Environmental Health Archive

After the doctor told us that it sounded like Sophia had “colic”, which I’ve since discovered is an umbrella word used for all overly fussy babies, I started doing mega research to see what I could do to stop said overly fussiness in my baby. I found that totally cutting cow’s milk from my diet help in our case. We noticed the difference right away and it was like night and day. Sophia’s doctor congratulated me on finding the only food that has been found to have any connection with colic. Unfortunately I’m having a hard time staying away from all dairy. I’ve been able to get away with things like cheese cake and the occasional cup of hot chocolate but we went out to dinner a few days ago and I had Chile Relleno (there are many versions of this dish, but in this case it’s a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese). Things didn’t sit well with Sophia, so thankfully I also researched the gripe water suggestion of a commenter.

What is “gripe water”? If it really works, what’s in it that does the job? The brand the commenter mentioned was Baby’s Bliss, so I looked it up and found the ingredient list.

• Deionized Water
• Vegetable Glycerin
• Sodium Bicarbonate (15 mg)
• Organic Ginger Extract (5mg)
• Organic Fennel Extract (4 mg)
• Fructose
• Citrus Bioflavonoid Extract
• Citric Acid
• Grapefruit Seed Extract

Water, Glycerin (A byproduct of the soap making process usually used in cosmetics - Though I don’t usually see it in the things I consume I think it’s pretty harmless), Sodium Bicarbonate (Also known as baking soda), Ginger Extract (Something exotic to make you think it’s an ancient Chinese secret), Fennel Extract (Pleasant smell and flavor), Fructose (Just a teaspoon of sugar to make the medicine go down), Citrus Bioflavonoid Extract (Fancy way of saying pulp and rind of citrus fruits or vitamin C), Citric Acid (Something acidic to react with the aforementioned baking soda - think of the volcano experiments in high school science class with baking soda and vinegar), Grapefruit Seed Extract (A preservative that leaves me with a less than fuzzy feeling).

When I read Sodium Bicarbonate on the ingredient list I thought of the taste of baking soda and it reminded me of the couple of times I used Alka-Seltzer. You know, “plop plop fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is”, Alka-Seltzer. I looked up the ingredients for Alka-Seltzer and sure enough Sodium Bicarbonate and Citric Acid appeared on the list. Gripe water is just baby-seltzer. The big difference between the two is that Alka-Seltzer also contains Aspirin, so don’t think you can get away cheap by using the adult version on your baby. The other difference is that the baby version already has the water added and therefore doesn’t have the fun bubbly fizz that’s created when the baking soda initially combines with an acid (I’m guessing the extra fizz wouldn’t do well with a baby’s immature system), but the babies do get sugar (hardly seems fair).

Because I don’t care to use anything with Grapefruit Seed Extract and Baby Bliss recently had a recall on their apple flavor gripe water I sought out a different brand. We went with Wellements Gripe Water. Here is the ingredient list:

• Agave fructose
• Citric Acid
• Chamomile (flower)
• Ginger extract (root)
• Fennel extract (seed)
• Glycerin
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Purified water

Agave fructose (Sugar derived from the agave plant - Agave is a succulent plant probably best known for making tequila), Citric acid (The acid that will spark the following sodium bicarbonate), Chamomile (Known for its general soothing properties in tea), Ginger extract (Exotic stuff), Fennel extract (Pleasantly smelly stuff - I call Sophia “Fennel Face” after giving her a dose), Glycerin, Sodium Bicarbonate, and water.

In case you’re not part of the “dirty hippy vegan” club as Kurt calls it, GSE or Grapefruit Seed Extract is this wildly popular “natural” do it all medication/supplement, household cleaner, fruit and vegetable wash, and food and cosmetic preservative. Does that sound odd and maybe a little scary to anyone else?

I discovered GSE though researching parrot diet and nutrition. One thing that kept coming up in bird forums, books, and web sites was using GSE for sprouting to reduce risk of mold and for cleaning their cage because birds are very sensitive to the chemical products many use. I’ve noticed GSE all over the place since my initial search, and because of what I’ve found out about it, that makes me twitch. Some brands of GSE apparently are truly Grapefruit Seed Extract, and they do none of the above listed tasks any better than water. Other brands however, are not what they seem. I’m not saying that ingesting them will kill or maim. It might not even make people sick if used in the diluted amounts recommended by manufacturers as a vegetable wash, but if your goal is to reduce your exposure to chemicals, I’m afraid you may have been duped. Just to be on the safe side I would not add GSE to pet foods, take it as a pregnant woman nor feed it to an infant, but that’s just me.

From the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s site, 1999 tests that revealed preservatives:

Aspects of the antimicrobial efficacy of grapefruit seed extract and its relation to preservative substances contained.

Institute of Pharmacy, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany.

The antimicrobial efficacy as well as the content of preservative agents of six commercially available grapefruit seed extracts were examined. Five of the six extracts showed a high growth inhibiting activity against the test germs Bacillus subtilis SBUG 14, Micrococcus flavus SBUG 16, Staphylococcus aureus SBUG 11, Serratia marcescens SBUG 9, Escherichia coli SBUG 17, Proteus mirabilis SBUG 47, and Candida maltosa SBUG 700. In all of the antimicrobial active grapefruit seed extracts, the preservative benzethonium chloride was detected by thin layer chromatography. Additionally, three extracts contained the preserving substances triclosan and methyl parabene. In only one of the grapefruit seed extracts tested no preservative agent was found. However, with this extract as well as with several self-made extracts from seed and juiceless pulp of grapefruits (Citrus paradisi) no antimicrobial activity could be detected (standard serial broth dilution assay, agar diffusion test). Thus, it is concluded that the potent as well as nearly universal antimicrobial activity being attributed to grapefruit seed extract is merely due to the synthetic preservative agents contained within. Natural products with antimicrobial activity do not appear to be present.

From the United States Department of Agriculture’s site (bold text is my emphasis):

Identification of Benzalkonium Chloride in Commercial Grapefruit Seed Extracts

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Date: August 12, 2005
Citation: Takeoka, G.R., Dao, L.T., Wong, R.Y., Harden, L.A. 2005. Identification of Benzalkonium Chloride in Commercial Grapefruit Seed Extracts. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 53:7630-7636.

“In this study we identified a new synthetic adulterant, benzalkonium chloride, in commercial GSE samples. This ingredient is a synthetic antimicrobial agent that is widely used in cleaning and disinfection agents. The presence of benzalkonium chloride in a commercial product designated for internal and external use by humans is troubling in light of its toxicity and allergenicity.”

From the Food and Drug Administration’s site (bold text is my emphasis):

Analysis and Evaluation of Preventive Control Measures for the Control and
Reduction/Elimination of Microbial Hazards on Fresh and Fresh-Cut Produce

Chapter VI

Microbiological Safety of Controlled and Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Produce

“Antimicrobial compounds have also been used with traditional films such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE); for example, the fungicide Imazalil (IM) and the antimicrobial grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) have recently been used with bell peppers and lettuce, respectively (Miller and others 1984; Han 2000)…”

“…Lee and others (1998) investigated the ability of GFSE with LDPE films to inhibit growth of E. coli, Staphylocuccus aureus, molds, yeasts, and lactic acid bacteria, using the plate disk test. Films containing 1.0% GFSE in LDPE film inhibited E. coli and S. aureus as demonstrated by a clear zone; however, molds, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria were unaffected…”

“…Grapefruit seed extract is reported to be inhibitory to a number of human pathogens. There has been evidence, however, that any antibacterial activity of commercial preparations is due to the various preservative agents (triclosan, methyl parabene, benzethonium chloride) contained within the product. Researchers have found that products not containing any preservatives and several self-made preparations had no antimicrobial activity (Woedtke and others 1999). In the aforementioned study by Lee and others (1998), the composition of the GFSE incorporated in the film was not discussed or examined. It is obvious that if pure GFSE is to be used, its antimicrobial properties will have to be fully investigated. If the active antimicrobial ingredients in commercial GFSE preparations are preserving agents, they may be better targets for investigation.”

From the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s site, 2006 tests that again revealed preservatives:

Development and validation of an HPLC/UV/MS method for simultaneous determination of 18 preservatives in grapefruit seed extract.

Institute of Pharmacy, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. markus.ganzera@uibk.ac.at

Grapefruit seed extracts are used in cosmetics, food supplements, and pesticides because of their antimicrobial properties, but suspicions about the true nature of the active compounds arose when synthetic disinfectants such as benzethonium or benzalkonium chloride were found in commercial products. The HPLC method presented herein allows the quality assessment (qualitative and quantitative) of these products for the first time. On the basis of a standard mixture of 18 preservatives most relevant for food and grapefruit products, a method was developed allowing the baseline separation of all compounds within 40 min. Optimum results were obtained with a C-8 stationary phase and a solvent system comprising aqueous trifluoroacetic acid, acetonitrile, and 2-propanol. The assay was fully validated and shown to be sensitive (LOD < or= 12.1 ng on-column), accurate (recovery rates > or = 96.1%), repeatable (sigma(rel) < or = 3.5%), precise (intra-day variation < or = 4.5%, interday variation < or = 4.1%), and rugged. Without any modifications the method could be adopted for LC-MS experiments, where the compounds of interest were directly assignable in positive ESI mode. The quantitative results of several products for ecofarming confirmed previous studies, as seven out of nine specimens were adulterated with preservatives in varying composition. The samples either contained benzethonium chloride (2.5-176.9 mg/mL) or benzalkonium chloride (138.2-236.3 mg/mL), together with smaller amounts of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid esters, benzoic acid, and salicylic acid.

In case you didn’t notice, in my apparently shocking baby squeezins diaper post, the great cloth verses disposable diaper war is over and Kurt won out. The issues I brought up in favor of cloth diapers were less diaper rash, faster potty training, and the use of Sodium polyacrylate in disposables. Kurt wanted the ease diapering that comes with disposables and he was thoroughly disgusted with the idea of washing dirty diapers in the washing machine.

The non-issues were:

Environmental - I’m not at all convinced that cloth is anymore environmentally friendly than disposables. Yes, you can use it repeatedly for multiple children but it still has to be manufactured, often using bleached cotton. Polyesters are also used in newer brands of cloth diapers to wick the wetness away from baby, and water and detergent is consumed to wash them. No matter what brand is used detergents are not as friendly to the environment and soap, but soap cannot be used on diapers as it reduces absorbency because it leaves a film that overtime can also cause odors to linger. Cloth diapers also require a cover – usually plastic.

Disposable diapers, obviously manufactured, use wood pulp from trees specifically grown for diaper purposes. So toss aside the deforestation argument. They have a plastic outer layer and collect in landfills. But landfills are changing and they aren’t all as evil as they once were.

Waste Management to tap landfill methane
Garbage hauler to spend $400 million to turn greenhouse gas into power
updated 8:26 a.m. PT, Wed., June. 27, 2007

Waste Management Inc., the nation’s largest garbage hauler and landfill operator, plans to spend roughly $400 million over the next five years building facilities at 60 landfills to convert methane gas to electricity, its most ambitious renewable energy project to date.

Financial – We are not in a financially strapped type of situation. If we were, I would not have been looking at Fuzzi Bunz and Kissaluvs as my main cloth diapering choices. While I did want to do cloth diapers, I also wanted it to be just as easy to change as disposables. For the true economic diapering, the prefold cloth diapers are the award winners. They cost about $1.50 to $2.50 depending on size and fabric type. About 36 diapers and 6 to 8 pairs of plastic pants in three sizes and you’re pretty much all set. Unfortunately, they leak on a much more regular basis than then disposable “blow out”. Depending on how I ultimately went about things my totals would have been somewhere between $750 and $950 and that doesn’t include cloth wipes, and washable dirty diaper bags. The brand of disposables that we chose would cost about $1100 over the course of two and a half years ($29.99 for a box of 234 – rounds up to thirteen cents a diaper, twelve diapers a day for two and a half years). We don’t use twelve a day and the bigger she gets the fewer she uses per day. Fewer diapers come in the box as she goes up in size though so it may even out my padded number.

The Issues I had for cloth/against disposable diapers:

Faster potty training – I don’t have any valid evidence that cloth diapers would lead to faster potty training, but because cloth doesn’t have the wetness wicking powers that the super absorbent disposable diapers do I added faster potty training to my list of benefits with the assumption that most babies wouldn’t want to sit in their own filth. I have heard of many toddlers that could really care less if their pants are wet and/or poopy and will continue happily playing until someone tells them they stink and wrestles them to the ground for a diaper change, so going cloth might simply be adding more work without any benefit in that arena. I hope that my kiddo isn’t one of those.

Diaper rash – Cloth or disposable, no matter how a baby is diapered they’re going to get diaper rash sometime during their diapered years simply because they’re in a diaper. I know this, and I have not found a single piece of credible information that can say for certain that one type of diaper will without a doubt cause fewer rashes on my baby. I was just hoping that with cloth, maybe we would have less rash problems than with disposable. Based on my scouring of the internet I’ve found that the best ways to avoid diaper rash aside from letting the little one run around nekkid (it is good to let them air out a bit, but I prefer not to clean urine and feces off the couch, floor, etc.) is to change her right after she goes. This is the problem I have because there are times that she lets out one more little fart. It’s so little it hardly justifies another change regardless of the type of diaper. The other thing is nighttime. She sleeps for four hours at a time and I’m not about to wake her up to do a diaper check every hour just to make sure it’s dry. At least in disposables it’s wicked away from her skin.

Many sites say that if cloth diapers are used that it’s best to use a cover made of a breathable material and not plastic to “let air circulate”. That’s fine, there are also waterproof pants that are made of “pul” (polyurethane laminate) that are very popular in the cloth diapering community. Seems odd to me to have a community based on the way one diapers their baby but oh well. I also think it’s funny that pul seems to be regarded as a better choice than plastic when both are waterproof and I don’t think either is a breathable material. There are also wool covers, but that seems like it would be too bulky for daytime use, and too hot for indoor summertime use.

Sodium polyacrylate - Up to this point, all issues and non-issues either come to a draw or lean a little more towards the disposable diaper. The one thing that hands down leans towards cloth is the fact that ALL disposable diapers use sodium polyacrylate for super absorbency. sodium polyacrylate is the same stuff that causes Toxic Shock Syndrome in women that wear tampons and don’t change them frequently enough. As I’ve said before, I know there is a difference between the internal use of tampons and the external use of diapers. I have not found incidents where a baby has died or become sick due to the sodium polycrylate in disposable diapers. I know it’s an unrealistic fear, but I still don’t like the idea of sodium polyacrylate in my baby’s diapers. So why are we using disposable diapers despite my fear? Number one, because I know it’s an unrealistic fear and number two, because Kurt said, “I want you to be able to spend time with your daughter instead of cleaning diapers all the time.” He really hits below the belt doesn’t he?

So we are using Costco’s Kirkland brand diapers and their wipes. We went with a store brand diaper not because it’s cheaper but because they don’t add all the dyes and perfumes. I’m really happy with their wipes too because they’re thick, made with cotton, and alcohol-free.

We did use cloth wipes for the first month because in the class we took about newborn care said not to use commercial wipes for the first month. They said that for the first month that the baby’s skin is adjusting to the new waterless environment and to simply use a damp cloth for wiping. I’ve heard that it’s good to go back to damp cloth wipes during diaper rashes as well.

A couple good links for further diaper debate reading…
Among the Earth Baby Set, Disposable Diapers Are Back, By MICHAEL SPECTER, Published: October 23, 1992.
Revisiting the Diaper Debate

I’ve seen this at Babies “R” Us and today I just saw it today at another store. My first thought goes to the name - I know what kind of liquids come from a baby nursery and I want nothing to do with any of them much less buy some of it bottled. My next thought is other than for convenience if your camping or something like that - why the hell are we buying bottled water? We already have to pay for tap. Just use that. It’s the same stuff I promise. Unless you live in a third world country or came from the same town in Alaska that I did where city water smelled like rotten eggs and actually had visibly brown sediment your tap water is at least as good as the bottled stuff.

Back to “Nursery Water”. At the store I saw this brand in it cost about 30 cents more than the surrounding brands. The marketing on the web site of this brand says, “Our water goes through an extensive process of steam distillation” - fancy huh? All that means is it’s distilled. Ok, distilled water usually costs more because something is actually being done to it, but is that really necessary? If you just boil water that will get rid of any bacteria. Distillation gets rid of bacteria and any minerals - What the fuck minuscule trace mineral are you afraid your baby might come into contact with? The marketing team at Nursery Water goes on to say, “We even add minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium for a refreshing taste your child will love!” If you take just one second to read the nutrition label on the bottle none of those things even register as a percentage of the daily recommended allowance, so anything they add to it is so little it’s basically ZERO and they might as well not bother. It’s water - there is no fucking flavor! “Specially formulated to contain the ADA recommended level of added fluoride” The tap water in most communities has fluoride and so do some other bottled waters.

From the EPA:

Bottled water is not necessarily safer than your tap water. EPA sets standards for tap water provided by public water systems; the Food and Drug Administration sets bottled water standards based on EPA’s tap water standards.

From the FDA regarding formula preparation using tap water:

In most cases, it’s safe to mix formula using ordinary cold tap water that’s brought to a boil and then boiled for one minute and cooled. According to the World Health Organization, recent studies suggest that mixing powdered formula with water at a temperature of at least 70°C (158°F) creates a high probability that the formula will not contain the bacterium Enterobacter sakazakii—a rare cause of bloodstream and central nervous system infections. Remember that formula made with hot water needs to be cooled quickly to body temperature—about 98°F—if it is being fed to the baby immediately. If the formula is not being fed immediately, refrigerate it right away and keep refrigerated until feeding.

From the FDA regarding formula preparation using Bottled water:

If consumers use non-sterile bottled water for formula preparation, they should follow the same directions as described for tap water above. Some companies sell bottled water that is marketed for infants and for use in mixing with infant formula. This bottled water is required to meet general FDA quality requirements for bottled water. If the bottled water is not sterile, the label must also indicate this. Water that is marketed by the manufacturer as sterile and for infants must meet FDA’s general requirements for commercial sterility.

By the way - Nursery Water does not meet the FDA’s requirements for commercial sterility they even say so on the FAQ section of their website, which means that according to the FDA you’re supposed to boil it anyway.

Why am I picking on this brand? Because when I passed by it in the store today I thought it’s stupid to market water just for babies, so I wanted to know more because I apparently enjoy torturing myself. It’s just water, and that particular zero calorie beverage doesn’t need to be any different for a baby than for an adult. Then I saw on the label, “specially formulated for babies” and I flew into rant mode. I know that those words tickle the guilt-ridden heartstrings of new moms and I have something very blunt to say about that. I will make no apology for the following sentiments - anyone who purchases this brand of water because they truly believe that it’s not only better for their baby than tap water but because they also think water can actually be “specially formulated for babies”, is fucked in the head. It’s water you stupid drone! You are the reason there are isles and isles of useless crap in stores that prevent me from finding something as simple as a replacement for my broken vegetable steamer basket because there are apparently so many of you out there buying this useless shit that stores don’t bother with actual merchandise. I went to Target, Fred Meyer, and K-Mart looking for one and finally found it at Safeway. I bought two of them!

At Friday’s doctor appointment, Kurt thought it would be funny to step on the scale as the nurse weighed me. When I saw the scale swing up to 190, I immediately flipped around to see “what” was fucking with the scale. I’m now 173 pounds.

This appointment Kurt also decided it was time he start asking the doctor questions and try to get an authoritative figure on his side of our cloth vs. disposable diaper argument. The question he posed was, “Are there any medial concerns for using disposable diapers?” Ass – I know that millions of babies use disposable diapers with no medical problems other than diaper rash, which also happens to cloth diaper wearing babies (that’s pretty much what the doctor said regarding medical “issues” as well). I have already told Kurt I just want to avoid all the extra crap companies put into disposables and I’m hoping that *maybe* we’ll have less diaper rashes to deal with. That’s it! I will clean the diapers, he doesn’t have to touch ‘em other than to change the baby, and the diapers I’m looking at will be just as easy to change as disposables.

Here is the warning on Pampers disposable diapers,

Pampers Swaddlers contain these mild ingredients which are gentle to the skin: Petrolatum, Stearyl Alcohol, Aloe Extract.

If you notice a gel-like material on your baby’s skin, don’t be alarmed. This comes from the diaper padding and can easily be removed by wiping your baby’s skin with a cloth.

By the way Petrolatum is the same thing as petroleum jelly which I was just told in our newborn care class shouldn’t be used on baby’s skin. And that “gel-like” material is Sodium polyacrylate, which is the same stuff that causes Toxic Shock Syndrome in women that wear tampons and don’t change them frequently enough. – Yes, I realize there is a difference between wearing a diaper and inserting a tampon in the who-ha. I just don’t like the idea of my baby wearing diapers 24/7 with that stuff. I also realize that Sodium polyacrylate is used in “feminine napkins”, but I don’t know anyone that uses them 24/7 for two plus years. Generally they’re only used 24/7 for three to seven days out of the month.

I have found a one-size pocket diaper that uses snaps instead of the hook and loop fasteners. It’s called “Mommy’s Touch”. You would think that I’d be ecstatic and snatch some up right away, but not only do they cost a dollar more per diaper (not really *that* big a deal to me) they also have so many snaps! I would never be able to get Kurt or any sitter that’s even slightly apprehensive about cloth diapers to use these. From what I can tell via pictures on the web there isn’t even a way to snap them up to the right size before diapering the squirmy child. It looks like you put it on the baby and then snap down to size – what a pain! It also requires an insert (all pocket diapers do) but this one doesn’t even come with an initial/basic – we make this insert specifically for our diapers so we’re throwing it in for your convenience.

After doing more research and reading many reviews (Thank you Carrie for the link on the cloth diaper review), my current plan is to use Kissaluvs size 0 fitted diapers for the newborn days. Every site I visited said that Kissaluvs fitted diapers were the parents’ favorite for containing runny newborn poops. The size 0 should fit until Sophia is 15 pounds and then I think I’ll switch to a medium sized Fuzzi Bunz, which fits from 15 to 30 pounds. If I need an in-between diaper, I’ll either go with the fitted Kissaluvs size 1, which can also serve as a backup diaper until she’s about 25 pounds or a size small Happy Heiny Huggers depending on her size. I’m crossing my fingers that she’ll be potty trained before I need to buy the size large Fuzzi Bunz. - I have a plan for how I will do potty training, but I realize that part of it is up to her.

I’ve been thinking about using cloth diapers. Yeah Yeah I know – with advances in technology and ease of use of disposable diapers why would I even want to deal with something like cloth diapers. For once, I’m not trying to do what seems more natural due to environmental reasons, well not really. I’m not afraid of adding some more diapers to landfills – they aren’t as evil as some may think. Many are actually becoming rather green by turning the methane produced into electricity. My “environmental” concern is actually the powder, which turns into a gel when wet, used in disposable diapers to make them super absorbent.

The one of the cloth diapers I’m really considering is the Bumgenius 2.0. I know what you’re thinking – holy cow 17.95 per diaper! That’s expensive! But the one size fits from newborn to potty training age and no covers or extra liners needed. The one thing that I don’t like is the “hook and loop” fasteners AKA Velcro. I used to have Velcro shoes as a kid and I’m afraid that type of closure may not last long. I also read some reviews about the elastic not lasing very long on them. Those reviewers still gave these diapers four out of five stars though. On the upside as long as I do the washing there is nothing extra that Kurt would have to do as far as diaper changes go and he might actually be willing to use them. At this point I have agreed that he can use disposable diapers, I already know I’ll probably never find a daycare that will deal with cloth diapers, so really they’ll be getting the most use while I’m on maternity leave for the first six months – yep I know I’m very lucky I get six months, so I’m taking it! With the schedules Kurt and I are negotiating with our work places Sophia will only be in daycare a maximum of three days a week, so the cloth diapering can still be about 50/50 after my maternity leave.

Using a chart that I found I figured the number of one-size diapers that I would want is 36, so the cost of buying the Bumgenius 2.0 pocket diaper would be $646.20. I used the same chart on some fitted diapers I was looking at (Thirsties fitted diaper). For those I would need to buy three different sizes as Sophia grows along with covers which also come in three sizes. The fitted diapers I was looking at were only $7.75 each which seems a lot better but the total cost including covers would come out to $855.00. The covers were $10.50 each and I figured I would buy the maximum recommended for each size.

The overall cost is higher for the Thirsties and because they’re a fitted diaper and not a pocket diaper they might be harder to get clean.

Ecobaby one-size diapers are the third brand I shall use to torture you. These only cost $13.00 each. They come with snap-in doublers for more absorbency and the closure uses snaps, but they require covers. The total cost for these (using the same chart) comes to $625.50. That’s less than the Bumgenius, but not by much. In addition, according to the same site that sells them they don’t fit very well at birth so I might need to use something else for the first couple of months.

McDonald’s sued for having milk, wheat in fries-WSJ

Sunday February 19, 5:49 PM EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) faces at least three lawsuits claiming the fast-food giant misled the public after it acknowledged earlier this week its French fries contain milk and wheat ingredients, the Wall Street Journal Online reported on Sunday.

The suits were filed by people with celiac disease, who have an intolerance to a protein found in wheat, the Journal said.

McDonald’s, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, had previously described the flavoring as safe for people with food allergies and other dietary sensitivities, the Journal said.

What what what? McDonalds fries aren’t made with real Idaho potatoes? Ya know McDonalds has been in business for many years and I don’t think the ingredient lists have changed that much over time…it’s still shit and if you’re allergic to crap I suggest you not eat out at all. If you have some rare allergic reaction to every goddamn thing disease it’s up to you to find out what’s in that pre-made food, and don’t ask those poor minimum wage kids behind the counter – they don’t fucking know. I don’t know where anyone would get a full ingredient list for fast food, but if you have the kind of time to do that sort of research you have the time to make your own damn sandwich. Don’t get me started on those people that have sued because McD’s made them fat. Fuckin’ idiots!

I recently read the book, “The Safe Shopper’s Bible”. Some of the alternatives to brand name cleaning products they mention are great and are probably much safer for the environment than brand-name chemical cleaners, but are they safe for the person doing the cleaning? I’ve looked up some of these “nontoxic” alternatives…

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral, soluble in water, and many natural cleaning guides list it as a “safe” alternative to harsh commercial chemicals. It can deodorize, inhibit the growth of mildew and mold, boost the cleaning power of soap or detergent, remove stains, and can be used with attractants such as sugar to kill cockroaches. What a wonderful disinfectant cleaner… but if you go to http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov and look up borax and click on the first link under the heading “Information from other National Library of Medicine databases” you’ll find:

Human Toxicity Excerpts: Fatal doses for humans are variously est to be 5 to 6 g for children and 10 to 25 g for adults.
[Clayton, G. D. and F. E. Clayton (eds.). Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology: Volume 2A, 2B, 2C: Toxicology. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley Sons, 1981-1982. 3059]**PEER REVIEWED**

By the way 5 grams is about a teaspoon! I’ve heard of many people using Borax as a carpet deodorizer - please please don’t ever do that if you have small pets or children. Using it mixed with water to clean bathrooms it’s great! - Just make sure to use gloves.

Borax and boric acid used in powders and ointments have resulted in serious poisonings and death.
[Seiler, H.G., H. Sigel and A. Sigel (eds.). Handbook on the Toxicity of Inorganic Compounds. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 1988. 135]**PEER REVIEWED**

Chronic poisoning: (From ingestion, skin absorption, or absorption from body cavities or mucous membranes) prolonged absorption causes anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, mild diarrhea, skin rash, alopecia, convulsions and anemia. /Boric acid & boron derivatives/
[Dreisbach, R.H. Handbook of Poisoning. 12th ed. Norwalk, CT: Appleton and Lange, 1987. 361]**PEER REVIEWED**

Chronic poisoning: (From ingestion, skin absorption, or absorption from body cavities or mucous membranes) prolonged absorption causes anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, mild diarrhea, skin rash, alopecia, convulsions and anemia. /Boric acid & boron derivatives/
[Dreisbach, R.H. Handbook of Poisoning. 12th ed. Norwalk, CT: Appleton and Lange, 1987. 361]**PEER REVIEWED**

BECAUSE HIGHEST CONCN ARE REACHED DURING EXCRETION, THE KIDNEYS ARE MORE SERIOUSLY DAMAGED THAN OTHER ORGANS. /BORIC ACID & BORON DERIVATIVES/
[Dreisbach, R.H. Handbook of Poisoning. 12th ed. Norwalk, CT: Appleton and Lange, 1987. 360]**PEER REVIEWED**

Skin, Eye and Respiratory Irritations: … Borax … /is an irritant/ … when in contact with skin & mucous membranes of the eyes, nose & other sites in the resp tract. …
[American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values and Biological Exposure Indices. 5th ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, 1986.60]**PEER REVIEWED**

Medical Surveillance: No specific considerations are needed for boric acid or borates except for general health and liver and kidney function. /Boric acid & borates/
[Sittig, M. Handbook of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Carcinogens, 1985. 2nd ed. Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Data Corporation, 1985. 139]**PEER REVIEWED**
Probable Routes of Human Exposure: These cmpd /Boric acid & borax/ may enter body by inhalation, ingestion or by skin absorption through mucous membranes or skin burns.
[International Labour Office. Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety. Vols. I&II. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office, 1983. 320]**PEER REVIEWED**

Sodium Perborate, an alternative to standard bleaches made with sodium hypochlorite. After reading about borax I think I’ll try and stay away from all borates, and stick to hydrogen peroxide as a bleach alternative.

Human Toxicity Excerpts: The fatal dose of boric acid, sodium borate, or sodium perborate is 0.1-0.5 g/kg.
[Dreisbach, R.H. Handbook of Poisoning. 12th ed. Norwalk, CT: Appleton and Lange, 1987. 360]**PEER REVIEWED**

In chronic poisoning with low levels of ingestion, there may be little more than dry skin and mucous membranes, followed by appearance of a red tongue, patchy alopecia, cracked lips, conjunctivitis, and sometimes periorbital edema and irritability. /Borates/
[Haddad, L.M. and Winchester, J.F. Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdosage. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Co., 1983. 931]**PEER REVIEWED**

Chronic poisoning: (From ingestion, skin absorption, or absorption from body cavities or mucous membranes) prolonged absorption causes anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, mild diarrhea, skin rash, alopecia, convulsions and anemia. /Boric acid & boron derivatives/
[Dreisbach, R.H. Handbook of Poisoning. 12th ed. Norwalk, CT: Appleton and Lange, 1987. 361]**PEER REVIEWED**

Skin, Eye and Respiratory Irritations: … May produce irritation of the nasal mucous membranes, the respiratory tract, and eyes. /Boron compounds/
[Sittig, M. Handbook of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Carcinogens, 1985. 2nd ed. Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Data Corporation, 1985. 138]**PEER REVIEWED**

Medical Surveillance: No specific considerations are needed for boric acid or borates except for general health and liver and kidney function. /Boric acid & borates/
[Sittig, M. Handbook of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Carcinogens, 1985. 2nd ed. Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Data Corporation, 1985. 139]**PEER REVIEWED**

One shelf of simple and relatively safe ingredients can be used to perform most home cleaning chores. These are about as safe as it gets. All that’s needed is knowledge of how they work and which ingredients should be combined at what proportions to get the cleaning power needed for a specific job.

Baking Soda is sodium bicarbonate. It has a number of useful properties. It can neutralize acid, scrub shiny materials without scratching, deodorize, and extinguish grease fires. It can be used as a deodorizer in the refrigerator, in drains, on smelly carpets, on upholstery and on vinyl. It can clean and polish aluminum, chrome, jewelry, plastic, porcelain, silver, stainless steel, and tin. It also softens fabrics and removes certain stains. Baking soda can soften hard water and makes a relaxing bath time soak; it can be used as an underarm deodorant and as toothpaste too. Use baking soda instead of products containing ammonia and lye. Although Baking soda is slightly alkaline it will not burn and it is safe.

Borax - A naturally occurring mineral, soluble in water. It can deodorize, inhibit the growth of mildew and mold, boost the cleaning power of soap or detergent, remove stains, and can be used with attractants such as sugar to kill cockroaches. Many guides to safe natural cleaning list it as a wonderful alternative to harsh commercial chemicals. It is a wonderful disinfectant cleaner, and it is natural, however please don’t sprinkle on the carpet as a deodorizer or flea terminator where pets and children play. Go to http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov and look up borax and click on the first link under the heading “Information from other National Library of Medicine databases” you’ll find that the fatal doses for humans are variously est to be 5 to 6 g for children and 10 to 25 g for adults. By the way 5 grams is about a teaspoon! Boric acid & borax may enter body by inhalation, ingestion or by skin absorption through mucous membranes or skin burns. Prolonged absorption causes anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, mild diarrhea, skin rash, alopecia, convulsions and anemia.

Cornstarch - derived from corn, can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs, and starch clothes.

Hydrogen Peroxide an alternative to standard bleaches made with sodium hypochlorite. Most people are familiar with hydrogen peroxide as hair bleach and for disinfecting cuts, so we know to handle with care, but be aware that it is a possible carcinogen. This is still safer than regular bleach as a cleaner.

Lemon Juice, which contains citric acid, is a deodorant and can be used to clean glass and remove stains from aluminum, clothes, and porcelain. It is a mild lightener or bleach if used with sunlight.

Mineral Oil, derived from seeds, is an ingredient in several furniture polish and floor wax recipes.

Liquid Soaps (NOT detergent) is made in several ways. Castle soap can be used as a shampoo or as a body soap. Olive-oil based soap is gentlest to the skin. An all-purpose liquid soap can be made by simple dissolving the old ends of bar soap (or grated slivers of bar soap) in warm water and can be used as an all purpose disinfectant cleaner. Liquid soaps can be bought in health food stores and supermarkets in either the cosmetic or dish washing sections.

Pumice Stone – Excellent as a stain remover, pumice stones are available in health food stores, drugstores, and supermarkets.

Sodium Percarbonate, another alternative to standard bleaches made with sodium hypochlorite. Sodium Percarbonate is not the same as Sodium Perborate, which is a borate. Sodium Percarbonate is yet another alternative to standard bleaches. I could not find anything regarding the toxicity of this particular chemical. The closest I came was Sodium Sesquicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Sodium Carbonate, which I found are safely used in cosmetics. Sodium Carbonate is a skin and eye irritant due to the alkaline nature of its solutions. Sodium percarbonate is one of two chemicals found in OxyClean Multi-Purpose Stain Remover (Original Formula) – the other chemical is sodium carbonate (soda ash a.k.a. washing soda).

Trisodium Phosphate (TSP), a mixture of sodium carbonate and phosphoric acid. For environmental reasons most brand name earth-friendly cleaners stay away from phosphates. Phosphates create algae blooms, which eventually leads to a lack of oxygen in water. (http://www.seventhgeneration.com/household_hazards/phosphates.php) For humans, TSP can be irritating, caustic, and toxic if swallowed; however it does not pose long-term health hazards such as carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, or reproductive effects. TSP also does not create any fumes. It can be used on many jobs, such as cleaning drains or removing old paint that would normally require much more caustic and poisonous chemicals. Trisodium phosphate is available at supermarkets, drugstores, and hardware stores. Be aware that some products with the name TSP on their container do not actually contain trisodium phosphate. Read the label to make sure the product you buy contains trisodium phosphate. One warning: Be sure to use TSP only when it is diluted; wear latex gloves.

Vinegar - made from soured applied juice, grain, or wine. It contains about 5 percent acetic acid, which makes it a mild acid. Vinegar can dissolve mineral deposits, grease, remove traces of soap, remove mildew or wax buildup, polish some metals, deodorize, and disinfect. Numerous studies have verified the disinfectant properties of vinegar including those conducted by the Good Housekeeping Institute, as reported on 48 hours (on CBS) in 2000. From Our Toxic Times, May 2001: Heinz Company spokesperson Michael Mullen references numerous studies to show that a straight 5% solution of vinegar (same stuff found in any supermarket) kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold and 80% of germs (viruses), however Heinz can’t claim on its packaging that vinegar is a disinfectant since the Company has not registered it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mix distilled white vinegar (found in any supermarket) with water and keep spray bottles of this non-toxic disinfectant in your bathrooms and kitchen - to disinfect and clean. Vinegar can clean brick or stone, and is an ingredient in some natural carpet cleaning recipes. Use vinegar to clean out the metallic taste in coffeepots and to shine windows without streaking. Vinegar is normally used in a solution with water, but it can be used straight.

Washing Soda (also known as sodium carbonate, soda ash, and sal soda) is a mineral. It can cut stubborn grease on grills, broiler pans, and ovens. It can be used with soda instead of laundry detergent, and it softens hard water. Washing soda can be found in supermarkets and health food stores. Use with care, as washing soda can irritate mucous membranes. Do not use on aluminum.