A conversation with my dental hygienist, or a humasation...

I can't even hide my eco-ness from the dentist. Can't even pretend. About a month ago I finally made an appointment (after two years- ack!) to see a dentist. The dental hygienist was a very nice girl who didn't make my teeth bleed when she flossed- thank goodness.

In any case, I was curious to see whether she would notice anything about my teeth. Since, you know, we use fluoride-free toothpaste and a toothbrushes made from recycled plastic (Preserve toothbrushes rock). I wanted to know whether my teeth were worse-off without dentist approved toothpaste, honestly.

When she announced that my teeth were pretty darn fantastic, and how it was obvious that I took great care with them (thank you!) I had to bring it up. I asked her what she thought of fluoride-free toothpaste. 

Realistically, she would be the person to know. Although I consider myself a darn good critical thinker, I also recognize that there are certain professionals who are more knowledgeable in certain fields than myself. As they should be, I didn't go to school to study dentistry or dental hygiene... and a quick search on the internet shouldn't qualify myself as an 'expert' on fluoride.

Just as I don't expect GP's to be experts on speech and language...

Anyhoo, just so happens she has an actual DEGREE in dental hygiene (guess that's rare) and she researched that very topic. What do ya know?

So as she had my quiet, undivided attention (can't really interrupt when your teeth are being scrubbed) she took me through a quick run down of the myths of fluoride.

You've heard them; fluoride can cause cancer, the government put fluoride in our water as a conspiracy... and so forth. Canada has been putting fluoride in municipal water systems for about 40 years in order to prevent tooth decay. In Ontario there has been discussion of stopping this practice. Basically, her answer was that sure fluoride has been found to have adverse health effects, in China where they put ten times the recommended dosage in the 1980's. Which is the most common research 'study' that is quoted on the internet. Ohhhh, yes. This makes sense. 

One of the issues with relying on second hand sources (such as my blog actually!) that quote scientific studies, is that most of the time results can be blown WAY out of proportion very easily. If you've never learned how to analyze the Results and Methods section of published papers, then you may misinterpret the findings. For example, missing the small essential fact that a study was published in 1983, using test subjects in China and a dosage of fluoride WAY out of the norm.

Another issue; most researchers will tell you that a study that is more than 10 years old is considered out of date... so that article published in 1997, not really usable in a review. Of course, internet sources aren't usable either... (Oh APA Manual, how I despised you).


She informed me of what I already knew- municipal water supplies have strict regulations in Canada on how much fluoride is placed in the drinking water. I asked her if we really needed MORE fluoride from our toothpaste, and regular fluoride treatments at the dentist (which are expensive by the way). To which she of course replied- there is no evidence that it hurts.

When I pushed her a little more, she admitted that if I drank tap water (YES I do! You all know my feelings on privatization of water...), and since toothpaste has all those other lovely chemicals (parabens, artificial flavours etc) that I was getting enough for healthy teeth. She still recommended a fluoride treatment that day... which I politely refused. They taste gross.

What I didn't tell her was that growing up we had a well... and were not connected to a water supply (for those of you who may be wondering, No I did not have to go collect water from a bucket every day... seriously I got asked that while living in Montreal. Often. It's called a pump and pipes). So no fluoride for us from tap water, and I have great teeth. We got regular fluoride treatments, brushed our teeth with fluoride toothpaste... which most likely was enough.

Like shampoo and body soap, toothpaste is something we use and ends up down our drains and into our water eco-systems. Unfortunately, our sewage systems are ill equipped to process all the synthetic chemicals we're using, with most ending up in our lakes and rivers and consequently our aquatic life... with a domino effect of bio-accumulation.


When she handed me my *plastic* treat bag I was completely confused. My rural dentist just gave me a toothbrush... none of this crazy city, birthday treat bag stuff. I really wanted to politely hand it back, but already felt like a weird eco-nerd and lost my resolve... boo! Such small things that could save a ton of plastic if they simply gave out a toothbrush.

I left the office confident that my use of fluoride-free Green Beaver Frosty Mint toothpaste (best mint toothpaste EVER) wasn't causing some crazy fluoride-deprived reaction in my teeth. Also, that out of all the other more prevalent issues surrounding climate change and the environment today, worrying about possible health risks of fluoride exposure would be a waste of my time... Especially since my only exposure is through the minimal dosage in our tap water.

Happy and Blessed 2010!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Decrease Stagnation; Glass water bottles rock!

My friend H. came across this awesome company this week and I thought I'd share it with everyone here! We all know that plastic bottled water is a terrible concept, both ethically and environmentally. Clean water should not be a commodity to be bought and sold, nor should our local water sources be controlled by huge corporations bent on sucking it up and selling it.

We know that the plastic leaches chemicals into the water and as a result into our bodies. No matter how much we recycle, each bottle is made from virgin plastic which means more petrochemicals. Recycling plastic also downgrades the plastic, making it less viable for reuse each cycle. For more information on plastic recycling, please visit Beth's Fake Plastic Fish.

What is an eco-yogi/ni to do? Obviously a reusable water bottle is the ticket. Since nalgene is plastic (and all plastic actually leaches BPA) stainless steel or aluminum it was. However, aluminum requires a coating, which SIGG has recently demonstrated could contain BPA or other chemicals. Klean Kanteen was our choice and we adore our stainless steel water bottles. (image from here)

However, stainless steel is quite energy intensive and not always great for the environment. All stainless steel bottles are manufactured in China which is not ideal, what with carbon from shipping and manufacturing. Although Klean Kanteen seems quite transparent on their website, I would prefer less mileage on my bottle... Also, just the process of mining steel is quite damaging to the environment, along with the actual manufacturing the steel into bottle shape (please read here for more details). Although the end result of amount of plastic bottles saved by using the stainless steel bottle a few hundred times balances the scales, I have wondered if there was a more gentle approach.

Enter glass. Glass is a fantastic product, easy to produce and extremely versatile in recycling with virtually no downgrading of the product. I've seen glass water bottles at Chapters, but they seem so fragile and thin... not exactly something I'd want to actually carry around. I am a hand talker and pretty darn clumsy... might be a messy situation.

Tap Water Bottles , on the other hand, look pretty fantastic! They appear to be made from thicker glass and have a more practical bottle shape. I also love the nifty, attached stopper which is perfect for a missed-placed type gal like myself. It would seem that they are made in Canada as their retailers are all in Toronto and they were created by a Canadian... but I'm not entirely sure as their website doesn't say. They would make a pretty snazzy holiday eco-gift though :) (image from here)

My favourite quote from their site:

"Tap water is constantly moving, staying fresh and never stagnating."

I do believe that if you're a periodic, or gentle water drinker (i.e. you like to bring water with you to work, the park or to the library) than a glass water bottle would be much less environmentally damaging than a stainless steel water bottle. I much prefer glass it requires much less energy and chemicals and hasn't scoured our Earth in mining. However, if you bring your water hiking, bicycling or are extremely clumsy and might drop the bottle... and you know you'd save hundreds of plastic bottles, a stainless steel might be best.

Thank you very much for the link H.!! :)

Happy Weekend and many Blessings!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Shower Filters: Eco-Option or Eco-Much?

After another stab at "hot yoga" (update soon!), I was reminded (while in the shower) of a comment left by Julie regarding using a shower filter. I had never heard of using a filter for your shower and my first reaction was: do we really need it? I'm a firm believer that our society is much much too afraid of "germs", resulting in overuse of antibacterial soaps and cleaners which can be damaging to our health instead of "protective". That being said, I also recognize that exposure to increasing amounts of pollutants has been corrolated with increased instances of respiratory and other illnesses. So, I had to look at the why before considering whether it makes sense.

Shower filtering companies will inform you that installing their product will filter out a whole slew of nasty chemicals, the big one being chlorine, that cascade onto your skin while you enjoy your shower. By reading their websites you could quickly become fearful of all the horrible pollutants you are exposing your skin while you bathe. Take a step back, and we remember that North American public water systems are tested and monitored much

more stringently than say; bottled water. According to the David Suzuki Foundation (along with many other non-biased organizations) tap water in North America has been shown to be safer and healthier than bottled water.

Upon further inspection however, we discover that public water systems are disinfected with chlorine, which according to the Canadian Health Authorities is at a minimal and safe level with virtually no affects to our health. It is known to be extremely effective at eliminating the E.Coli virus in our water supply. The David Suzuki Foundation, on the other hand, has a different perspective. Although tap water is more stringently regulated than bottled water, research is still divided on whether long term exposure to chlorine is "safe". In the past several decades, respiratory illness have increased dramatically. Health Canada estimates that 5,700 people in eight of the largest cities per year die prematurely as a result of air pollution. Canadians are also likely to spend 90% of their days indoors, with indoor air pollution being higher than outside levels. We as a society, are becoming increasingly sensitive to environmental (read VOC's) irritants and longterm studies on daily, synergistic chemical exposure has not been appropriately investigated (A Prescription for a Healthy Canada: Towards a National Environmental Health Strategy; 2007).

Considered in isolation, chlorine is a toxic gas that is a skin and respiratory irritant (brittle hair and dry skin sounding familiar?). It's uses have ranged from disinfectant to weapon of war (think the Nazi gas chambers...). Chlorine may also react with other chemicals or bacteria that may be present in the water supply and has not been found to be effective at eliminating protozoans (unicellular organism, like an amoeba) that can cause inflammation of the intestines. According to David Suzuki, between 1978 and 2001 there were 288 outbreaks of Giardia, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Norwalk-like viruses, Salmonella and hepatitus A (all results of protozoan infection). Also, the federal Canadian government estimates that contaminated drinking water results in 90 deaths 90,000 cases of gastrointestinal infections annually. Finally, chlorine can form with naturally occuring organic compounds in the water; creating trihalomethanes (three of four hydrogen atoms of methane are replaced by halogen atoms). They have been found to be environmental pollutants and many are considered carcinogenic. (Protozoa, isn't it cute?)

We filter the water we drink, but most of us spend on average of 15 minutes a day inhaling and absorbing chlorine through our shower. There are more effective ways to disinfect our public water supplies such as ultraviolet disinfection. For a multitude of reasons (I'm sure political and economical play a part), this process, although relatively simple has not taken off here in Canada. 

Ok, wow that was a lot of information. Ultimately, I think this one depends on your situation specifically and although information is key (and important to know during times of voting and water regulation processes), stepping back is essential. Knowing your water chemical levels will help you make informed, non-hysterical choices. What are the chlorine levels like in your water? Do you live in an area that has frequent water boil advisories? In Vernon we had water boil advisories twice sometimes three times a year due to water run off from the mountains. Do you have environmental sensitivities, respiratory illnesses or sensitive skin? (me and "flat stanley" on our dock in Vernon- check out the beautiful, freezing, glacier Kal Lake! It was turquoise and clear all the time).

If you have high levels of chlorine (check with your municipal water system to see what levels are considered "safe" or maximum for your area), suffer from respiratory illnesses/sensitives than perhaps a shower filter may benefit your health and could lessen the amount of chemicals you are exposed to each day. If I had to choose, a VOC-free shower curtain would be my first step in the "eco" shower journey. Shower filters are expensive, ranging anywhere from 50$ to 200$. Filter replacements typically cost 50-100$ every 6 months. Also, most shower filtration devices use carbon and as a result should not be considered disinfectants. Finally, recycling the filters would be tricky as I'm pretty sure Preserve wouldn't accept them as part of their Take Back the Filter program.

This was a fantastic journey and I've learned so much about chlorine and our public water supply! I know that currently I can't justify a shower filter (we don't have high levels of chlorine or any environmental sensitivities) but it does solidify my resolve to either have a well-system in my "big girl" house (someday) or install a shower-filter. :)

Blessings!

Tap Water+Scuzzy Taste= Brita Filter

Growing up in a tiny village probably created my love affair with Nature. My mom tells me she used to point out and gush with me at all the trees, grass, flowers etc etc when I was little, instilling a deep love for our Mother Nature.

Living in such a small community (think no sidewalks and population 500) also meant that I had a different relationship with water. Our family has a well (at our cottage and our house) and we always, always drank water straight from the tap. Our well only went dry once that I remember and the water tastes fabulous. No chlorine or fluoride in our water and my hair is always happiest after being washed at home. (River near our cottage at the end of the summer)

Whenever we went to restaurants in "town" all the "villagers" (giggle) always grumbled and snarked at the "townie" water that tasted so disgusting. Poor townies that had to drink gross, municipal water with the zippy chemical taste. 

It wasn't until I moved out into various cities on my own that I came to realize that most city/town dwellers never drank from their taps for that very reason. My hair and skin changed from being exposed to the hard water. No way was I going to drink that chlorine flavoured water. I bought my first Brita Pitcher pre-University move and kept it in a fridge in my tiny dorm room and still have the same Pitcher in our apartment today. 

Carbon based filters like Brita use carbon, a porous substance, to absorb and filter specific impurities like lead, PCB's, chlorine by-products, certain parasites, radon, pesticides and herbicides some bacteria and some VOC's (National Geographic Green Guide). Fortunately city water systems are tested and treated more rigorously than water bottle companies or well water. However, there is that taste... the city water taste. So even though I know that tap water is safer in Canada to drink than bottled water (especially with all the 

phtalates leaching in from that plastic AND the fact that water is a human right... ok off the soap box lol), I hate the taste. (Atlantic ocean and view of windmills just off the shore in front of my parents house)

Unfortunately carbon filters also come with their own eco-issues like their packaging; a box containing plastic wrapped filters made of plastic going in a plastic pitcher. All these years of using a Brita I have been throwing my filters every three months into the garbage. Take away summers spent at home during University, and that leaves 27 filters over the past 8 years. Blegh. 

After spending lots of time looking through Preserves' website for my fun recycled toothbrush I discovered something awesome: Preserve in partnership with Brita Filters are now fully recycling all plastic Brita filters in Canada and the States!! WOO!! So no longer do any more Brita filters need to pile up in the landfills! Here's how to recycle your Brita Filter in Canada:

1. Dry the filter by shaking off excess water and setting it aside to dry for at least three days.

2. Wrap the filter in a plastic grocery bag (hmm wonder if there's an alternative for that? I would keep the plastic wrapper it came in) and pack it in a box (both plastic and boxes will be recycled). Send multiple filters at a time to save on emissions and packaging.

3. Mail filters via ground shipping at:

Brita Canada Corporation

PO Box 140 STN LCD Malton

Mississauga Ontario

L4T 9Z9

(similar process for the states, just different address)

Not sure about international recycling, but on Take Back The Filter they report that U.K. vs U.S. filters are made differently allowing them to be recycled in the U.K. but not as easily in the U.S. Also, that Brita was initially a German company that had recycling plants in the U.K. but the North American division was sold to Clorox in 2000. According to Brita's UK website all filters used in Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, France and Switzerland can be sent to the dealers and then recycled by Brita. I guess it's just North America that's falling behind on the recycling boat... no surprise there! (picture curtosy of Take Back The Filter)

One other tiny anecdote about tap water city vs country:

While in Montreal I visited an Aveda store (pre-break up) and was trying to problem solve with a consultant on how to get my hair back to it's smooth beautifulness it used to be at home at the "village". When we started talking about water hardness, I said that I wasn't sure as we had a well. She looked at me like I had four heads... "A WELL?? Like a hole in the ground?"  Me: "well, essentially yes".  Her: "Like in the movies?? Wow that must be so difficult, you have to turn the crank and bring the bucket up every time you need water??"   Me: "......."     LOL. I'm pretty sure rural Quebec has well-water communities and that not all city dwellers view well water this way, but it was funny nonetheless. 

Blessings and love that Tap Water :)

I Heart Tap Water

Thanks to Theresa over at Pondering the Myriad of Things, I discovered that today is World Water Day. I think this is perfect timing as water and water rights seem to be gaining media attention lately. This week in Turkey the "World Water Forum" took place while hundreds of people protested. This organization claims to attempt to organize water privatization for municipal health when in reality any sort of water privatization is led by profit (as we saw in Bolivia).

In 2002 Canada was the ONLY country to vote against the United Nations resolutions on the human right to water stating: "Canada does not accept that there is a right to drinking water and sanitation" (http://www.canadians.org/water/documents/WWD/2009/WWDFS-0309-RTW.pdf)

The Council of Canadians has a fantastic website with factsheets and resources on Canada's current situation with water. Tap water in Canada is tested on average 20 000 times a year, as opposed to bottled water that has vague and ambiguous  policies (if any) regarding water testing. Take the tap water pledge and support water as a human right! Of course, clean water also directly ties into what chemicals we wash down the drain when we use body soap, shampoo, dish soap etc; as many of these chemicals are not able to be treated by our water treatment facilities and are being found in lakes and rivers across the country (Ecoholic by Adria Vasil, 2007).

Reading is great, but I also LOVE film. So here are two trailors, Tapped and F.L.O.W. both docs on water and bottled water. They seem thought provoking and interesting, I'm looking forward to watching them!