Category: Chemicals

Repel mosquitoes with a fan

8/4/2023

Use a fan outside as a chemical-free way to keep mosquitoes away.

According to the American mosquito control association , mosquitoes are weak fliers and so can be easily kept away from the wind created by a simple box fan in your outdoor seating area. A fan will also disperse the carbon dioxide that you exhale and other odors that mosquitoes use to find their hosts. This is a much better method than using a general spray, which eliminates all insects, pests and beneficial alike, disrupting the ecology not only in your yard but also that of your neighbors.

See another green tip for reducing mosquito populations sustainably.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Reduce chemical exposure from skin and hair products

5/5/2023

Reduce the products you put directly on your skin and hair that stay for long periods of time since many contain harmful and unregulated chemicals.

In recent years, an increasing number of reports have raised concerns about many of the products we use on our hair and skin, which are notoriously under regulated. These include skin lighteners, anti-aging creams, hair dyes, straighteners, soaps and shampoos.

Read more here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/well/live/personal-care-products-chemicals.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20230302&instance_id=86624&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=37066032&segment_id=126680&te=1&user_id=e5da2361139c7166bd33e528440ac3a6

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Make your own mosquito trap with a bucket of water and Bti dunks

8/4/2022

Bti is a naturally occurring toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. The dunks work by killing mosquitos in their larval stage. The larvae eat the Bti spores, which release a toxin into their guts and causes them to stop feeding. Bti is not toxic to humans or other mammals, birds, or fish. Therefore, it is safe to use in water sources that do not drain off your property, such as rain barrels or ornamental ponds. Doug Tallamy suggests a method of using Bti dunks to create a trap to reduce local mosquito abundance since most species of mosquitos travel less than one half mile from where they breed: Place water in bucket with straw and let it ferment for about 4-5 days; the larvae feed on the algae and microorganisms that grow on the straw, so this entices female mosquitos to lay their eggs in the bucket. Wait one week then add a dunk. Because Bti only kills aquatic fly larvae, you can safely dispose of the water by dumping it onto your lawn.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) contain mercury toxic to humans and animals. Do not throw them out—recycle them safely at Lowe’s and Home Depot

12/27/2021

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLS) are more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs but contain mercury, so they must be disposed of properly after they burn out. Retailers including The Home Depot and Lowe's have recycling programs for CFLs and provide bins for collection.

A recent TreeHugger.com article describes how CFLs are recycled and the materials reused. "A bulb recycler uses special machines to extract mercury and break down the CFL’s glass casing and aluminum fixtures. They can reuse the mercury in new light bulbs or in products like thermostats. The glass becomes material like concrete or tile, while the aluminum is recycled as scrap metal. Not only does recycling CFLs divert waste from the landfill, but it also prevents the release of toxic mercury into the environment."* The article also provides instructions for how to handle a broken CFL bulb: "Immediately have all other people and pets leave the room so they can avoid exposure. Open a window or door to the outside to air out the room for 5-10 minutes while you collect all broken glass and visible powder. Do not vacuum up the pieces because this could spread mercury-containing powder or vapor.
Place all broken glass and powder in a sealable container and check with your local government about disposal requirements."*

*Lauren Murphy, March 14, 2022, "How to Recycle Light Bulbs and Why You Should," www.treehugger.com

--https://www.treehugger.com/light-bulb-recycling-5206232?utm_campaign=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=25939313&utm_term=

Spiders are important: get to know them, don’t spray them.

6/11/2021

Spiders are vital part of our ecosystem, including the ones in your own yard. While some may feel they have a frightening look about them, there is nothing to fear, unless you are an insect. Spiders eat many of the insects that we consider pests. Even their web is useful – hummingbirds use it to strengthen their nests (to the chagrin of the spiders they steal from)! Unless you are allergic, most spider bites cause little or not reaction. Only two species of spiders found in Pennsylvania, black widow and brown recluse, are highly toxic to humans and both are rare here. Therefore, resist the temptation to spray toxic chemicals to rid your house and the area outside of spiders. Not only are you removing an ally in pest control, but the chemicals have far reaching harmful effects on many more critters. Get to know some spiders; learn how cool they are, and you will find yourself welcoming them into your yard!

Spiders are Interesting
Along with their eight legs, spiders are known to have eight eyes. But not all spiders have eight eyes; some have six or fewer. Spiders that hunt during the day can have great eyesight, but others rely more on touch to find their way around. A layer of cells behind their retina, the tapetum lucidum, helps them catch light better at night, but can also help you see them: hold a flashlight shining forward next to your head, and you will be able to see spider eyeshine at night! Baby spiders are also super cool: some disperse from their eggsac by ballooning: they spin a thread of silk that they use to catch the wind, Mary Poppins-style, to find a new home.

Meet Some Local Spiders
You are likely to encounter the small but long legged cellar spider in your cellar or garage. When threatened, they vibrate in their web, perhaps making them less visible to a potential predator. This harmless spider particularly likes to eat ants, another reason to encourage them in your house.
Jumping spiders are small, furry, very cute, and the males have a complex courtship dance that involves raising his front legs and strutting back and forth in front of the female. Some display beautiful colors when their legs are raised.
The yellow garden spider is an impressive spider with beautiful yellow and black patterns on its body. It builds a large orb web with an interesting zig-zagging white stripe in the center. No one knows what this is for. While these spiders are large, they only bite if you try to handle them, and the bite is no worse than a bee sting.

Sources:
https://extension.psu.edu/commonly-encountered-pennsylvania-spiders

https://www.thoughtco.com/cellar-spiders-overview-1968551

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/how-spiders-see-the-world/

Repel ants from your home without toxic chemicals

6/4/2021

Ants provide vital ecological services as seed dispersers, detritivores, and arthropod predators, and are amazingly successful animals. As much as I find them fascinating in their industriousness and organization, I do prefer not to have them in my kitchen. Toxic chemicals, however, are harmful to us inside our house and to the native and beneficial wildlife outside. Besides, we don’t want to annihilate ants, just let them do their thing outside.

Jorge Vamos has compiled a list of non-toxic options for repelling ants from inside your house. He suggests finding the ants’ point of entry into the house and placing lemon rinds, baby powder, chalk, peppermint oil, or coffee grounds at that point or around the base of the house to deter the ants from entering. Inside your house, treat the places where you see ant trails with lemon juice, cinnamon, black pepper, chili powder, or cloves. You can also try combinations of more than one of these remedies. See the full article here.

Use vinegar to clean your microwave

2/12/2021

Greatist.com has a great suggestion for cleaning your microwave without using harsh chemicals:

Author Laura Newcomer suggests: “Pour some vinegar into a small cup and mix in a little lemon juice (exact amounts don’t really matter). Put the cup in the microwave, let the microwave run for 2 minutes, and leave the door closed for several more minutes. Finally, open the door and simply wipe down all the sides with a warm cloth or sponge—no scrubbing required!”

Laura Newcomer, March 29, 2015. “27 chemical free recipes for DIY spring cleaning,” Greatist.com.

Clothes have environmental impacts based on their agricultural sources.

1/22/2021

Reporting on a podcast called "For the Wild," Treehugger writier Katherine Marinko underscores the connection between fashion and its agricultural origins, pointing out that, like food, has environmental impacts. These impact include land use practices and such as "fashion industry's role in illegal deforestation and seizure of land across the Global South, and its connection to serious soil and land contamination and degradation."* Processing materials also has hidden impacts. Dyes and other chemicals that are used to treat clothing end up contaminating local waterways. "A range of finishing treatments, such as wrinkle preventers and stain guards, as well as screen-printed designs, contain chemicals such as bisphenol A, formaldehyde, and phthalates. The same chemicals that we don't want in our water bottles go onto our clothing without question, and then enter waterways via the washing machine."* The source of materials can be problematic as well. "Tree-based fibers such as eucalyptus and bamboo, Tencel and modal, may use closed-loop chemical processing,"* but some sources include tree farms or virgin rainforest.

The original article can be found here.

*Katherine Martinko, October 26, 2020, "Your Clothes are an Agricultrual Choice," Treehugger.com

Keep the plastic out of your food

1/15/2021

Writer Kevin Loria describes the various ways plastics can make their way into foods and ultimately into our bodies and suggests ways to reduce this exposure in this article from consumer reports. He reported on "a preliminary estimate by some scientists that the plastic the average person may be eating and drinking totals as much as 5 grams per week. One research review published in 2019 calculated that the average American eats, drinks, and breathes in more than 74,000 microplastic particles every year. Some scientists say it’s likely that ingesting these tiny bits of plastic could expose us to harmful chemicals."* Properties of different types of plastics are determined by various added chemicals which "have been linked to serious health effects, including other bisphenols (in the same family as BPA), phthalates, and styrene"* He also points out that safety assessment and regulation of these chemicals has been insufficient.

To minimize the impact of these chemicals on your health, Loria lists six ways to reduce exposure to plastics:
1) Drink tap water, not water from plastic water bottles.
2) "Heat food in or on the stove, or by microwaving in glass,"* not in a plastic container in the microwave.
3) "Buy and store food in glass, silicone, or foil,"* not in plastic.
4) Eat fresh food rather than processed, plastic wrapped food.
5) Vacuum to reduce household dust.
6) Think about the bigger picture: "Legislation to limit the use of single-use plastics and plastic production may pull the biggest levers, but joining forces with community-level recycling groups can truly make a difference. Look for so-called zero-waste groups, which can offer guidelines for how to recycle or compost all your garbage—and which lobby for local rules that can restrict throwaway items. When possible, shop at markets that source goods locally, so they don’t require as much packaging and shipping. Seek out groups such as Upstream, a nonprofit working to create reusable takeout packaging for restaurants. And when possible, educate yourself about and support any city, county, and state legislation limiting single-use plastics."*

*Kevin Loria, April 30, 2020, "How to Eat Less Plastic," www.consumerreports.org

Improve indoor air quality by avoiding scented candles made with paraffin

12/4/2020

A tip from Credo mobile phone company blog describes the downside to parraffin candles. Burning candles made of paraffin, which is derived from petroleum, releases toxic chemicals, such as benzene and toluene, into the air, degrading indoor air quality. In some cases the wick also emits heavy metals. Alternatively, beeswax and soy candles do not release these chemicals (as long as they are not paraffin blends). Negative ions released from beeswax actually helps clear the air of pollutants.

See the full article here

Micah Evans, 2022, "Tuesday Tip: 7 Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality," blog.credo.com

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