Barry was an experienced home inspector recommended by my real estate agent.
“He’s the best in the business. Extremely thorough!”
Never a good idea, I know, but once the purchase agreement was signed, the home inspections needed to be done quickly. For me, finding references for an inspector in the allotted time frame seemed like a burden. So, I took a chance and listened to the advice of my realtor. Barry was the owner of his company and had been in business for over 35 years! Read More
The corn all looked the same as if it had been cloned. The ears were same size, same girth, and same color. Even the tassels were the same length. So I casually asked the roadside attendant, “Is this GMO corn?” Read More
I don’t often get to discuss gynecomastia — more commonly known as “man boobs” with a stranger.
After an arduous workout, I entered the small, hot, wood paneled room which was more crowded than usual. It was one of the only times I had been in the sauna without hearing the whining of music coming through earbuds. Guys were actually conversing with each other. Read More
A magnetic laundry system, the EcoWasher, or Tide pods? Doing the laundry isn’t a task I particularly enjoy. It is one of those time consuming chores I continually struggle with to fit into my schedule. And now that my kids are teenagers, the laundry needs to be done 4 or 5 times a week. My interest in the technology behind washing textiles however picked up recently after I was introduced to two methods of laundering clothes without detergent, the magnetic laundry system and the EcoWasher. Read More
I am very concerned about 3 chemicals many of us have in our homes that have been proven to be extremely toxic. Since Scott Pruitt and the EPA recently placed a “hold” on banning these chemicals, we must be cautious and extra vigilant to protect ourselves and our loved ones from these poisons. Read More
I’ve learned to enjoy imperfect fruit.
Flawless pieces of fruit look perfect because they have been sprayed with chemicals like fungicides and insecticides to kill off anything that might be tempted to grow or feed on their surface. Although there aren’t any bugs on the perfect looking fruit, there is a layer of chemicals, neatly sealed in place by wax, a sealant derived from petroleum. Read More
Ascending the stairs, I was struck by a sense of nostalgia but also an increasing uneasiness. Was it because it had been years since we had last visited? Our welcome was lukewarm. We entered the guest suite and plopped our bags down. My step mother had tossed a pile of towels on the floor for use during our brief stay. I felt anxious. Read More
Walk through any gym, and you’re likely to see people on the treadmill or working out, listening to music through a set of ear buds — and perhaps suffering ear damage from loud noise. Most people don’t realize it, but the combination of exercise and loud music can cause you to slowly go deaf. Read More
Are air fresheners toxic? This is an important question — and the short answer is, they can be. Read More
The schooner trip had been marked not by the excitement of seeing dolphins, but by the understanding that the ocean really has been contaminated.
Educating members of the next generation to limit their consumption of fish is a sorrowful task, but one that I, as a father of two, have felt obligated to pursue.
Why sorrowful? Because after explaining that there is toxic mercury in fish, I have had to answer questions such as “Why?” This has led to further explanations that this pollutant is the direct result of the ever increasing demand for energy by humans. Our ingenuity and technology has poisoned the ocean. For our children, it’s just one more hazard they need to grow up in and face in the everchanging environment.
My kids know that mercury is bad for the body, but they don’t really understand why. Telling them that mercury can cause disorders of the nervous system is too abstract. So, I’ve just told them that eating fish with too much mercury can damage the brain, particularly those of children and in the unborn, who’s mothers eat too much fish. They have known for many years that the ocean’s fish are laden with mercury. For others though, the presence of mercury in fish is unacceptable. This became clear to us on an annual beach vacation.
We had just finished dinner at a beach front seafood restaurant and were waiting to take a sunset cruise amidst the dolphins off the Maryland coast. A local fisherman sat on the dock bench next to his wheel barrow, decapitating his catch. My children both stared in horror as the head of the beautiful fish dropped into the white 5 gallon bucket. The whitish pink flesh was exposed in the fisherman’s arms. Keeping my distance, I sensed my children’s excitement at their perceived independence. That’s when the #$%$ hit the fan.
“Ewww!!! I can see the mercury!”
My 8 year old son stared at the 3 foot long fish, feeling completely comfortable with his proclamation.
The fisherman shouted, “There’s no mercury in this fish!!”
My son just stared at him, frightened and confused.
The fisherman’s rant continued, “That’s the problem with this country, you environmentalists. You teach your children… blah, blah, blah.” The rest of his words faded into nothingness.
I walked over and carefully extricated my children from the hostile encounter.
At the de-briefing, I clarified that they were correct in knowing that there was mercury in that fish. But, they weren’t able to see it. People my age grew up with mercury thermometers and barometers. As my children have never actually seen mercury, perhaps my son thought the glistening cartilage within the fish’s frame was the toxic element. Who knows.
Mercury content is the main reason why we only eat a few, certain types of fish. We strive to eat varieties reported to have the lower mercury concentrations, such as salmon, tilapia, cod, and seafood. Although in the distant past, we used to enjoy family meals of sushi on Friday nights, my children are now limited to one 4 oz serving of fish a week.
Although the EPA set up guidelines to provide suggested maximum fish intake per week many years ago, it seems that most people still know nothing about these limits. Fish varieties that may contain the highest levels of mercury, among them swordfish and ahi tuna, are still sold in exclusive restaurants and expensive markets. Let’s be real. It’s not not like you are going to get a swordfish with less mercury if you pay more money for it.
The www.nrdc.org website has an excellent list of fish types and rates each variety by level of mercury concentration. Check it out before your next fish meal.
