Editor: Mercia Tapping, President, Allergy Buyers Club

PLEASE NOTE that references to prices or specials within this archive reflect prices
and market conditions at the time of newsletter publication.
Prices may have changed since publication.

In This Issue

• Hypoallergenic Cats on the Way
• Q&A about Sinus Problems
• Air quality in portable school classrooms
• Greenpeace Report Alleges Hidden Dangers in Homes

Shop Talk

• New Product Briefs

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HYPOALLERGENIC CATS ON THE WAY

If you haven't heard hypoallergenic cats are on the way. There is a company trying to get venture funding to complete its research. The plan is to sell only neutered cats[ to stop free costing hypoallergenic cats from reproducing], at a price tag of $750 to $1,000. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think it would be wonderful for some people to have this option. On the other, somehow the neutering bit bothers me. I wish that the allergy free strain could be made available to all cat breeding programs.

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Q&A about Sinus Problems - From: Lori.Brehm@wofco.com

QUESTION:

I would think someone else would have this similar type of problem. My nasal passages get stuffy, especially when I am sleeping. I have had allergy problems for the past couple of years. Currently, I take Zyrtec. In January I started immunology shots. I am allergic to pollen, mold, dust, animals, wheat, and yeast. I have changed my diet to avoid dairy products, wheat, yeast, vinegar products, and nuts. Last week, I purchased a Whirlpool Whispure air purifier for the bedroom.

My current allergist or previous regular doctor and not tell me why one side of my nose is stuffed closed in the morning, while the other side is fine. It is not always the same side of the nose. Due to the stuffy nose I don't sleep well and often I am tired in the morning. I try to sleep on my side or back.

Any reasons for this condition or suggestions would be appreciated.

ANSWER:

What you have is enlarged turbinates, the shelves on the side of the nose. It is normal to have one side open at a time, that is the mechanism for turning during the night when you sleep. What you are describing sounds like your membranes are stretched out of shape. If this is the case, it would explain why you don't respond to treatment. Ask your doctor about trying one of the cortisone sprays - Flonase or Rhinocort - but I think the "elasticity" is gone and may require a procedure from the ENT doctor.

Some procedures he may suggest:

• Somnoplasty to the turbinates
• Kenalog injection
• Submucus resection of the turbinates.

Best to you,
Murray Grossan, M.D.

please visit http://www.ent-consult.com; http://www.sinus-relief.com; http://www.TinnitusRelief.net

Editor's note: If you are interested in the Whirlpool Whispure Air purifier you can find it at:

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/whirlpool-whispure-air-purifiers.html

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NEW PRODUCT BRIEFS

We have a new web developer on staff and so we are cracking along with putting in new products. I am very excited both about the quality of her work and the new products we will be putting up on site in the next few months. So keep an eye open on our new products section on site as well as the newsletter. We will soon be opening a gifts section with gifts suggestions before the holiday season.

A. Cottonfresh Organic dust mite mattress and boxspring and duvet covers. We have been promising these to you for a long time. Exclusive to Allergy Buyers Club and shipped from Europe these are the encasings I use on my own bed. They are finer and softer than anything else we carry. These are our best grade of dust mite encasings.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/cotpil.html

B. 100% cotton Long twin dust mite encasings. Specially for "back to school", this hard to find size is now in stock.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/pristine.html

C. Royal-pedic Mattress pads. We recommend that a separate mattress pad as preferable to a pillowtop mattress. Why? Because that way your sheets will continue to fit. We have organic mattress pads too.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/rppillowtoppad.html

D. Royal-Pedic organic mattresses. We have been selling these a while now. They are perfect for Multiple Chemical Sufferers and a very high quality product.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/mattress-bedsets.html

E. Royal-Pedic Latex pillows. You have asked for them, now we have them. My physiotherapist likes them- he also says you should only have one pillow not two of any kind, if you want to avoid back problems. These latex pillows are specially shaped for neck support.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/latex-head-neck-pillows.html

F. Custom Latex mattresses for Yachts, RVs. We can make a mattress for any application. These latex mattresses are great for boats because they resist mold and mildew in addition to being dust mite free. I remember growing up, hating moldy mattresses on my Father's boat. These would have been perfect.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/royal-pedic-boat-yacht-mattresses.html

G. Comfortaire basement dehumidifier. You wanted a reasonably priced basement dehumidifier. Mary Jo looked long and hard to find this one. It works at low temperatures and is very reliable. I have to tell you that we think that this is a much better dehumidifier than the Delonghis with which we have been recently encountering some reliability problems.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/comfort-aire-low-temp-dehumidifiers.html

H. Car air purifier. Another request from members. Personally, I have this sneezing fit which occurs when I get into a car. Very embarrassing when other people are in the car. Are you being overcome with highway fumes lately?It is getting quite disgusting here in Boston This is a neat little air purifier based on Filtrete technology.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/car-air-purifiers.html

If you want a HEPA filter for your car or office cubicle you will need to step up to the Roomaid, our smallest hepa air purifier. It does have a car adaptor available.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/roomaid.html

I. New bedframe styles. My favorite from this line is the Arts and Crafts style. Just simple and timeless.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/pacrimbedsnewcategory.html

J. Adjustible Latex Electric Bed by Royal-Pedic. The ultimate perfect bed in my opinion. Apart from propping oneself in bed for TV watching, if you have ever been told to rest with your legs above your heart, this is the perfect solution. Dual Controls. Unbelievable luxury.

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/royal-pedic-adjustable-electric-beds.html

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READING AND WRITING AND RISK: 2 Million CA Kids Attend School in Portable Classrooms Where Air Quality May Be Harmful to Health

SAN FRANCISCO -- More than 2 million California children attend school in portable classrooms that may be a significant source of exposure to airborne toxins, including formaldehyde and other cancer-causing chemicals, according to a new report by Environmental Working Group.

The report - Reading, Writing and Risk: Air Pollution Inside California's Portable Classrooms , available online at www.ewg.org -- says an estimated 86,500 portable classrooms are in use across the state as a result of class-size reduction mandates. EWG's exhaustive review of scientific literature shows that long-term exposure to airborne chemicals in concentrations that have been measured in California portable classrooms may increase a child's lifetime risk of cancer by two to three times the level deemed acceptable under federal law. Short-term exposure to chemicals or molds commonly found in portables can cause nausea, headaches, diarrhea and other health effects.

The report was released today at the State Capitol in Sacramento and at a school in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley where, earlier this month, a number of students and teachers were made sick after attending class in a portable - the latest in a string of incidents across the state. A toxicologist who examined some of the children from the Saugus Union School District reported that their blood contained elevated levels of formaldehyde and other chemicals often found in manufactured buildings.

Next week, the Assembly is expected to vote on the Healthy Schools Act (AB 1207), a bill by Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley of San Francisco. The bill would direct the state to study air quality in portable classrooms and provide schools with training in how to make sure portables are properly ventilated.

"We should not be sending our children to school in buildings that may make them sick," said Bill Walker, California director of EWG. "Better ventilation will improve the air quality in portable classrooms, but they still emit airborne toxic chemicals that can harm students' and teachers' health. The state should either provide schools with the money they need to build permanent classrooms, or require that the makers of portable classrooms reduce their use of toxic construction materials."

Last year, the state Department of Health Services wrote a report - still unreleased -- that warned of "endemic" air quality problems in portable classrooms. Because the report was completed during the final months of Gov. Pete Wilson's tenure, the state held the report for the incoming administration of Gov. Gray Davis.

According to the EWG report, long-term exposure to formaldehyde or other chemicals at levels measured in the Saugus school district poses two to three times the one-in-one-million increased cancer risk allowed under the U.S. Clean Air Act. Portables are also a favored habitat for molds that can cause nausea, breathing problems, nosebleeds, diarrhea, and in extreme cases, death.

Although formaldehyde and other chemicals are emitted from almost all construction materials, whether in portable or conventional buildings, the report argues that schools are a unique indoor environment. Children are known to be more susceptible to the effects of toxic chemicals, and the tighter construction and ventilation problems of portables may allow the buildup of air contaminants to harmful levels. Schools also typically house four or five times as many occupants per square foot as office buildings.

http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/reportcard/cwatext.html

http://www.oikos.com/news/2001/06.html#Anchor-DOE-40627

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Greenpeace Report Alleges Hidden Dangers in Homes

A new Greenpeace report claims that children are needlessly exposed to hazardous chemicals found in vinyl plastic childcare products and home furnishings. Independent laboratories analyzed items from vinyl mattress pads to vinyl flooring, and found a range of additives, primarily phthalates and organotins, but also lead, cadmium and bisphenol A. The chemicals found in the products have been shown to cause a variety of adverse health effects.

Some phthalates cause liver cancer, kidney damage and reproductive system impairment in animals. Organotins cause reproductive and developmental damage in animals and nervous and respiratory problems in humans. Most chemicals remain untested, meaning parents can't be sure whether these products are harmful to their children.

"We should not gamble with the health of children," said Mary- Elizabeth Harmon, PhD, Greenpeace toxics campaign scientist. "There are cheap, safer alternative products readily available to consumers."

Among other findings in the Greenpeace study:

Several products contained the phthalate, DEHP, a probable human carcinogen according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 1986, the Toy Manufacturers of America and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) agreed upon a voluntary limit of three percent DEHP in teething toys.

The product testing showed that the phthalate DINP continues to be used in children's products at levels up to 33 percent by weight. In 1999, the CPSC requested toy makers voluntarily eliminate DINP in teething toys.

A majority of the products contain a group of metals called organotins. Some of the highest levels of organotins were found in vinyl floor tiles, where small children can spend a lot of time crawling and playing.

Environmental Working Group - 1718 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20009 info@ewg.org

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Regards,
Mercia Tapping,
President

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