what is in your water. The best overall whole house filter I know of--the one I have in my house--is from Go Beyond Organic. But mine is specific to the pollutants in my local water, and yours should be too. There's no need to pay for fluoride removal, for example, if there is no fluoride in your water.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Nylon is a plastic, but it is not toxic.

Readers, what are your recommendations?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

BPA leaches MORE when it is heated, but still leached some when not heated.

Please use baby bottles that you can sterilize.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

First of all, polyester is not PUL. So if the label says polyester and organic cotton, that's not PUL.

PUL is Polyurethane Laminate (read more about it at Q&A:Information on PUL fabric.

Soft plastics outgas, so baby can breathe the fumes and they can be absorbed through the skin. If the plastic is toxic, they are breathing and absorbing toxic fumes. However, again, polyester is not PUL.

Polyester itself has a fairly low toxicity, however, all polyester fabrics are treated with a formaldehyde resin that does not wash out. Since polyester is not waterproof, I'm not sure why they are using it with organic cotton.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I took a look at the Benefect website. This looks to be a good botanical disinfectant, and their other products look fine, too, from a safety standpoint. All the ingredients come from renewable resources.

I would consider their products to be "natural>

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Both acetate and rayon are made from natural materials mixed with chemicals. I have no reason to believe that any of the chemicals remain in the material at the end of processing, nor have I heard of any reports that it could be dangerous for babies to chew on such a blanket. These materials are not on my list of known top toxics.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I couldn't find any health effects of EVA by looking on MSDS sheets for various products. One was a mouth guard. So if it isn't outgassing some horrible smell, go ahead and use it.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

ABS stands for Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. It is made by polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene--15 to 35% acrylonitrile, 5 to 30% butadiene and 40 to 60% styrene. It can be recycled.

Acrylonitrile is a synthetic monomer produced from propylene (from petroleum, natural gas or coal) and ammonia.

Butadiene is a petroleum hydrocarbon obtained from butane gas.

Styrene is commercially obtained from benzene and ethylene from coal.

The MSDS for ABS plastic pipe gives no health effects but warns that if it is burned, the combustion by-products are toxic. It lists acrylonitrile and styrene as hazardous ingredients, but they are present in very small amounts. Since ABS can have varying amounts of each ingredient, the safety of your toy may not be the same as these pipes.

I can't say with certainty how safe or harmful your toy may be. As a rule, I recommend toys made from natural materials over plastics to be on the safe side. There are many natural toys available from websites listed on the Toy page of Debra's List.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

For this use, I don't think it makes a lot of difference for health or the environment. They are both about the same in their impacts.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

You bring up several important points here.

First, there are several commercial cleaning product lines on the Cleaning page of Debra's List.

Yes, there are different degrees of green. So if you are choosing a product that is certified to meet a standard, you need to know what that standard is. As you found out, not all "green" standards are natural.

I coudn't find HydrOxiPro on the website URL you gave, so I can't comment on it.

Readers, do you have experience with cleaning products in this setting?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

These are good questions. I know I have some readers who know more about herbals than I do, so let's see what they have to say.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

As far as I can determine, anything coming from China could be a wild card in terms of what is in it, unless you can contact the manufacturer and find out how careful they are about manufacturing. I think I should say that there seem to be wild variables about what you might get from China, but don't assume everything from China is bad.

Regarding formaldehyde, the standard practice is that formaldehyde is used on cotton if it is permanent press, and on all polyester/cotton woven fabrics. They may add formaldehyde on 100% cotton for some reason unbeknownst to me, but if it is not a permanent press resin finish, it should wash right out as it is very volatile.

I read an article on this at WorldNetDaily: Poison PJs from China, but it didn't mention if the garments were permanent press or not. It sounded like garments labeled "100% cotton" were found to be contaminated.

I would be wary of products from China unless you can contact the manufacturer and find out about their safety. I don't want to make assumptions about all products manufactured in China based on bad practices of a few.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Actually, infrared light has health BENEFITS. Search on "infrared light health effects" to find articles on this subject.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Here's a mattress pad with no polyester--only polyethylene and natural fibers: http://naturepedic.com/products/pads
/organicmattresspadsTFQ.htm. I don't know if it's in your price range, but they do exist.

If you can't afford this, you can get polyethylene sheeting (like a "poly" tarp sold at outdoor stores for camping) and put it on the bed to protect the mattress.

Polylaminate is a sheet of polyethylene film laminated between two sheets of aluminium foil.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Toxic chemicals that emit from toxic mattresses are gasses, which have very small particles. An allergen casing designed for dust, etc, will not contain a gas.

Children have not yet developed body systems to protect themselves against toxic chemicals. Your child spends 1/3 of his life in bed. It needs to be as safe as possible.

Whatever you spend on a nontoxic bed now, will come back to you manyfold in the future, when you don't have to pay medical bills.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

"Mothering" is a great natural parenting magazine and has been around for as long as I've been doing my work (25 years plus).

Mothers, any other magazines to recommend?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? What toothpastes do you use with your baby?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Since I have no personal, first hand experience with this, readers, could you answer these questions about natural crib mattresses?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

PUL is short for PolyUrethane Laminate, which is a fabric that has been heat-laminated to a layer of polyurethane. Diapers are usually made from laminated cottons, polyester knits, or poly blends.

Polyurethane is a pretty toxic plastic. You can read more about it at www.polyurethane.org. This is an industry-sponsored website. In particular, click on the link for "Hyperreactivity and Other Health Effects of Diisocyanates: Guidelines for Medical Personnel".

This plastic is more toxic than I would want to put next to a baby's tender skin.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? What are your recommendations? Not having children of my own, I have no experience with this.

I'm not concerned about your children eating off the table from Ikea. Not all glues are harmful. If you don't smell anything, it's likely there are little or no VOCs.

Good for you with the walnut oil and beeswax finish!

Debra :-)

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Moms, what do you suggest?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Oh, it's been years since I've taken a bubble bath.

Readers, any suggestions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I'm not aware of any problems with them.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I suggest White Lotus Home. This link goes to the Babies & Kids page on Debra's List, which says they have crib mattresses, but they also have mattresses suitable for kids.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Moms, what do you recommend?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

My suggestion would be to dump this bookcase entirely. If it's going right next to your daughter's bed, you want a bookcase that is as safe as possible.

You could try using heat to outgass the chemicals or apply a vapor barrier sealant, but the best choice would be to use a solid wood bookcase or a metal one.

Readers, any other suggestions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Wool blankets do not block the fumes from the outgassing of mattresses or car seats or strollers. A wool blanket is a good idea on it's own merit, but not to block fumes.

Silk is fine as a material, too.

Moms, what suggestions have you?

You might find some answers to your questions here:
* Q&A: Baby Car Seats
* Safest Baby Mattress, Used one or Cover??

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers, what is your experience?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

When I was a child and had a cough, my parents would make "honey-and-onions".

They would slice up an onion, put it in a shallow soup bowl, then cover it with honey. The onion would sweat and mix with the honey, and after a few hours it would make a syrup that tasted terrible but would relieve the cough quite soon. Just give a soup spoon full every 4 hours.

It usually didn't take more than two or three doses to be done.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

The EPA has a useful page on Management of Scrap Tires from a solid waste viewpoint, but mentions nothing about possible health effects.

Black Magic: The Art of Making Tires describes the manufacturing process of making tires and the materials used. Many types of rubber are used, both natural and synthetic, as well as other chemicals.

While it is best for health and the environment to find ways to recycle tires, I'm not sure putting them on a playground for children is the best idea for their health. Heat from the sun could cause the tires to outgas who knows what chemicals that might effect their health. I'd rather see those ground up tires used for road fill or something not so closely in contact with children.

I think this is a case where an idea is good for the environment, but not necessarily good for health.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't have children myself, so have no personal experience with children's vitamins.

Moms, what do you recommend?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Bravo to you for working to eliminate plastics from your children's lives!

I have quite a number of wooden bowls and have not yet encountered one I thought was toxic. You can always check with the manufacturer to see what finish was applied, if any.

Another option is enameled bowls like you would use for camping. In fact, you might try a camping store.

Another option is melamine (click on the link to read more about it). I recently needed to buy some bowls I could take with me when I travel, and found some attractive, inexpensive melamine bowls at Target. It's a very hard plastic, so it doesn't outgas like the others.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

EVA is ethylene-vinyl acetate, a polyethylene plastic (one of the least toxic of the plastics).

It's no more toxic than a sandwich bag.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

There are other crib mattress pads on the Babies & Kids page of Debra's List that are 100% natural fibers. Many natural moms use wool pads.

I don't have any experience with this, as I don't have children. I'm thinking that this pad with the polyurethane film is being offered for mothers who want a more absolute waterproof material. It is a less-toxic alternative to the standard vinyl.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Hmmmm. I'm a bit puzzled by this because I just two weeks ago taped a television show that showed these, among other back-to-school items, and the producer had no problem finding them at a local store.

If they discontinued manufacturing. It could be many reasons that have to do with resource availability, consumer demand, company finances, or any number of other problems besides toxicity or competition.

I didn't see the note about discontinuing manufacture on the website I linked to on Debra's List. If you saw that on another website, and want to know more about this, I suggest you call the manufacturer.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I have no personal experience with this, so I'm going to let my readers respond.

Moms, what should she use?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

That doesn't sound right to me.

Finishes such as permanent press and flame retardants are designed to stay in the fabric for the life of the garment. If it washed out that easily, it wouldn't meet the federal flame retardant laws, which is why they put the flame retardant on in the first place.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Moms, what do you suggest?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I suggest you read Q&A: Mineral Oil--Is It Safe and Natural? and then post any additional questions you have there.

Please keep in mind that whatever we place on our bodies goes directly into the body via the skin. So I wouldn't put anything on my skin that I wouldn't eat.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

PUL is short for Polyurethane Laminate, which is an aromatic polyether polyurethane film/sheet. It is used for bibs, diaper covers, and other baby products because of it's excellent resistance to water and fungus.

This is a plastic, made from petrochemicals. It is made from a nonrenewable resource and is not biodegradable.

According to the US Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA), health effects include "irritation of skin and mucous membranes, chest tightness, and difficult breathing...compounds classified as potential human carcinogens and known to cause cancer in animals. The main effects are occupational asthma and other lung problems, as well as irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin."

I'd opt for bibs and diaper covers made from natural ingredients.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

There are many websites listed at Debra's List: Babies & Kids which sell these items.

Readers, what are your favorite websites for natural baby bedding and clothing?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know anything about this, though my readers might. I would say though, that he (and you) needs to eat something, and your food exposed to x-rays would be infinitely better than the airplane food exposed to x-rays or airport food.

Readers, any info on this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has put together a great resource list for schools at Green Building for Schools. It includes lists of links to resources in the areas of General Resources, Waste Prevention and Management, Procurement, Indoor Air Quality, Outdoor Air Quality, Integrated Pest Management, Energy, Daylighting, Landscaping, Water Conservation and Educational Resources--all material oriented to school application.

Also, if you can get your hands on the book Blueprint for a Green School by Jayni Chase, it's well worth the effort to find it. Though published in 1996, this 670-page book is very comprehensive and still contains a lot of relevant information (I have a copy because I am referenced throughout). Today amazon.com has 16 new and used copies starting at $10.56. Though it is currently out of print, an update is in the works. Visit Center for Environmental Education Online, a resource for green schools founded by author Jayni Chase and husband comedian Chevy Chase. They also have a page of resource links for green schools as well as curriculum on environmental subjects for K-12 teachers.

Readers, any more resources you know of?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Just over the weekend I remembered that many years ago I had a friend who had eczema all over her body and was using cortizone cream.

I had just installed a shower filter and told her about it. She tried it too and her eczema disappeared within a few days.

So if you are having any type of skin problem, try bathing and washing your hands in purified water.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? Do you know of one?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Having no experience with bumper pads or babies myself, I'll leave this to the moms to respond to.

My opinion would be to go with the natural ones. I think the polyester has more to do with SIDS than the mechanics of the design.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Sounds like a great way to participate in recycling.

Readers, remember when we recycle by using an already existing item again, it saves even more resources than when we recycle by coverting the product material to a new product. It's always a good idea to use an existing item through to the end of it's useful life before sending it's material back into the system.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

greenfeet.com sells the Kleen Kanteen sippy cup and also the sippy cup adapters. Just go to greenfeet.com and type "sippy cup" into the search box.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

This ingredients list looks natural to me. My only concern is the soy, which I don't recommend personally.

Moms, what do you recommend?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't have personal experience giving birth, but most of the websites on the Babies & Kids page of Debra's List are run by mothers who have taken the natural path.

Try contacting them and asking your questions. They may have just the products you need for sale on their website.

Natural moms, your recommendations?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't have first hand experience with purchasing cribs, so perhaps some of my readers will help you out with recommendations.

I know the least expensive natural mattress companies listed on Debra's List are White Lotus Home (they will even accept barter for payment!) and NaturePedic (they will give you free shipping on your crib mattress if you ask for it and use my name).

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I called DAX and found out that DaVinci cribs are the same as Million Dollar Baby cribs, but sold with a different label. On the Million Dollar Baby website it says:

Our cribs are made solid pine wood and in some cases Sepetir wood. We use non-toxic finishes and paints to finish all our products.

Most of our cribs are made of Pine wood from harvested forests in New Zealand. We also use Rubber wood from Malaysia and Sepetir wood from harvested forests in other Asian countries. We NO longer use protected wood species like Ramin wood from Indonesia in any of our furniture.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

My recommendation would be to use hydrogen peroxide instead, which will kill bacteria, but I don't have personal experience with this. Readers? Your suggestions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Not being a mother myself, I'm going to turn this question over to women with experience. Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Neoprene was the first mass-produced synthetic rubber, made from petrochemicals. It's chemical name is Styrene (as in Styrofoam) Butadiene Chloroprane Rubber Blend. It was developed and is manufactured by DuPont. It is used for a wide variety of applications, including wetsuits and hoses. It is considered to be "chemically inert". The MSDS does list hydrocarbons under "hazardous decomposition products" but says only "not applicable" under health hazards data, so apparently there are no health hazards.

* more on neoprene...
* Neoprene MSDS

Personally, I probably wouldn't use these lunchboxes for my kids, when there are other options available I know for sure to be safe. There are plain and decorated metal lunchboxes at lunchboxes.com
and see Lunch Bags on Debra's List for cotton lunch bags.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Advertising for antimicrobial shoes for both children and adults don't give much information on what the antimicrobial agent is, however, I did come across a couple of brand name antimicrobials mentioned, so I looked them up.

AgION is "a non-toxic, natural silver ion delivery system that inhibits reproduction, interrupts metabolism, and disrupts cell wall functions of many molds, yeasts, and bacteria. Silver...has been used for centuries as an antimicrobial agent...[bound together with other materials, it] acts as a delivery system that continuously releases silver ions, which suppress the growth of microbes...AgION has also been recognized by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an acceptable food contact substance."

Microban® Antimicrobial doesn't say exactly what the antibacterial agent is, but they say on their website that it "has a long history of safe use" and that it is "built-in during the manufacturing process and will not wash off or wear away," which leads me to believe it may be silver also.

In response to the question, "Has anyone ever gotten sick from using products with Microban® antimicrobial protection?" they answer:

Extensive testing and a long use history have shown Microban® product protection to be safe. While it is impossible to say that no one will ever experience an allergic reaction to anything, it is highly unlikely a negative experience would be observed. Microban additives are used in very low levels measured in parts per million.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I found an all-natural, all-organic hand sanitizer right on one my Debra's List websites. Green Living Now carries a hand sanitizer made from biodynamic (that's better than organic) grape alcohol and a proprietary blend of certified organic essential oils. Owner Amy Todisco says "I have found a fantastic organic hand sanitizer, and it's safe for children. Very pleasant aroma (you won't smell like medicine or sickly sweet) in an easy to use spray mist container that fits in your purse or coat pocket...Dries on contact, use when sick or traveling, can be used on all germy surfaces (like public toilets), and no toxic synthetic antibacterial ingredients. Pleasant fragrance."

I did a search for "natural hand sanitizer" and found about a half dozen on various websites. But NONE but this one listed ingredients. One "all-natural" product said it contained "ethyl alcohol" but said nothing about the source of the alcohol. I know Amy Todisco and she is very particular about choosing her products and does a lot of research on them, so I trust this was the best one she could fine.

If you want to make your own, you're on the right track with aloe vera gel and essential oils. On page 110 of my book Home Safe Home, I wrote about how at the beginning of the twentieth century in Paris they discovered workers in the flower-growing district had fewer respiratory illnesses. Intitut Pasteur investigated and found it was because of the essential oils in the flowers. They identified laevender, jasmine, tuberose, thyme, and others as having antiseptic properties. Also tea tree oil is antibacterial.

I also want to pass along to you a warning from Purdue University about hand sanitizers.
Aaccording to a Purdue university professor who teaches sanitation practices for food service workers, "Waterless, antibacterial hand sanitizers are marketed as a way to 'wash your hands' when soap and water aren't available, and they are especially popular among parents of small children. But research shows that they do not significantly reduce the overall amount of bacteria on the hands, and in some cases they may even increase it."

The professor went on to say that a hand sanitizer can't take the place of old-fashioned soap and water at home or anywhere else.

Why are children being asked to provide hand sanitizers at school instead of simply washing their hands with soap and water?

Debra :-)