Posts Tagged kitchen

A Dechlorinating Shower Filter Does Not Provide the Protection You Need

You should only buy a dechlorinating shower filter that also removes THMs, chlorination byproducts. Most of them do not.

They came on the market initially as a cosmetic aid. Beauty experts advised their clients about the affects of chlorine on the hair and skin. Before showerhead systems came on the market, models often washed their hair in bottled water. If they are staying in a hotel, many of them still do.

Yes, chlorine dries out the hair and skin. The vapors irritate the eyes and respiratory system. They even trigger asthma attacks. But, the biggest long-term health risk is from THM exposure, chlorination byproducts.

The average dechlorinating shower filter does nothing to protect you from THMs. There are only two or three products on the market that do. One is very affordable, costing less than $70. Another is very expensive, costing over $200. Since they have the same effectiveness, I would choose the less expensive brand.

What is the long-term health risk of THM exposure? According to studies conducted in 2007, exposure to THMs in homes with chlorinated water doubles a person’s chances of developing bladder cancer. Exposure occurs in a variety of ways.

In the shower, they become gases and are inhaled. In the kitchen, when you are washing dishes by hand, the gases are again inhaled. When cooking with unfiltered water, they are again released. When you drink a glass of unfiltered water, you are ingesting them. They are present in many bottled beverages, as well.

In a bath or shower, the chemicals are absorbed through your skin, as they are if you swim in a chlorinated pool. If you live in the US, the level deemed safe by the EPA did not consider multiple areas of exposure. They were based on the assumption that your only source of exposure was through drinking and that you weighed 175 pounds.

As you can see, a dechlorinating shower filter is not the only thing that you need. You need an effective filter on your kitchen type. Just to let you know, Brita and PUR devices do NOT remove THMs or VOCs, another health hazard that exists in publicly treated supplies.

In order to make it easier for you, many companies provide product performance data, certifications from Underwriter’s Laboratory and certificates from the California Department of Health. If a company does not have those certifications or provide complete performance data before you buy, then you are probably getting a dechlorinating shower filter, but you are not getting full protection.

I believe, as do many health experts, that we can reduce the incidence of cancer in our lifetime, just by taking simple steps to limit our exposure to known carcinogens. You don’t smoke. You might eat organic food. Those are good steps to take, but limiting your exposure to THM is an excellent step, as well.

Tags: , , , , ,

Related posts

Home Appliances – How Long Do They Last?

Would you like to know how long appliances like your oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer might last? How about your furnace, air conditioner, roof or the toilet in your bathroom? Every appliance and component in your home has a design life. Components like the foundation and wood frame should last for the life of your home. You will need to replace other appliances and components at some point.

The average home appliance and component design lives listed below assume that you perform recommended periodic inspection and maintenance and assume that the appliance or component is at least average quality. Components that are not properly maintained, lower quality appliances and components, and components subject to extreme conditions may not last as long as indicated. Conversely, appliances and components that are well maintained and are of higher quality may last longer. Times are in years.

Air conditioner external condenser unit 10-15
Air handler (gas furnace/heat pump) 18-22
Clothes dryer 10-20
Clothes washing machine 8-15
Dishwashing machine 8-12
Disposal 5-12
Electrical panels and circuit breakers 35-40
Exhaust fan (bath, laundry, kitchen) 15-20
Fireplace (prefab wood burning 20-25
Garage door opener 10-15
Ground fault circuit interrupter receptacles/breakers 5-15
Gutters (aluminum) 15-25
Microwave oven (built-in) 10-15
Paint (exterior) 5-10
Plumbing pipes (galvanized) 40-60
Range, oven, surface unit 15-22
Refrigerator 15-20
Roof tiles 40-60
Roof tile underlayment (30# felt) 20-40
Roll roof covering (mineral) 7-15
Shingles (20 year) 13-18
Shingles (dimensional) 5-20
Smoke alarms 10-12
Toilet tank interior parts 5-8
Ventilation fan (attic) 5-10
Water heater (electric) 12-14
Water heater (gas) 11-13

Construction defects put your family’s health and safety at risk and cost you money. Everybody’s Building Code helps you avoid construction defects, whether you do the work yourself or hire a contractor. Everybody’s Building Code explains the International Residential Code in plain language and illustrates it with numerous drawings and pictures

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Home Appliance And Commercial Appliance

Since the yesteryears, human mankind has never mingled the personal life with his professional life. The same criteria are applicable to all the appliances in both the areas. If your work space is same nevertheless the needs of appliance for getting your job done will be same. The line that separates the two is very minuscule, as the work and home have the same needs. Almost every human is striving for a comfortable and a less painstaking work load for doing your daily chores. From the onset of mankind the five basic must have kitchen appliance, these are the refrigerator, washer and dryer, stove and dishwasher. It all depends on narrowing down your needs as a family or office space and then the other small appliances come in picture. The microwave, coffee maker, kettle, toaster, blender, mixer, food processor, extra ranges and more are just to name a few.

Businesses rarely have as many home appliances as homes do, although, some businesses can require the same appliances only in more heavy-duty models. For example, in your home, the coffee maker is usually only turned on and run once in the morning. In a fair sized business, the coffee maker could be used five or ten times a day, or more for a larger business! When shopping for your home, you would probably buy a regular 12 cup coffee maker, but when shopping for a large business you would probably want to find something more durable and large in proportion to the amount of people that will be using it.

For a smaller kitchen in your neighborhood you will find just three appliances which you cannot imagine working without, the microwave, a small fridge and a kettle. Perceptions of the ideal set of appliances for your kitchen vary depending on the amount of comfort and the kitchen space you have. The large organizations might prefer something that is heavy duty and full sized. Now you would preferably like a dishwasher as employees all around would not want to dirty their hands while working around computers. Some of the more likely appliances could be the very large freezers and refrigerators. Who does not like to have a frozen ice cream in the hot summer then the huge freezers come in handy? However all this depend son your work atmosphere to a major extent. Toronto appliance have a wide range to cater to all your personal needs.

Another difference is that the business appliances require higher wattage to operate, than the appliances used at home. Even the home appliances around the world require different voltage depending on the country you are living. The appliance in the office are used more frequently and handled roughly in comparison to the home devices. It is very difficult to find the right portal for your needs and that fits your requirements. Canada appliances is the answer to all your needs be it for business or personal use, they provide you with the service that is rendered at the best price.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts