What's PBDE to you?

Besides drilling PBDE into one of the pumpkins this year, I thought it festive to address the Frightening Fire Retardants lurking in our homes. Below are shots from the pumpkin making process. Read on for more about PBDE and how it affects your family.

What is PBDE? 

PBDE or p-bromodiphenyl ether, aka brominated fire retardant, is used in a variety of household products, from textiles to electronics, to reduce the risk of fire. Its first commercial production began in the 1970s and continues today. There are three commercial PBDE products that are widely addressed (penta, octa, and decabromodiphenyl ethers). DecoBDE is used in electronics and represents about 80% of the PBDE manufactured globally; octaBDE is used in plastics and pentaBDE used in foams (CDC, 2004). 

PBDE enters the air, water and soil during its manufacture and use in consumer products. In air, PBDE is mostly found in dust where it is inhaled and ingested, and if outdoors, eventually returns to land or water as dust settles. PBDE will settle at the bottom of bodies of water and remain there for years; pentaBDE, in particular, builds up in fish. Because PBDE also binds strongly to soil, the breakdown is slowed and remains in soil for several years as well. So don't eat dirt!

The spread of PBDE through the air, soil, animals and food are translated into increasing concentrations in our bodies. In 2004, levels of PBDE in individuals living in the US were far greater than levels reported in other areas of the world (CDC). 

Mothers-to-be

In 2003, EWG or Environmental Working Group conducted the first nationwide test for the presence of toxic fire retardants in people. For the study, 20 first-time American moms from 17 cities in 14 states donated samples of breast milk that were analyzed by an accredited laboratory. What they found was unexpectedly high levels in every woman tested; in fact, several of these woman were found to have 75 times the average level of brominated fire retardants than Swedish women (EWG, 2003).

"Finding these chemicals in breast milk shows the shocking extent to which industrial toxins are invading our bodies" - EWG Analyst Sonya Lunder

"These findings were one more link in a long chain of evidence that the current system of regulating toxic chemicals is not protecting Americans" - EWG President Ken Cook

The report emphasizes that mothers should continue breastfeeding, as the benefits are innumerable, but that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should reduce their exposure to fire retardants by:

1. Avoiding contact with foam padding (NO FOAM MATTRESSES)
2. Purchasing products with natural fibers that are naturally fire-resistant 

Children vs Adults

Babies can be exposed to PBDE before birth and from breast milk, but children are exposed in generally the same way as adults. However, because of their smaller weight, their intake of PBDE per pound is greater than that of adults (CDC, 2004). In a recent study by the National Institute of Health, children ingest up to 5 times more household dust per day than adults (NIH, 2009). The NIH chart below shows children ingesting brominated fire retardants via household dust at 100 mg/day versus adults at 20 mg/day:

Frightening Facts

• Nearly everyone has been exposed to pentaBDE commercial mixtures because they are found throughout the environment (CDC, 2004)
• US levels of PBDE are 10 to 100 times higher than levels of individuals living in Europe (CDC, 2004)
• Adverse health affects of PBDE come at a cost. In attempts to quantify the impact of increased special education and reduced lifetime earnings, a one-point loss in IQ over an entire population of newborn children in the US has been calculated to cost 55 to 65 billion per year (EWG, 2003).
• The EPA, OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and FDA are the federal agencies that develop regulations for toxic substances (CDC, 2004). Due to the federal government shutdown, all websites and social media channels will not be updated until the federal government reopens. 

Wool versus PBDE

Lastly, there are natural alternatives to some of the household products harboring toxic fire retardants in your home. My favorite being wool. In the Savvy Rest mattress, organic wool batting is used in the casing as a natural fire retardant, and has the added benefit of keeping you cooler in warmer temperatures and warmer in cooler temperatures. The natural lanolin coating of wool also repels dust mites, making the Savvy Rest an all around better bed for the allergy-prone and health-conscious consumer. Sleep easy with Savvy Rest mattresses and save the spooky for Halloween!  

Google becomes Solar Impulse’s official internet technology partner

You may remember Green Living's behind-the-scenes footage of Solar Impulse as it made its way through DFW International Airport during the Across America Tour.

After successful completion of Across America 2013, Solar Impulse has announced today that they have signed a high-level partnership agreement with Internet giant Google in hopes to further enhance the Solar Impulse inflight and social media experience. While the first generation of Solar Impulse (pictured above) has officially been retired, the second generation aircraft is steadily coming to life and is expected to be completed by Spring 2014. This pioneering partnership should prove exciting as Solar Impulse, a Swiss and European venture, joins one of America's finest as they embark on Around the World 2015.

"The collaboration we enjoyed with Google this summer gave us a taste of all the great things we can do for the 2015 Around the World Journey. Together we will cooperate on our web and social media platforms, providing our supporters with the necessary tools to follow each step of the 2015 adventure." - Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Riccard

Pictured above are Google's Larry Page and Solar Impulse's Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Riccard. Read more http://www.solarimpulse.com/timeline/view/7268

Fruit-for-thought

I decided to snap this picture after a coworker walked by my desk and shouted, "That's not organic!" He was referring to the monstrous peach in the picture next to the grapefruit. I never really thought about it, but why is non-organic food generally larger than organic food?

To a large extent it's the application of irrigation water that increases or decreases the size of our food. In more conventional practices, commercial producers apply more water, as there is more money per pound gained with water-pumped fruits and vegetables. In addition, chemical fertilizers or salts increase the water uptake in cells, causing plants to retain water and bloat.

Major ingredients in chemical fertilizers include nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), which promote rapid growth, but lack any basic minerals, leaving fruits and vegetables under-nourished, which also affects taste. Outside looking in, chemical fertilizers make fruits and vegetables look large and lush, when in reality it is fast grown, water-pumped food.

Another influence is plant breeding or the use of hybrid plants that have been bred to be larger. Not all food plants can be made into hybrid plants, but many of them are through extensive plant crossing, which organic producers typically do not practice, thereby yielding smaller food and explaining yesterday's grossly enlarged peach.

Layering your mattress

Briefly mentioned in Take your bed outdoors, the Savvy Rest mattress is a completely customized sleeping experience, meaning you choose the combination of layers your body needs for comfort and support. This is what we mean by layering your mattress:

These layers of latex come from the rubber tree, which only grows within several hundred miles of the equator and is used in a variety of products from rubber bands to rubber gloves to mattresses. Natural latex, as is the latex in a Savvy Rest mattress, is pure and made by processing serum collected from ducts beneath the bark of the rubber tree. The sap or serum is harvested, processed in a centrifuge, poured into a mold, and baked. Real, non-synthetic latex is by far your most resilient option used in mattresses today.

There are several possible configurations with your Savvy Rest mattress, including choosing from 2 processes of making latex: Dunlop and Talalay. Dunlop, the traditional process of harvesting sap, centrifuging the sap, and pouring it into a mold to be baked, has been used since 1929 and feels notoriously more dense than Talalay. With Talalay, after the latex is poured into the mold, it is sealed and air bubbles are vacuumed out, giving it more uniformity and consistency. Which is better? Neither is superior to the other, but Dunlop feels firmer and Talalay feels softer; Talalay is also more expensive. 

Below are a few of Savvy Rest's most popular configurations: (1) Top Left is a solid soft Dunlop top layer, solid medium Dunlop middle layer, and solid firm Dunlop bottom layer; (2) Top Right is a split soft-medium Dunlop top layer, split soft-firm Dunlop middle layer, and split medium-firm Dunlop bottom layer; (3) Bottom Left is a solid soft Talalay top layer, split soft-medium Dunlop middle layer, and split medium-firm Dunlop bottom layer; and (4) Bottom Right is a solid soft Talalay top layer, split soft-medium Talalay middle layer, and solid firm Dunlop bottom layer.  

Savvy Rest is a customized concept that promotes natural materials and good health. To learn more about this bed, visit your nearest Savvy Rest dealer or green-living.com. To configure your mattress in Dallas, Texas, please call 214-821-8444 or email service@green-living.com.

Take your bed outdoors

It's fitting to begin our blog about our bed, as it has officially made the move to our new office. While Green Living expands its product line, bringing customers a more unique online experience, some purchases are best made in-person. The Savvy Rest mattress, a completely customized sleeping experience, is one bed you want to configure before you buy. Made of 3 luxurious layers of organic latex, this bed can be configured as soft or firm as you need, and on both sides of the bed. Meaning more personalized comfort for a tailored night's rest. Not to mention, sleep easy knowing all 3 materials (organic cotton, wool and latex) that go into the making of this mattress are made free of VOCs and fire-retardants, making this the cleanest night's sleep available on the market.

Like this outdoor bed, our Savvy Rest is more than just a mattress. Customize your own sleeping experience at our office location or learn more at green-living.com.