tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76224001925543668902024-03-13T21:07:32.189-07:00Healthy Living SpacesDan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-10576101404061307052011-01-06T09:45:00.000-08:002011-01-06T09:50:26.728-08:00Tip #30 to Prevent Mold GrowthIf you have a flood, a water incident that affects the kitchen, say from a plumbing leak or a nearby wash machine that overflows from the utility room…<br /><br />You call your insurance company and a water damage restoration company to dry things out. No problem. They have 24-72 hours to get things dry. After that mold will grow. They will bring in lots of big and fancy (and expensive) blowers and drying equipment.<br /><br />Yes, they will get the walls dry…on the outside.<br /><br />But what about the walls behind and next to kitchen cabinets? This is the last place things dry because the air from the blowers can’t reach them. Note: some companies will drill holes in the bottom of the kick plates under the cabinets and inject air. This is a good thing and might work. But given, in general, behind the cabinets is often a place where mold ends up growing.)<br /><br />Here’s a preventative measure:<br /><br />When building the house, don’t install the cabinets until the contractor has cut out the bottom 2 inches of drywall where the walls meets the floor, behind and next to any cabinetry.<br /><br />You see, mold loves drywall (a.k.a sheetrock), the white-board walls are constructed out of. There’s a paper backing on sheetrock that’s baby food for mold. Water wicks up drywall and gets stuck between the cabinet and the wall in places where air from the dryers can’t blow.<br /><br />If you cut off the bottom two inches of drywall off before the cabinets are installed, water can’t wick up the wall, and mold cannot grow on the sheet rock. The exception would be if you get standing water in your house greater than two inches. Most floods from leaky pipes don’t go that high and if they do you have bigger problems.<br /><br />To read more about how to prevent Mold read my book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Living-Spaces-Hazards-Affecting/dp/0979468507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293517633&sr=8-1">Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health</a><br /><br />Or see the free information in the on-line resource library at <a href="http://hlspaces.com/libraryhome.htm">HealthyLivingSpaces.com</a>Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-50590294864001975872011-01-03T10:32:00.001-08:002011-01-03T10:33:37.307-08:00The Biggest Secret !You see it all the time, at the grocery store and on-line… products that claim to kill or eradicate mold. <br /><br />But do these products work? Are they necessary?<br /><br />The simple answer is a big NO.<br /><br />Why then do professional mold remediators use bleach and other chemical sanitizers?<br /><br />Because consumers expect them to use them and think that if they don’t use them you might think they are not doing their job properly. The simple truth is that if mold is effectively removed, there is nothing left to kill. (For details on how to effectively remove mold see Chapter 1 in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Living-Spaces-Hazards-Affecting/dp/0979468507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293517633&sr=8-1">Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10</a>). In fact, if the contractor performing the mold remediation went to a good school to learn his craft, he would have been taught that biocides, including bleach should not be used. Using them is not only not necessary, the use of biocides may cause new problems that you didn’t have before.Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-55061594636521334382010-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:002010-12-29T13:13:42.272-08:00Let it Drip...Tip #27 for Preventing Mold growth<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip #27 for Preventing Mold Growth</span><br /><br />Water it and they will grow. Want to prevent mold? Then prevent water problems.<br /><br />A common occurrence in the winter is pipes bursting when they freeze. (If you live somewhere really cold this is probably common sense to you. But here in Santa Fe where it’s only a little cold (zero degrees is cold for us) and it’s not as well known…<br /><br />When you go away on holiday and won’t be home for a few days, simple turn on the kitchen sink faucet (don’t forget to make sure the sink drain is not stopped) and allow the water to slowly drip. We're talking drip, drip, drip; not a steady stream of water. This slow dripping will prevent the pipes from freezing and thereby prevent toxic mold problems that can occur when pipes burst and no one is home to turn off the water and dry out the mess.<br /><br />For more tips on how to prevent mold growth and moisture problems, including a story of how I found and removed toxic mold from my grandmother’s house (they thought she had Alzheimer’s disease because her the mold problem was effecting her memory) see Chapter 1 in <blockquote><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Living-Spaces-Hazards-Affecting/dp/0979468507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293517633&sr=8-1">Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health</a></blockquote> or<br /><br />Visit our reference library at <a href="http://hlspaces.com/">Healthy Living Spaces.com</a><br /><br />Healthy Living Spaces<br />(505) 992-9904<br />http://healthylivingspaces.comDan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-61989830265685433742010-12-27T22:26:00.000-08:002010-12-27T22:40:18.856-08:00If it sounds too good to be true…If it sounds too good to be true…<br /><br />I usually don’t watch TV. I don’t own one. But while staying with family over the holidays and sitting around watching the boob tube I saw a commercial that shows just how far we’ve come.<br /><br />This commercial was for a bracelet that you wear that is supposed to protect you from electromagnetic fields (EMF) and other harmful environmental hazards when you wear it. The commercial trys to demonstrate that the product is effective by showing people wearing them being muscle tested.<br /><br />Bunk.<br /><br />While I believe in “Muscle Testing”, also known as “Applied Kinesiology” and “Autonomic Response Testing (ART)” just because you test strong when you are muscle tested doesn’t mean the product works as claimed. In Chapter 4 of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Living-Spaces-Hazards-Affecting/dp/0979468507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293517633&sr=8-1">Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health</a>, I show an example of how to do muscle testing to find healthy cleaning products at the grocery store since most products don’t list all the ingredients on the label. But just because a product is safe, i.e. your body does not have a negative reaction to it, does not mean the product helps improve your health or protect you from harmful stuff including electromagnetic fields.<br /><br />What this commercial and similar products are proving by muscle testing is that it’s safe to wear the bracelet, charm, pendant, quantum cell protector, EFX Silicone Sport Wristband, Clarus QLink® and other gadgets; not that they protect you from anything.<br /><br />Incidentally, you don’t need to buy and wear a special bracelet or pendant, ring or other type of jewelry or gadget to “protect” yourself.<br /><br />Case in point, we’ve tested people in blind studies using some of these types of products and found some people reacted negatively to them; others didn’t notice any difference wearing them.<br /><br />Most interesting of all, we people noticed the most difference (felt they were most “protected”) when we had them simply image a bubble of protection surrounding them vs. when they wore the stuff. When they imagined a bubble of protection surrounding them, they tested strongest when muscle tested when exposed to EMFs from electrical power.<br /><br />So next time you’re worried about EFMs, cell phone radiation, or something similar, and are thinking about buying a gadget to protect yourself, simply say to yourself:<br /><br />“ I now surround myself in a bubble of protection.<br /> I am protected from all [electromagnetic fields].<br /> I am surrounded by a bubble of protection.<br /><br />For more information on how to really protect yourself from environmental hazards, including electromagnetic fields and cell phone radiation, visit our <a href="http://www.hlspaces.com/libraryhome.htm">reference library</a> at Healthy Living Spaces.com or buy the book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Living-Spaces-Hazards-Affecting/dp/0979468507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293517633&sr=8-1">Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health</a>, now on sale at Amazon.com and other retailers.<br /><br />Healthy Living Spaces <br />(505) 992-9904<br /><a href="http://healthylivingspaces.com">http://healthylivingspaces.com</a>Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-76166712365204836272010-06-29T17:47:00.000-07:002010-06-29T18:01:59.041-07:00What will our Children Do?I keep seeing ads for solar panels. Pictures with solar panels installed on the roof of peoples homes. Pictures of solar panels in the yard with kids playing next to them. That got me to thinking...do people touting solar energy realize just how toxic it is to make a single solar panel. Do they understand how toxic the dust would be if they broke just one solar cell (there can be hundreds in a solar panel). What will our children do someday, then these panels break down or become obsolete and end up in the trash, just like our used cell phones and lap-top computers? Just how green are these solar panels in terms of the toxic waste generated during their creation and the disposal when they become old.<br /><br />As with most "green" activities, I suspect this has not been thought through. Or maybe the thinking is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">similar</span> to the Sierra Club's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">position</span> on compact, energy saving light bulbs - we know they contain mercury, one of the most toxic substances known to man, but its' only a small amount of mercury (if you break a single light bulb in your home the mercury vapor level in will violate federal air quality standards) but its worth it.<br /><br />Here's a better idea:<br /><br />Has anyone noticed how windy it's been lately. I don't know if this is due to climate change or is the norm, but there's always some wind. Generating electricity with wind power (wind mills) is much more environmentally friendly than solar. No silicon wafer, solar panel cells need to be processed, a wind mill cost a LOT less than a solar panel, and wind mills often produce more power than solar panels<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"></span>.<br /><br />I lived in a house that had both solar panels and a wind mill and often, even with the solar panels turning to track the sun, it was the wind mill that produced the most power.Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-81428159116244474502010-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:002010-06-26T09:46:20.752-07:00Controlled Burns Kill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://assets.mediaspanonline.com/prod/4675718/11475339_w650.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 650px; height: 433px;" src="http://assets.mediaspanonline.com/prod/4675718/11475339_w650.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Regarding the smoke generated from controlled burns, the Forest Service does seem to get it. How much is a human life worth? Do they realize smoke from these burns causes people to have heart attacks, if not during the burns, possibly some time after the burn as a result of small smoke particles bypassing any protection your lungs have to offer, getting into the blood stream and reaking havoc with the heart? (photo credit above the New Mexian <a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/LocalNews/Ripe-for-regrowth">News article</a> link about controlled burns)<br /><br />What good is an advisory warning to people who can not just up and move out of town or even out of state when there controlled burns are going on? People may die from this stuff.<br /><br />What can you do to protect yourself other than go to your second vacation home in another state (as officials seem to suggest you do) :) ....<br /><br />Staying indoor helps but air from outside will penetrate to the inside:<br />Get a good HEPA air purifier. The only one tested down to 0.01 microns (the size of smoke particles) is the <a href="http://hlspaces.com/healthpro.htm">IQAir Health Pro</a>. I recommend the Healthy Pro Plus.<br /><br />For more information visit the <a href="http://hlspaces.com/libraryhome.htm">reference library</a> at Healthy Living Spaces<br /><br />And read the article about <a href="http://hlspaces.com/Articles/WoodBurningSmoke.htm">wood smoke</a> being worse for your health than cigarettes.<br /><br />Contact us at Healthy Living Spaces<br />(505) 992-9904<br /><a href="http://healthylivingspaces.com/">http://healthylivingspaces.com</a>Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-44191391391084260402010-06-23T09:11:00.001-07:002010-06-23T09:25:18.861-07:00The Gulf of ChernobylThe Gulf oil spill is a tragic disaster. Birds, fish and wildlife are not the only ones effected. Residents not just on the coast, but near the coast, are reporting oily-like, gas odors in the air that can cause headaches and nausea. Basically, the air quality in these parts is going to be worse than living next to a gas station.<br />Staying indoors may not offer much help because over time outdoor air permeates indoors.<br /><br /><a href="http://healthylivingspaces.com/">Healthy Living Spaces</a> can perform air quality testing for these chemical odors and offer some advice on <a href="http://hlspaces.com/healthpro.htm">reducing the levels</a> and making the indoor air healthier to breathe. One way is to use an air purifier that has a ton of carbon in it. Carbon is what traps chemicals. Don't be fooled by gimicks and gadgets that claim to clean the whole house. You need to keep that air purifier in your bedroom or office and run it a high speed. It's got to have a fan and move a lot of air through the <a href="http://hlspaces.com/healthprospecs1.htm">carbon media</a>. The only brand we recommend is the <a href="http://hlspaces.com/healthpro.htm">IQAir Healthy Pro plus</a>.<br /><br />Next, it also helps to have a whole house air filter. It too, must have a ton of carbon to remove any odors and chemicals. Remember, a HEPA filter is nice but a HEPA filter removes dust particles, not odors. You need both - a HEPA with carbon.<br /><br />Contact Healthy Living Spaces for more information and product recommendations or read all about how you can choose and install an whole-house air purifir that makes the air healthy to breathe in the new edition of Dan Stih's Healthy Living Spaces: <a href="http://hlspaces.com/BookBonus.htm">Top 10 Hazards Effecting Your Health</a>, available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Living-Spaces-Hazards-Affecting/dp/0979468507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225418081&sr=8-1">Amazon.com</a>.<br /><br />Read chapter: Recommendations - Furnace filters, Air Purifiers.Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-13822619299712389492010-06-23T08:59:00.000-07:002010-06-23T09:10:15.433-07:00EPA requires tetsing of homes built before 1978<p>If you have a contractor do remodeling work in your home, and your home was built before 1978, the contractor must notify you of new EPA rules governing renovation work as follows.<br /></p><p>To protect against this risk, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued a <a href="http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2008/April/Day-22/t8141.htm">rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices</a> and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning. Under the rule, beginning April 22, 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.</p> EPA requires that firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools be certified by EPA and that they use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers to follow lead-safe work practices. Individuals can become certified renovators by taking an eight-hour training course from an EPA-approved training provider.<br /><br />Healthy Living Spaces has a certified EPA Lead Dust Sampling Technician on staff that can perform post-renovation testing in your home to verify hazardous levels of lead are not present after the contractor is done. Contact:<br /><br />Healthy Living Spaces LLC<br /><a href="http://www.healthylivingspaces.com">www.healthylivingspaces.com</a><br /><br />Santa Fe (serving all New Mexico and surrounding areas)<br />(505) 992-9905<br />Call for an appointmentDan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-34256686568420950052009-12-24T14:04:00.000-08:002009-12-24T14:29:49.567-08:00Shame on the Indian Pueblo Council<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was sad to see the army blowing up the ancient tress in local natives lived on in the new film </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_(2009_film)" title="Avatar (2009 film)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Avatar</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Unfortunately in real life it's sometimes the natives destroying nature. This scene reminded me of the mass cutting of tress this year at the Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In a desert climate where shade should be a treasure, the school cut down dozens of beautiful trees, some of them more than a half century old, leaving the old campus littered with stumps. The cutting was done stealthy before any white people could complain (not that we could stop it anyhow)</span></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The all Indian Pueblo Council, made up of governors from the 19 New Mexico pueblos was responsible for making the decision to cut down the trees. And they had them cut quickly before anyone could complain or stop the tragedy.</span></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Driving by the property, one can feel the pain and loss of the tress and the land. </span></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">School officials declined to say what they would do with the area, though two development plans have surfaced for a hotel and retail shops. </span></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ironically, since Congress requires the land be used for "educational, health or cultural purposes, the shopping malls can not be built after all. I'm sure the tress will make sure the land is cursed forever.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 16px;">Shame on the Pueblo Council members.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/SANTA-FE-INDIAN-SCHOOL-Restrictions-could-hinder-development-on"><br /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/SANTA-FE-INDIAN-SCHOOL-Restrictions-could-hinder-development-on">http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/SANTA-FE-INDIAN-SCHOOL-Restrictions-could-hinder-development-on</a></span></span></span></div></div>Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-8290741406145464342007-11-19T15:00:00.000-08:002007-11-19T15:02:04.923-08:00Global Warming Fear-MongeringRE: Can Global Warming Worsen Allergies? (Published in the New Mexican, Monday, November 19, 2007)<br /><br />The article “Can Global Warming Worsen Allergies?” appears to be taken straight out of a press-release from the NRDC with little or no investigative reporting done by the New Mexican.<br /><br />It opens with the fear-mongering statement “Global warming can make allergies worse simply because the major pollen producers that trigger allergic reactions thrive and flourish in warmer air.”<br /><br />Yes, everything grows faster with global warming, including crops for food and tress. And it’s not because of warmer temperatures – it’s because of the sun! And this is not necessary a bad thing because tress consume carbon dioxide and purifier the air.<br /><br />It goes on to instill even more fear in those with allergies by stating “carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions contribute to smog, another trigger for asthma”. Yes, carbon dioxide is produced by burning coal, gasoline and natural gas. But carbon dioxide is not allergenic and is not toxic. When you burn candles on your kitchen table carbon dioxide is produced. A gas space heater burning at 100% combustion efficiency in your home will be spew out carbon dioxide continuously. This is not be confused with carbon monoxide and chemicals in smog that are produced when things don’t burn clean. The only way to not have carbon dioxide is to not burn anything and to not breathe. A few people huddled into in a small living space in the winter probably exhale more carbon dioxide than the heating appliances produce.<br /><br />My company is in the business of helping people with allergy problems. These people are suffering and need accurate and useful information to help them with their plight – not fear mongering propaganda disseminated from organizations claiming that that global warming is to blame for everything.<br /><br />Ultimately, the only way to prevent carbon dioxide is to not burn anything and to stop breathing. Solar power can’t supply us with enough power to eliminate coal and natural gas. That leaves nuclear power as our savior, a horrible alternative, and possibly the hidden agenda behind this fear mongering report. Before we consider nuclear power maybe we should consider that is it the sun - not CO2 causing global warming and that CO2 is a natural gas produced by all living organisms that makes things grow.Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-18140542958880783942007-06-26T13:44:00.000-07:002007-06-26T13:50:03.115-07:00Information on PesticidesA very good site for news related to pesticides:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/">http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/</a><br /><br />see also:<br /><a href="http://www.pesticide.org/factsheets.html">http://www.pesticide.org/factsheets.html</a><br /><a href="http://pesticides.org/">http://pesticides.org/</a>Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-46464805764079087922007-06-14T08:13:00.000-07:002007-06-14T08:18:28.231-07:00Valles Caldera = No Access for poorIn response to “Grande Experience”, an article in the Go! Section of the Albuquerque Journal about the Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez:<br /><br />This monument reeks of capitalism like the US Forest Service Fee Demo Program reeks of corporate profiteering.<br /><br />It’s a contradiction to establish a “preserve” and then depend on it becoming financially self-sustaining, as the Valles Caldera is required to do by the year 2010. The preserve admits to having limited parking to avoid too much human impact yet it has a goal of increasing the amount of visitors by 15% each year.<br />Deliberately marketing to increase visitation while limiting access means that the cost of entering the preserve will have to increase in the future, making it impossible for low-income families to attend.<br /><br />What the Valles Caldera is doing is similar to the US Forest Service Fee Demo Program. Under this program, the fees to do simple things like having a picnic in the park have tripled over the past few years, resulting in less people using the parks. At the same time the forest Service continues to spend money to advertise with goals of increased visitors. The visitors that come pay money and therefore expect to have an experience similar to Disney Land (for more information on this google “Fee Demo” or look at sites like <a href="http://aznofee.org/">Arizona No Fee Coalition </a>and <a href="http://wildwilderness.org/docs/feedemo.htm">wildwilderness.org</a>).<br /><br />A preserve should be just that. Leave it alone. Allow access to users as if it were public lands, BLM or nation forest. If something is truly a preserve, there should be no new infrastructures or marketing of new activities.Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-11423882926241103522007-06-10T19:34:00.000-07:002007-06-26T08:03:29.005-07:00Invasion of "Monster" TowersThe Santa Fe New Mexican did a story today on the Public Service Company installing huge steel towers for power lines along <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Rufina</span> street and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Zafarano</span> Drive. The 60-foot high, 3-foot thick towers replaced smaller ones that were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">reportedly</span> 50 years old.<br /><br />Some local residents are concerned. This might be justified. But, while the bigger towers look scary, if the old lines are replaced, residents may in fact be exposed to lower magnetic fields than before.<br /><br />A magnetic field is created when electrical current flows. As more current flows, a bigger magnetic field is created. As demand for power increases more current must flow on the lines for a given voltage.<br /><br />Voltage is energy. Image the energy in something compared to dropping a baseball from a tall building. The higher you drop the ball the more energy it will have on impact. To get the same amount of energy from dropping one ball from 100 feet you would need to drop 10 balls from 10 feet.<br /><br />Power lines are the same way. You can either run less current on higher voltage lines (big and scary looking ones), or more current on smaller power lines (the old lines). The old power lines reportedly carried 45 kilovolts; the newer ones 115 kilovolts. Thus, the newer lines can provide the same amount of power with less than half the current.<br /><br />Some residents have asked that the lines be buried underground, in which case the magnetic fields would be nearly zero. Contrary to popular belief, this is not because putting them under ground shields us from them. Magnetic fields are not blocked by dirt, steel or concrete. The reason burring them eliminates fields is because the lines are closer together underground; on the tower the lines are several feet apart.<br /><br />Why do we care? There has been some debate over the heath effects caused by magnetic fields associated with power lines. However, most scientists agree that they affect us biologically. Laboratory studies have reported changes in hormones including melatonin, bio-rhythms, brain activity, heart rate and alterations in the immune system (1).In related news, it was reported that PNM is now requesting the right to run power lines through parks and over trails without having to ask for approval. Currently they need the approval of City Council.<br /><br />Parks and trails don't belong under or near power lines, yet this is often the case because it's a cheap way for municipalities to get space. Utility companies often donate or lease land for as low as $1 a year.<br /><br />PNM may say they can’t afford to bury power lines underground. What they really mean is 1) stock holders won’t approve unnecessary spending; and 2) if they bury lines under the perception of a health risk they will open the flood gates –everywhere people would insist that power lines by their homes be buried.<br /><br />In most cases, burring lines is not necessary to avoid exposure. It is surprising how quickly the magnetic fields emanated from power lines drops off with distance away from the lines. In most cases, burying the lines is not necessary to avoid exposure inside a building. This is not the case in parks and open spaces where people may actually hike under or be very close to them. These power lines should be buried.<br /><br />References<br />1 Questions and Answers About EMF, Electric and Magnetic Fields Associated with the Use of Electric Power, National Institute of Environmental Health Services and U.S. Department of Energy, U.S Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C, January, 1995, p.23.<br /><br /><br />Related Stories:<br /><br />Parents lead fight against power line -<br />High-voltage proposal mobilizes Greene County residents; more research urged on health effects of electromagnetic fields<br />Sunday, June 24, 2007By Janice Crompton, <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07175/796137-58.stm">Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</a>Dan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622400192554366890.post-51968309370059590082007-05-27T19:29:00.000-07:002007-05-27T19:42:03.790-07:00Welcome!Hi!<br /><br />Welcome to my blog.<br /><br />Here I'll post weekly, sometimes daily comments and opions I have about what's happeining in the news regarding indoor air qualtiy and mold, how it affects our health, and how to stay healthy.<br /><br />This won't be a substitute for my newsletter (goto <a href="http://healthylivingspaces.com">healthylivingspaces.com </a>to sign up for it).<br /><br />This will be a place where you can get what's hot.<br /><br />Thanks for checking in.<br /><br />Dan Stih<br />Healthy Living SpacesDan Stih, HealthyLivingSpaces.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10525242053688774168noreply@blogger.com0