Page 5 - NBY News January 2019
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Microscopic View of Carpet Threads
toxic petroleum-based solvents. To add
insult to injury, the waterproofing and
anti-microbial treatments now common in
everyday carpeting have been linked to
cancer, birth defects and hormone
disruption. Last but not least, carpet
Dear EarthTalk: I need to replace the padding is typically made from scraps of
wall-to-wall carpeting in my basement. polyurethane recycled from older
Any tips for finding something new that furniture and mattresses—and as such
won’t aggravate my allergies or otherwise likely contains carcinogenic chemical
pollute my indoor air? flame retardants now banned in new
— Jasper Manheim, Los Angeles, CA furniture.
Carpeting is an oft-overlooked culprit Well that’s all well and good, but what
when it comes to compromised indoor air choices do we have? Actually, lots.
quality, but the chemicals used to produce it Carpeting labeled with the Carpet & Rug
are typically far from natural. According to Institute’s “Green Label Plus” or UL
the non-profit Environmental Working Environment’s “Greenguard” emit low
Group (EWG), most carpeting is made from amounts of VOCs and are safer for you and
synthetic fibers derived from non-renewable your family. Wool is the most common One way to avoid all of these issues non-profit Carpet America Recovery
petroleum-based sources and emits harmful eco-friendly choice, but jute and cotton entirely is to forego carpeting Effort (CARE) is working to develop
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the varieties are coming on strong. Stay away altogether and go with tile, wood, cork the infrastructure needed to recycle
air. from stain fighting, waterproofing or or natural linoleum flooring with low- carpet efficiently across the U.S. In the
antimicrobial treatments. For carpet VOC sealant. They don’t off-gas VOCs meantime, you can search on Earth911
Meanwhile, carpet backing is typically padding, go with felt rather than synthetic or harbor allergens and pollutants, and for a carpet recycler near you.
made from synthetic rubber derived from rubber. And make sure to use low- they’re easy to clean while lasting
styrene and butadiene, also respiratory emitting, non-solvent adhesives and/or decades longer than carpeting anyway. CONTACTS: EWG, www.ewg.org;
irritants. And that new carpet smell we know fasteners during installation. Throw down a few wool area rugs Green Label Plus, carpet-rug.org/
so well comes from the off-gassing of 4-PCH, (easily cleaned outside) and you’ll be testing/green-label-plus; Greenguard,
a potent VOC byproduct of the synthetic No matter what kind of carpeting you good—and green—to go. greenguard.org; CARE,
rubber manufacturing process known to end up with, make sure to vacuum it carpetrecovery.org; Earth911,
cause respiratory problems, eye irritation regularly—the American Lung Association Now what to do with the old search.earth911.com.
and rashes. EWG adds that it can also react recommends at least 3x/week with a carpeting is another question entirely.
with other chemicals to produce HEPA filter-equipped vacuum—to remove Carpeting is difficult to recycle as it’s EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy
formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen. dust, allergens and pollutants that you (or made from multiple components with Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3
your pets) might track in. “Carpets are ... different chemical makeups, so your nonprofit EarthTalk. To donate, visit
Likewise, the glues and sealants used to the perfect environment to harbor dust local curbside recycling hauler is www.earthtalk.org. Send questions to:
install most wall-to-wall carpeting come mites, mold and mildew, which are all unlikely to take it away for you. The question@earthtalk.org.
chock full of more VOCs and in some cases, common allergens,” reports EWG.
~ Congress Implements Ban on Gag Orders for Prescription Drug Prices ~
Congress Takes Small Step to Lower Drug forbid pharmacists and staff from telling for a prescription is less than using
Prices, “Gag Orders” Banned drug plan, you may still submit the proper
customers when the price of their insurance, pharmacists will no longer documentation to your plan and insurers
prescription was cheaper without have to keep that a secret. Patients, must count it toward patients’ out-of-pocket
insurance. Pharmacists were at risk of however, still need to ask their
Until it closed, a small locally - owned expenses. Total expenses are important
pharmacy in Gordonsville, Virginia, would being fined or dropped by insurance plans pharmacist before filling their because that affects how quickly you
fill prescriptions, but customers weren’t if they violated the gag clause. The extra prescription whether the price is lower spend through the deductible, and how
always asked for their insurance cards — money for prescriptions collected by the without insurance, in order to get the long you spend in the “doughnut hole”
especially when it was for a common generic pharmacy, was sent back to the insurers lower price. coverage gap. Keep your receipts. For
and big pharmacy benefit managers.
Eliminating gag clauses is just a first
drug, such as the antibiotic Amoxicillin. more information on how to file a
Often customers never noticed. But if asked According to research published in step to lowering drug costs, because it claim, call your Part D or Medicare
why the insurance card wasn’t needed, a the Journal of the American Medical does nothing to lower drug prices Advantage plan and ask how you can
staffer would say, “we fill prescriptions the Association, Part D enrollees overpaid for themselves. In addition, while the file a claim for covered drugs.
lowest-cost way.” In other words if the cost prescriptions by $135 million in 2013. In legislation removes gag clauses, it
of the prescription would be lower than the fact, co-payments in Part D plans were doesn’t address how patients who pay Source: “No More Secrets: Congress
insurance co-pay, the pharmacy would higher than the cash price for nearly 1 - in cash outside their insurance plan can Bans Pharmacist ‘Gag Orders’ on Drug
simply charge the customer the lower price. - 4 drugs purchased in 2013. For 12 of the apply that expense toward meeting their Prices,” Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News,
20 most commonly prescribed drugs, policy’s deductible. October 10, 2018. “Trump Signs Bills
Despite sounding like a consumer-friendly patients overpaid about one-third of the There is, however, an obscure Aimed At Increasing Drug Price
way to do business, insurers have, until time. Medicare rule that Medicare beneficiaries Transparency,” Maegan Vazquez, CNN,
recently, written “gag order” clauses into Some states and municipalities have can follow. Remember, you must ask October 10, 2018.
their contracts to make sure pharmacists and banned the practice of gag clauses, and first if the drug would cost less without Celebrate Martin Luther King
their staffs couldn’t do this. Insurers’ now new bi-partisan legislation supported your insurance. If the covered drug is Jr. on January 21, 2019.
contracts with participating pharmacies by TSCL, was signed into law in October purchased at a lower price without insurance,
that ends the practice. When the cash price and at a pharmacy that participates in your Maybe you have a dream....
January 2019 5