Deanna Simon: Better safe than sorry

Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's safe.

Believe it or not, product manufacturers don't have to disclose all of their product's ingredients, even if they're hazardous to human health. Many common bug sprays, for example, contain ingredients that can make us sick.

Common reactions include asthma and allergy attacks, skin or eye irritation,vomiting and skin or eye irritation are some of the immediate possible reactions to exposure.

Research suggests that the same ingredients can also have a negative effect on our hormone systems or cause cancer. As for the ingredients they don't disclose, we all remain in the dark. That's why the City carefully scrutinizes how our staff control pests, using non-toxic methods first and saving least-toxic products as a last resort.

We have lots of ideas and resources for residents who want to follow suit, so call us for free pest control expertise. What else is the City doing to "reduce harm?"

This past June, Mayor Gavin Newsom signed a new city ordinance that requires purchasers and the SF Department of the Environment to do a lot of research before buying things that are potentially harmful. We look at all available options, then choose the least harmful ones that are affordable and get the job done.

What we learn will protect workers and citizens using city facilities, from health clinics to Golden Gate Park. We hope you'll take what we learn to make your own healthier purchasing decisions.

Do your light bulbs have toxic mercury in them? You've probably heard of "eco-bulbs," called compact fluorescents (CFLs). They can last 10 times as long as a regular bulb and uses 75 percent less energy. But they also contain mercury, a toxic heavy metal, which can damage the nervous system of people and other animals. You can get exposed to mercury when mercury thermometers or fluorescent bulbs break. These and other products end up in the trash and eventually make it to local water bodies.

Mercury is a major contaminant of concern in our bay and high levels have been found in tuna and other fish. That's why there are warnings for pregnant women and children to limit their consumption of certain types of fish.

Although companies don't advertise how much mercury is in their bulbs, it turns out there can be quite a range - from 3.5mg up to 60mg in fluorescents and CFLs, and even more in other types. Sixty mg is enough mercury to contaminate almost 1 million gallons of bay water.

Our research showed that high high-quality bulbs are available with lower mercury. So, the City started buying lower lower-mercury, energy-efficient, long-life bulbs. In the process, we learned something you may be interested in: Philips is the low-mercury leader of the three big companies (GE, Sylvania and Philips), and it has the longest lasting bulbs, too. Remember, because these bulbs contain mercury, they need to be disposed of properly.

Visit SFEnvironment.com for drop-off locations. Retail stores throughout San Francisco probably sell one or more of these brands, and you can also order them on-line. The City now purchases digital thermometers because of our legislation that bans mercury thermometers. In addition, we now purchase safer janitorial cleaners, recycled office supplies and rechargeable batteries and we offer a host of fact sheets on how to "green" various parts of your life, including remodeling, cleaning and gardening. We have just begun this process and will be evaluating more products in the future.

What we've found is that many of us often use more toxic products simply because we don't know about safer alternatives. The City aims to change that. We want to serve as a model and resource for anyone wishing to follow in our footsteps. Call us for questions about how to purchase more efficient, less toxic light bulbs or how to choose less toxic materials for home improvements.

Other services offered by the SF Department of the Environment are recycling and disposal of hazardous materials (paint, pesticides, used motor oil, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs), recycling and food composting (do you have a green bin?), public transit incentives (get BART tickets pre-tax), and kid-friendly information from our school program.

Deanna Simon works with SF Environment's toxics reduction program. Her focus is on less toxic pest management and "green" purchasing for SF City operations. Learn more about how SF Environment is protecting and preserving San Francisco's environmental well-being at www.sfenvironment.com, visit the EcoCenter at 11 Grove St., or call (415) 355-3700.