Questions tagged [toxic-chemicals]
Chemical toxicants include *inorganic substances* such as lead, mercury, hydrofluoric acid, and chlorine gas, and *organic compounds* such as methyl alcohol, most medications, and poisons for living things.
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How to get rid of half a can of durable water repellent spray (similar to 3M Scotchgard)
(Cross-posted, together with additional questions, to a post on the /r/Anticonsumption sub-Reddit.)
I have an 8 ounce (~200 g) can of Foot Locker ultra fabric & leather protector spray. I guess ...
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Patching pvc coated rain pants?
Due to wear my rain pants have started leaking.
The pants are made of polyamide with pvc coating. The pvc coating is peeling of in the crotch area, as this is where a lot of friction happens when ...
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What is the most environmentally friendly way to paint/preserve wooden art or construction outdoors?
Wood beams, whether pressure-treated or not, tend to be painted to help preserve them outdoors. Wooden art outdoors tends to be stained or coated in something to weatherize it. I am concerned that ...
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Is mercury still found in modern e-waste?
Is mercury still found in modern e-waste? I need an authoritative reference, please. I did try to research it on my own, but got conflicting information.
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Do Chipotle style bowls still have PFAS chemicals?
I’ve always thought that the bowls from restaurants like Chipotle Mexican Grill were fully compostable. However, after seeing articles like this one and this one, I’m not sure sure. According to these ...
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Does decanting eliminate heavy metals in water?
If heavy metals are present in water would they precipitate to the bottom of a container if the water is left decanting long enough?
This would be in order to reduce water contamination when no ...
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How do you decontaminate land?
How do you decontaminate land that has been contaminated with various toxic materials?
Is it safe to just unearth everything? I live around a lot of contaminated fields and it looks like companies ...
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What chemicals does copper slag release into the soil or water table when it is recycled as a gravel?
We have a client who is considering options for building a compacted aggregate path and driveway. One of the products the stone company offers it called copper slag.
Copper slag is the waste product ...
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Are aluminum sheets appropriate for rainwater catchment roof?
I was thinking of building a rainwater catchment system at my place in the boonies, but ...
I want to make sure -- priority one -- I'm not going to get toxic stuff in my water.
I looked at the ...
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How can I deodorize a school bathroom without using naphthalene?
I've started teaching at a school in Indonesia and found an arch-enemy of mine: naphthalene. People here use huge quantities in our flush toilets to suppress the smell.
I made the principals remove ...
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Does polyethylene film (plastic bags) breakdown chemically?
I'm researching the degradation of polyethylene (PE) plastic films such as in plastic bags, and am trying to figure if they degrade chemically.
If so: under what conditions, and into what byproducts.
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How can I easily detect the presence of insecticides?
I suspect that my roommate has been using insecticides in my bedroom, living room, or kitchen.
How can I check or test this?
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What chemicals are used to replace BPA in plastics?
And is there any reason to think that the replacement is any better than Bisphenol A (BPA) itself?
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Does orange essential oil create formaldehyde when exposed to ozone?
I recently found this article by EWG, putting limonene-containing cleaners on the bad list of toxic household cleaners:
http://www.ewg.org/cleaners/hallofshame/
The claim is that limonene reacts ...
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Chemicals From Pressure-Treated Wood
Previous owners of our property used pressure-treated wood for their raised-bed vegetable patch. I have seen warnings about chemicals from PTW going into foods. How real is the danger?
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How safe is it to manufacture and use silicone?
Silicone seems to be used in more and more products over time. At home, I have a silicone oven mitt, silicone bakeware, (partly) silicone tongs, and a silicone bowl-scraper.
It seems like a very ...
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How safe it is to produce, use, and dispose of PVC?
Environmental benefits of PVC are touted on what appears to be an industry funded website but there is also some serious criticism of PVC claiming that the manufacture produces dioxin and that ...
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Toxic christmas trees?
I've heard that in some countries (e.g. Germany) christmas trees are sprayed with pesticides and fungicides to make the trees look better and to make them bug-free. I've also heard that this may be ...
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Is "100 percent recycled super white paper" greener than paper made of trees?
I've got used to the idea that very white office paper (usable for office printing for example) is always made of cropped trees while paper made of recycled materials is always grayish and so is not ...
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Studies show that toxic flame retardants in foam cushions pollute our living environments. Does this include memory foam?
I have a memory foam mattress and I've read studies** which have found flame retardants such as PBDEs (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and "chlorinated Tris" (TDCPP is one of number of chlorinated ...
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Are flame-retardant-free couches sold in the US?
Over the past few years, I have heard in the news about the likely dangers and ineffective but widespread use of flame retardants in furniture cushions. I'm in the market for a sofa, and I'd like to ...
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How can I remove PCBs from my soil?
I live in a neighborhood where there is a very real chance my soil will be contaminated by PCBs. I may need to potentially be able to clean them up, with out breaking the bank. Are there any ...
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