Ask Pablo: Refrigerator Water Dispenser or Refrigerated Bottles?
by Pablo Paster, San Francisco 
on 11. 9.09
Image Source: Alex Muse
Dear Pablo: We drink a great deal of water all day long and wondered which uses more energy: opening the refrigerator door to get a bottle of cold water or using the water dispenser on the exterior of the unit. Also, does it take more energy to get ice from the mechanical dispenser (which also uses energy to make ice) or more by opening and closing the freezer door to get some cubes?
The big picture answer is that it probably doesn't matter. Simply the fact that you are filling your own water bottles rather than buying bottled water is a much more important environmentally-friendly act. Both your refillable bottle and water that is dispensed by your refrigerator are taken from the same starting temperature to the same final temperature, so there is no difference there. Where there is a difference, however, is in the act of opening the refrigerator door and allowing all of that cold air to spill out (hot air rises, cold air falls). By using the door-mounted dispenser this loss of cold air is avoided.
Question: I was watching TV and saw an advertisement for Duraflame logs that said that they were environmentally friendly. Is this true?
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Question: My kids always want to eat snow. If I can help it, I don’t let them, but I can’t watch them all the time. It’s driving me crazy. What do you think?
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Response: It is possible that talking on your cell phone is giving you a headache, but most likely not because of the cell phone technology. Wireless telephones are essentially two-way radios that work by transmitting low levels of radiofrequency energy or radio waves from their antennas to and from nearby base towers that are connected to telephone networks. Cell phones emit a specific type of radio wave called microwaves, which are the longest waves in the electromagnetic spectrum. As a result, they are non-ionizing, which is considered to be harmless at the low levels emitted by the cell phones.
Despite this, cell phones and their base towers (that also emit these radio waves) have been a source of worry, especially for people who are frequent cell phone users or who live near cell phone base towers. Included in these worries are concerns similar to yours – that cell phone usage causes headaches, nausea, and a warmer than normal head. ...
Question: I only buy organic foods for my family, even though it is more expensive. I’ve always assumed that this reduces my family’s exposure to pesticides, but recently read in the news that this isn’t true. Does it?
Response: Yes, with qualifications.
Organic foods are essentially free of pesticides, while nearly every type of conventional fruit and vegetable has at least one type of pesticide applied to it sometime from when the seeds are put into the ground to when they are sold. Logically then, eating organic foods rather than conventional foods will reduce your family’s exposure to pesticides. ...
Question: I have three young children and they have many painted toys. I am worried that these toys have lead in them, especially because I don’t know where they were made. Is it dangerous to have my kids play with them? How do I test my kids’ toys for lead? Do the home testing kits work?
Answer:
The recent recalls of lead-containing toys have raised many concerns about the safety of our products. Although lead is a naturally occurring metal that can be found practically everywhere – in the earth’s crust, batteries, water pipes, pencils (okay, not pencils -- I meant crayons), and even food -- its levels are generally declining in our products and in our environment. Lead was used for decades in gasoline, paints, and other household products, with its use steadily phased out since the 1970s in the United States, Canada, Western Europe and elsewhere. This phase out is the direct result of lead’s health risks, which may be particularly large for babies and young children who are growing so quickly. These risks include blood and brain function damage and growth slowing, with these risks increasing with the amount of lead exposure. ...
Question: For the past several years, I have been eating a bag of microwave popcorn almost every day. I just read that this can damage my lungs. Is this true? Should I be worried?
Answer: Microwave popcorn has been around for more than 50 years, since the invention of microwave ovens. Microwave popcorn is relatively easy to make at home using popcorn, a brown bag, some staples (yes, staples!) and other ingredients, such as salt and butter. More commonly, people make popcorn in their microwave using ready-made microwave popcorn packages, many of which contain additional chemical ingredients. The chemicals that are used to give microwave popcorn its buttery flavor are the reason why microwave popcorn has been in the news recently. ...
Question: I travel a lot for work. Lately, every time I take a trip on an airplane, I seem to get a headache or get sick. I have seen advertisements for several personal air cleaners or for air purifiers that I can screw onto the fresh air nozzle above my seat and have been thinking of buying one. Do they work?
Response: Airplanes are a unique environment. Many airplanes fly at altitudes greater than 30,000 feet, where the air contains little oxygen and is at temperatures well below freezing. As a result, the air in the plane cabin is pressurized and controlled through environmental control systems, which are designed to regulate cabin pressure, ventilation, temperature, and humidity. As concluded by a National Academy of Science (NAS) panel to investigate air quality inside planes, these environmental control systems, when operated properly, provide enough air to pressurize the cabin, meet general comfort conditions, and minimize smells, heat, and pollution.
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Question: A large apartment complex is going to be built in my neighborhood, starting next month and lasting through the year. There is already a lot more congestion and many more construction vehicles near my house. Is this construction dangerous? What can I do to minimize the impact of this construction?
Response: As you are already witnessing, construction has many impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. Construction tends to be loud, dusty, and bothersome. If the construction includes demolition, some of the generated dust may contain pollutants, such as asbestos or metals, that are potentially harmful. Also, construction is likely to increase congestion in your neighborhood -- both from usual and rerouted traffic and from construction vehicles. This increased congestion generally means more pollution for your neighborhood. ...
Question: I've seen Asktreehugger articles on Treehugger.com and I'm very glad that you're doing this. I have a question about aluminum. I know the health risk aluminum can create for the body if one takes in too much as well as it's link to Alzheimers disease. I know that aluminum cookware, cans, and that antiperspirant can pose health risks. My question is about aluminum "cookware". I've heard cooking acidic foods in aluminum cookware can cause the aluminum to leach out of the pan so I've avoided them. However, I've found a high quality cast aluminum manual juicer by Ra Chand and I'm wondering if this all aluminum juicer will pose a significant risk to my health. Do you think the risk to my health will be high if I use it daily to squeeze oranges and other citrus fruits-especially because of their acidity? Could they cause enough leaching of aluminum for it to be a health risk? Or does the aluminum have to be exposed for a relative time period to the citrus for leaching to occur. What would you recommend?
Response: Aluminum, a soft metal, is found nearly everywhere in the environment. Most exposures to aluminum occur through ingestion or eating and drinking, with daily intakes generally low, averaging between 30-50 mg. For the typical person, drinking water, medicines and other pharmaceuticals (such as antacids and antiperspirants) are the biggest contributors to aluminum exposures; however, aluminum cookware is also a potential source. As you note, aluminum exposures have raised some health concerns due to the effects of aluminum on the human nervous system and the much discussed (but inconclusive) linkages between aluminum exposures and Alzheimer's disease.
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Question: Do you know of an research as to the amount of particulates released by burning yard waste? Branches, stumps etc.? I live in a beautiful rural county, and some of us are fed up with burn piles. I need some hard data.
Response: Open burning of yard waste includes any unenclosed burning of yard waste, which generally includes tree parts, leaves, and other biomass but may also include other household waste as well. Burning yard waste is typically regulated by local authorities. Open burning of yard waste is generally a source of concern due to its high pollutant emissions and to its increased fire and safety risks. Open burning is a substantial source of pollution, especially as compared to other municipal waste combustors or other closed burning, because it does not burn the waste efficiently or completely, as evidenced by the black or grey smoke coming from the open burn. This smoke is black from particles and soot produced by the inefficient burning. Of further concern is that open burns emit pollution at ground level and at specific times of the year. As a result, exposures to open burn-related pollutants may be more intense than would be experienced from other typical air pollutant sources. ...
Question: I have been in the process of converting to an all CFL household only to find out by trial and error (and some googling) that CFL's fail very quickly in track lighting and recessed fixtures. In my online searches I have stumbled upon some real horror stories about people who have broken the bulbs in their homes which has resulted in thousands of dollars worth of cleanup to remove the mercury.
I did read in the past the post about the quality of various manufacturers, but do you have any information on "best practices" for use and safety/disposal/mercury contamination topics? As far as the mercury information goes - I am not looking for a debate about how much mercury ends up in the environment from other sources.... I just want to know if my kids are going to get mercury poisoning if a bulb breaks in their rooms. Real scientific responses only please.
Response: There has recently been some concern over the possibility that broken CFLs can be an important source of exposures to mercury, a toxic metal and a key component of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Although mercury is a toxic pollutant, mercury exposures from broken CFLs are not likely to harm you and your family. This is due to several factors, including the amount and duration of your exposures and the specific type of mercury that you are exposed to. ...
Question: I've been wanting to get myself a tattoo for a few weeks, but I've heard that tattoo inks can be toxic. Where/How can I find a tattoo artist who uses "safe" inks?
Response: The safety of tattoo inks or pigments have recently been the subject of some attention, possibly the result of a lawsuit brought by the American Environmental Safety Institute (AESI) against Huck Spaulding Enterprises, Inc., Superior Tattoo Equipment Co., and other tattoo ink sellers in the U.S. As a result of this lawsuit, the companies must place a warning for their California customers on their tattoo ink labels, catalogs and Internet sites that reads "inks contain many heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and others" and that the ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects. These adverse effects have been shown for exposures that occur over long time periods to these and other heavy metals, although not explicitly from these metals in tattoos. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate tattoo pigments, tattoo pigments have not yet been approved by FDA for injection into the skin, as is done when a tattoo is made. ...
Question: I need to paint the inside of my house, but don’t want to use the traditional paints, which I know have many chemicals. Are there chemical-free alternatives?
Response: Traditional household paints contain many chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are a large group of carbon-based chemicals that are volatile, meaning that they like to exist as a gas. The type and amount of VOCs in a household paint generally varies with the type and brand of paint, but traditional household paints generally contain many VOCs, including benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene. Some of these VOCs have been linked in scientific studies to bad health outcomes, including eye, nose and throat irritation, nauseau, headaches, and even cancer.
Because VOCs are volatile, they can “off-gas” from the walls into the air as the paint is applied or as it dries. This, combined with the fact that the paint is usually applied to a large area, can cause people living or spending time in these freshly painted homes to have exposures to VOCs that are much greater than normal – as much as 1000 times greater. These potentially large exposures – and resulting smells, headaches, and other potential health effects -- cause many (including you!) to look for lower VOC or chemical-free paints. ...
Question: We recently purchased a condo in the Boston area (Somerville, to be specific), and after a winter heated by the existing (gas-fired) forced air heating system we're thinking about looking at alternatives to augment our heating system and hopefully simultaneously reduce costs. [More after the jump.]...
Question: I have scented candles in my bedroom and living room, which I like to burn when I come home from work and want to relax. Lately, I have noticed that my walls look a little dingy. Is this from the candles? Why?
Response: In addition to leaving a nice smell, scented candles can also leave black soot and other pollutants (such as formaldehyde and acrolein) inside your home. The soot (especially) can deposit onto your walls, ceilings, and other indoor surfaces, leaving these surfaces looking dirty and dingy.
Not all candles are equally polluting. Several scientific studies have shown scented candles to be more polluting than non-scented varieties, producing more soot as the result of more incomplete combustion that may occur from the presence of additional chemicals in the candle. The amount of soot produced can vary depending not only on the type of candle, but also the type and length of the wick and how drafty your house is. This variation can cause one type of candle to emit 100 times more soot than another type of candle. As you are probably seeing, emitted soot can mean more cleaning and interior home maintenance for you. In addition, it is also possible that soot and other chemicals emitted from the candles may harm your health, since soot from outdoor combustion sources has been linked to bad health outcomes. However, the health impacts from candle-produced soot are not known....
Question: Will a Purell-type hand sanitizer help me avoid getting a cold?
Response: The common cold is caused by a viral infection of the respiratory tract that produces runny nose, sneezing, congestion, and other symptoms. In laboratory tests, alcohol-based hand sanitizers like Purell have been shown to inactivate viruses and make them non-infectious. To be effective, however, the sanitizer has to get to the virus before the virus reaches your nose and begins an infection that leads to a head or chest cold.
There are many types of viruses that can cause an infection that can result in a head or chest cold. You can come into contact with any of these viruses by two routes, by breathing them in through your nose or mouth or by touching the virus and then your nose or mouth with your hands. As you might expect, hand sanitizers work best against viruses that are transferred by your hands rather than through the air. ...
Question: Our air-conditioner has begun emitting black, soot-like particles when we turn it on. We've tried cleaning the filter but it continues. Are these particles dangerous? Does this mean that we need a new air conditioner? Also, how do you know if an air-conditioner is leaking freon?
Response: Window air conditioners contain rubber gaskets that can become brittle after many years of use. As a result, the rubber gaskets can eventually break apart into tiny pieces that can then be blown out of the air conditioner. If your air conditioner is more than several years old, the black dust is probably these little pieces of gasket that are blown from your air conditioner.
These gasket pieces are probably not dangerous. Since you can see the specks of the gasket, the gasket pieces are too big for you to breathe them into your lungs. It is possible that little gasket pieces can get into your body if they get blown on your food or if they get on your hands and you happen to eat them by mistake. But, eating these gasket pieces by accident are unlikely to be cause you any harm. ...
Question: Why is it so important to use phosphate free soaps? Is there a difference in how they work? They don't seem much more expensive, but is there a catch? Also, why aren't all soaps phosphate free? We know it is possible since there are many on the market, and we are told that they are better for nature. So why still make the more harmful soaps?
Response: Phosphorus, generally in the form of phosphates, has historically been one of the main ingredients in detergents (which are soaps made from synthetic materials). In the detergents, phosphates served as a “builder” to improve the detergent’s cleaning efficiency. Builders, such as STPP, are important to the cleaning process, as they help to remove dirt from the clothes and to minimize soap scum (often seen as a ring on the tub, washing machine, or shirt collars). The need for builders in detergents and soaps is especially important in areas with “hard” water that contain calcium and magnesium ions, since the builders prevent these ions from interfering with the cleaning process.
Of the detergent builders, phosphates were the most popular, because of their superior cleaning performance. Their strong cleaning performance, however, has increasingly been overshadowed by their harmful effects on rivers, lakes, streams, and other fresh waters. Levels of phosphates in these fresh water bodies can be much higher than normal as the result of contamination from municipal and domestic wastewater that contains phosphates -- some or much of which (depending on your perspective) comes from phosphate-containing detergents that go down the drain after use. ...
Question: I live in a small apartment building. When I come home after work, I smell cigarette smoke in my apartment, which I think comes from my downstairs neighbor. How can I get rid of the smell?
Response: Cigarette smoke can come into your apartment from other apartments in many ways. The amount coming in usually depends on the ventilation in your apartment and the building, the weather, and cracks in walls and floors. Once in your apartment, the smell of tobacco smoke can linger, as it can can be absorbed into clothing and furniture.
Other than getting your neighbor to stop smoking inside the building either through persuasion or legal remedies, it will be difficult to prevent the smoke odor from entering your apartment. If you have a forced air ventilation system in your apartment, the odor may be entering your apartment through the vents. If so, the maintenance person for your building may be able to reconfigure your air handling system, which may help reduce or eliminate the odor....
Question: Do you have any advice on reducing pet hair and dander (in addition to vacuuming) in a home where people suffer from allergies?
Response: Pets allergies can be a significant problem not only for people living with the pets but also for their visitors. Short of finding your pet another home, pet allergies can be best reduced by removing exposures to pet dander, loose skin flakes, hair, urine, and saliva --the main causes of pet allergies. This basically means that you have to get rid of all pet produced allergens (or allergy-causing pet products) -- a difficult and if not impossible task, especially for cats, which have particularly "sticky" dander.
The reason that it is so difficult to get rid of all pet allergens is that pets produce these allergens constantly and that once produced, these allergens (especially from cats) can be carried everywhere. As a result, your house can only be kept clean of pet allergens if you clean your home constantly....
Question: Could you discuss the issues and health risks related to "vapor intrusion" of volatile organic chemicals into buildings from contaminated sites? What can a homeowner or purchaser do to find out if there is a vapor intrusion risk at home, schools, or day care centers?
Response: “Vapor intrusion” (sometimes called “soil gas vapor intrusion”) is what happens when chemicals move from the ground or water into your home or other buildings. Chemicals that enter your home through the ground often belong to a class of chemicals called “volatile organic compounds” (VOCs), which as their name implies are volatile, and thus like to exist as a gas. This property is important, allowing VOCs to move easily through openings that exist between the soil grains and thus to move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. Since basements tend to be at lower pressure than the ground below, this pressure-related movement can cause VOCs to enter your home from the ground through openings or cracks in your foundation. Once inside, the VOCs can spread through out your home with the help of natural air flow, room or house fans, or other home ventilation devices. When this occurs, vapor intrusion can be an important source of indoor pollution in your home....
Question: I am a retired fireman who has developed heart problems. In the fire station, there were a lot of diesel fumes. Are these diesel fumes responsible for my heart problems? Could they have affected my health?
Response: Diesel exhaust exposures have been linked to heart (and lung) problems in many research studies. These studies show fairly consistently that higher levels of diesel pollution in the outdoor air is related to higher number of deaths, hospital admissions, heart attacks, and other bad health outcomes. Since these studies base their results on populations (and not individuals), their results say that on average an increase in bad health outcomes may occur for the group that they studied, often a group of people living in a particular city or a group of elderly people.
What this means for you is not that clear. Even though these studies show that inhaling diesel fumes is bad, they don't necessarily say anything about whether diesel fumes in your firehouse are responsible for your specific heart problems. ...
