THE GREEN ZONE BLOG by LINDA MASON HUNTER
All about taking care of yourself, your family, and the planet, "The Green Zone" offers short, basic tips to incorporate into your daily life to make Earth a cleaner, more sustainable place.
In the Zone
"The Green Zone" airs four times daily at approximately. 2:50 a.m., 6:50 a.m., 4:50 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. central time. Listen every day for a new tip you can put to good use.
Study finds strong evidence linking cell phone radiation to cancer
June, 2025
A World Health Organization-backed study determined with a high level of certainty that there are links between cell phone radiation and two types of cancer in laboratory animals— malignant nerve tumors in the heart and gliomas (a type of brain cancer). This is a significant development because, as Dr. Devra Davis, founder of the Environmental Health Trust, points out, “Every agent that causes cancer in humans will produce it in laboratory animals when adequately tested.”
Results of the study prompted this swift response from the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields: “Given this high level of certainty, government policymakers worldwide should immediately move to revise their radiation exposure limits to protect public health and the environment.”
In the meantime, it’s wise to take simple precautions to reduce exposure.
· Keep the phone away from your head and body.
· Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body at all times.
· Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak or inside metal vehicles and elevators.
· Use airplane mode and turn antennas off when not in use.
· Children should only use cell phones for emergencies.
· Do not charge a cell phone or sleep with it near your bed.
· Use a corded landline at home.
· Minimize talk time on your cell phone.
· Connect your cell phone to the internet without radiation by using an ethernet cord.
Sources: “WHO-funded study finds RF-EMF exposure increases incidence of cancer,” Environmental Health Trust, May 19, 2025; https://ehtrust.org/who-funded-study-finds-rf-emf-exposure-increases-incidence-of-cancer/
https://ehtrust.org/10-things-you-can-do-to-reduce-the-cancer-risk-from-cell-phones/
Why I’m cooking with olive oil
By Linda Mason Hunter
June, 2025
Seed oils have been much in the news lately, ever since Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the current Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, described them as “poison.” We’re talking about cooking oils that come from vegetable seeds, like corn, canola, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, and grapeseed. Many wellness influencers and restaurant chains say they are transitioning away from seed oils in favor of animal fats, chiefly beef tallow and butter.
Wait, what? Are nutritionists now saying animal fat is good for you? I thought it was associated with high cholesterol, heart disease, and cancer. How can plant-based seed oils be worse?
Some studies link seed oils with body-wide inflammation, which accelerates all kinds of disease. At the end of the day, good health is all about reducing inflammation.
However, much of the concern centers on the fact that, due to their high linoleic acid content, seed oils have an over-abundance of omega-6 fatty acids, whereas a balanced ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 is best for health. There’s already an imbalance in the typical Western diet due to widely available seed oils used in fried fast foods and ultraprocessed foods, which comprise roughly 10% of the U.S. food supply.
So, should you cut out seed oil altogether? The answer depends on what you replace it with. Animal fats, like beef tallow and butter, are high in saturated fat which is bad for cardiovascular health. Best to switch to olive oil or avocado oil which contain omega-3 fatty acids, thus lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia. Extra virgin olive oil has an added bonus: It’s minimally processed, thus retaining beneficial nutrients that get stripped away in the production of most other oils.
After reviewing the pros and cons, I’ve decided extra-virgin olive oil is the healthier choice. That is what I am doing, while also avoiding ultra-processed foods altogether.
Sources: “Replacing butter for some plant oils could significantly lower risk of mortality, new study finds,” by Julianna Bragg, CNN; March 6, 2025. https://www.aol.com/switching-butter-plant-based-oils-210052905.html
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says beef tallow is healthier than seed oils. Is he right?” by Kristen Rogers, CNN; March 26, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/25/health/beef-tallow-healthy-seed-oils-rfk-wellness
Seed oils, “The Checkup with Dr. Wen,” by Leona S. Wen, https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camprw/?trackId=5e80b256ae7e8a594862ffaa&s=8264ecd315a3609b52471a1&utm_campaign=wp_checkup&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&linknum=5&linktot=74
Just a little bit…
December, 2024
It’s just a little bit of chlorine in your water.
It’s just a little bit of heavy metals in your food.
It’s just a little bit of fragrance in your cologne.
It’s just a little bit of benzene in your sunscreen.
It’s just a little bit of aluminum in your deodorant.
It’s just a little bit of PFOAs in your nonstick pans.
It’s just a little bit of phthalates in your plastic storage bags.
It’s just a little bit of methanol in your surface cleaner.
It’s just a little bit of artificial coloring in your toothpaste.
It’s just a little bit of ammonia in your sugar-free sweetener.
It’s just a little bit of propylene glycol in your skincare products.
It’s just a little bit of sodium lauryl sulfate in your shampoo.
It’s just a little bit of glyphosate in your breakfast cereal.
It’s just a little bit of “forever chemicals” in your plastic bottles.
It’s just a little bit of fluoride in your drinking water.
It’s just a little bit of parabens in your moisturizer.
Hmmmm. Let me ask you this: When does “just a little bit” become too much for the body to handle?
Green Zone Tips for November, 2025
As heard on KFMG FM, Des Moines’ award-winning low power radio station; streaming at https://kfmg.org/resources/
One simple thing you can do to avoid microplastics
Microplastics (and much smaller nanoplastics) are much in the news these days, and with good reason. The tiny particles can slough off synthetic clothing and contaminate the air inside your home. They can scrape off food packaging into your takeout food. But as scientists zero in on the sources of these tiny plastic particles, and how they get into our bodies, one factor stands out. Microplastics are released from exposure to heat.
Pour coffee into a plastic foam cup, and pieces of the cup will leach out into the coffee itself. Brew tea, and millions of microplastics will spill from the tea bag into your cup. Wash or dry synthetic clothing on high heat, and the fabric can start to break apart, sending microplastics spinning through the water supply.
These particles are coming from a range of sources—the plastic lid on a to-go cup of coffee, the small bits in plastic wrap covering your food. But add heat to the mix, the rate of micro- and nanoplastic release increases. The effect is even stronger in plastics that are older and degraded. In one study, hot coffee prepared in an 8-year-old home coffee machine with plastic components had twice as many microplastics as coffee prepared in a machine that was only six months old.
Heat makes it easier for plastic to leach out of packaging materials, or from plastic containers heated in the microwave, or even plastic components in the interior of your car, especially when that car is new. What to do? If you must use plastic, keep it away from heat.
Source: “Microplastics are everywhere. You can do one simple thing to avoid them,” by Shannon Osaka; The Washington Post, Oct. 13, 2025.
inspiration from poet Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver is one of my favorite contemporary poets. She instinctively connects with Nature, as do I. Her poems reveal beautiful small moments in nature, giving me insight with a big bang of wonder inside.
Today I’m reading a poem that describes how I feel about the American consumer way of life in 2025. It’s called “Dreamhouse.” I hope you like it.
“Impossible to believe we need so much as the world wants us to buy.
I have more clothes, lamps, dishes, paperclips than I could possibly use before I die.
Oh, I would like to live in an empty grass.
No plants, no plastic, no fiberglass.
And I suppose sometime I will.
Old and cold I will lie apart from all this buying and selling, with only the beautiful earth in my heart.”
Kids are getting smartphones at younger ages than experts recommend
A majority of parents of kids ages 11 to 12 said their child has a smartphone, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. However, many experts recommend holding off on allowing kids to use social media — which having a smartphone enables — until age 16.
Smartphones aren’t the only thing kids are using at a young age. Overall screen time also is an issue, with 85% of parents saying their children watch YouTube, including parents of children younger than age two. While most parents said ensuring their children’s screen time is reasonable is a daily priority for them, 47% of parents of 8- to 12-year-olds said they could do a better job handling their kids’ screen time. Parents don’t seem happy about how things are going, with 80% saying the harms outweigh the benefits their kids get from social media.
The most-cited reason for letting kids have smartphones is so parents can get in contact with them, but there are ways to stay in contact without giving them smartphones. A flip phone may be the answer, one that allows talking and texting but not social media use. That’s important, because social media is where kids can be exposed to incredibly toxic content and adult predators. You can also consider getting kids a watch that allows them to call, text and even track their real-time locations.
Source: “Kids are getting smartphones at much younger ages than many experts recommend. How to handle it,” by Kara Alaimo; CNN online, October 13, 2025.
wash apples before eating them
When it comes to your health, apples are not a forbidden fruit. They’re a source of fiber, vitamin C and antioxidents; they make a quick snack and are kid-friendly. What more could you ask for in a fruit? BUT, if you want to reduce your exposure to pesticides, it helps to understand what residues might be lingering in that shiny red apple.
One chemical widely found on non-organic apples is diphenylamine (dai·feh·nuh·luh·meen) sprayed on apples after they are harvested to prevent the skin from developing brown or black patches. In 1923, (the most recent year for which data are available), diphenylamine was found on 60% of raw non-organic apple samples tested by scientists in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The EPA contends that diphenylamine does not pose a risk to human health, but European regulators beg to differ. In 2012 they did not approve the chemical for use on the grounds that not enough tests to prove safety have been conducted. Diphenylamine is just one synthetic chemical sprayed on apples. Forty-four different residues have been detected, including some in high concentrations.
What’s the concerned consumer to do? When possible, choose organic apples, apple juice, applesauce, and pears. Make sure to wash all produce with water before consuming. Better yet, use a solution of baking soda and water. Peeling apples can also reduce chemical levels, but it can also reduce amounts of fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients.
A little story written by Leonard Cohen and his sweetheart, Marianne in the early 1960s
This reminds me of growing up in the 1950s. Only those who have crossed the threshold of 40 can truly understand this story. The younger ones may at least try…
“Once, there was no such thing as an ‘environmental movement,’
and yet, we lived environmentally without knowing it.
We returned glass bottles of milk, soda, and wine.
We used cloth bags that lasted for years—never plastic, never disposable.
We climbed stairs instead of taking elevators, walked or rode bicycles to go anywhere.
We dried our clothes in the sun, and the only dryer we owned was the wind.
We mended and patched; we wore the same clothes and shoes for years.
We drank water from the tap,
wrote with ink and fountain pens,
shared one radio, one television, one telephone.
We didn’t ‘recycle,’ because we simply didn’t throw much away.
We lived slowly, with respect for things,
with measure, endurance,
and a tangible connection to the soil and the wind.
And if today you accuse us of not being ‘eco-friendly,’
remember—
we lived with Nature,
while you are trying to save her from yourselves.
Green Zone tips for October, 2025
As heard on KFMG FM, Des Moines’ award-winning low power radio station; streaming at https://kfmg.org/resources/
flu season this fall & winter could be more severe than usual. Health experts encourage vaccines.
This just in from the newsroom at Iowa Public Radio: Data from the southern hemisphere suggests that the north may be in for a more-severe-than-usual flu season this winter. Joel Waddell, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, says every year he sees healthy people with no underlying issues grow severely ill from the flu. Young children especially, who have no underlying problems, no previous medical history, can be hospitalized and even die from the flu, he says.
Waddell recommends everyone who is six months of age and older, and able, to get the flu shot. He recommends getting it no earlier than September but no later than October.
State data shows just 36% of Iowans were vaccinated against the flu last season. So even if you’re vaccinated, be prepared to mask up when in a crowded room to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy and flu-free.
Source: Iowa Public Radio, by Natalie Krebs, September 2, 2025 at 12:54 pm CDT
The peace of wild things
We live in dangerous times. Tension in the air is contagious. Some days it’s almost impossible to stay centered and find joy. When you come close to despair, it’s important to see out the wilderness in nature. It is a true healer. In British Columbia it’s even common for physicians to write prescriptions for spending time in nature, the wilder, the better.
Coping with the tension in the air these days takes all the mindfulness and self care I can muster. When I feel overwhelmed, I turn to the poem “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Barry. It is balm for my soul.
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
This week, may you find time to rest in the peace of wild things.
The term “Natural Flavors” may include “mystery” ingredients
I know. It surprised me, too. I knew the word “natural” did not have a legal definition, but I did fall for the con that the phrase “natural flavors” would be derived from actual plants grown in the earth, not manufactured by chemists in a laboratory. I was wrong. Here’s the skinny:
The term “Natural flavors” on a label sounds reassuring, but the term is only loosely regulated. So, these “flavors” can derive from harmful synthetic chemicals flavor manufacturers aren't required to disclose.
Pumpkin spice is a good example. As soon as temperatures fall, we see everything from pumpkin spice lattes to muffins, cheeses, and ice cream. But, the original, plant-based flavor i is a simple mix of spices that reminds us of pumpkin pie--cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger. Some pumpkin spice products, especially lattes, may also contain carrageenan, a stabilizer made from seaweed extract that has been linked to gastrointestinal inflammation. They may also contain propylene glycol, a preservative that in high doses causes low blood pressure.
Drinking a pumpkin spice latte every now and then probably won’t hurt you, but it’s best to limit the amount of synthetic chemicals you take into your body as much as you can. In the name of good health, it’s buyer beware in the marketplace today.
Drinking a pumpkin spice latte every now and then probably won’t hurt you, but it’s best to limit the amount of synthetic chemicals you take into your body as much as you can. In the name of good health, it’s buyer beware in the marketplace today.
The danger in some gluten-free foods
Cassava—also known as yuca or manioc—is a root vegetable often used as a key ingredient in gluten-free foods. But many cassava-based products on store shelves, from chips and crackers to bread and pasta, could contain elevated levels of lead, posing serious health concerns for consumers.
Consumer Reports magazine tested 27 foods and ingredients that use cassava. Their findings were startling: Over two-thirds contained lead levels that exceeded California’s safety threshold by significant margins. Some products had more than 20 times the allowed amount.
Although an occasional serving of those foods might not impact your health, eating them regularly can lead to chronic lead exposure. That can interfere with brain and nervous system development in children, and can lead to immune system suppression, reproductive issues, kidney damage and hypertension in adults.
Why is there so much lead in cassava products? Root vegetables like cassava can absorb naturally occurring lead from the earth’s crust, as well as any that has leached into the soil from industrial pollution of past use of lead-based pesticides. Processing cassava can worsen the problem: When the whole, peeled root is dried and ground into flour, any lead already present may become concentrated.
Source: “The Danger in Some gluten-Free Foods,” Consumer Reports, September-October 2025, page 14.
The clue to unlocking the cause of Parkinsons disease
As industry has boomed and agricultural and industrial toxins have proliferated in the postwar period, so has something else: Parkinson’s disease.
Some 90,000 cases of Parkinson’s are now diagnosed each year in the United States, about one every six minutes on average. It is the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease, causing tremors, stiffness and balance problems. It is also the 13th-leading cause of death in the United States.
According to Parkinsons’ experts, there is growing evidence linking the disease to a range of human-made pesticides, chemicals in our food, substances used in dry cleaning, industrial solvents in our water and pollution in our air. These chemicals are all around us, and none are necessary. Golf courses are a major source of pesticide exposure. One expert even recommends not living within a mile of a golf course.
Nevertheless, the Environmental Protection Agency continues to allow these chemicals to be used in the United States, even as dozens of other countries have banned them. Europe bans substances it harbors doubts about, while the United States tends to allow substances unless there is solid evidence of harm. That may have something to do with the millions of dollars companies spend lobbying and donating to political candidates.
Source: “The Clue to Unlocking Parkinson’s May Be All Around Us,” by Nicholas Kristof; The New York Times, Opinion column, Sept. 8, 2025.
Green Zone tips for September, 2025
As heard on KFMG FM, Des Moines’ award-winning low power radio station; streaming at https://kfmg.org/resources/
Potato samples contain pesticide not approved for use in EU
Potatoes – the most consumed vegetable in the U.S. – contain high concentrations of chlorpropham, a plant growth regulator banned in the European Union due to health concerns. For this reason, the Environmental Working Group has put potatoes in 12th place on this year’s Dirty Dozen list.
From 2022 to 2023 the Department of Agriculture collected and tested more than 1,000 samples of potatoes and discovered that 90% of the samples contained residues of chlorpropham at twice the level of concentrations the EPA tested in 2017. Since 1990, chlorpropham has mostly been used on potatoes in the U.S. to prevent them from sprouting during storage. Organic potatoes do not allow the use of chlorpropham, and it’s not sprayed on sweet potatoes.
In animal studies, both U.S. and European regulators identified changes in blood cells, harm to the thyroid, and hormone-disruption as the primary toxicological effects associated with exposure to the pesticide, especially when potatoes are fried. Children are most at risk.
If you’d like to reduce pesticide exposure, make sure to wash all produce with water before consuming. Peeling potatoes can also reduce chlorpropham levels, but may also reduce the nutritional value. This is LMH…
Source: ewg.org.
Bad News for Mother Earth
On April 28th, the Trump administration dismissed the hundreds of scientists and experts who had been compiling the federal government’s flagship report on how global warming is affecting the country. The action puts the future of the report in doubt.
Every few years since 2000, the federal government publishes a comprehensive look at how rising temperatures will affect human health. Scientists, researchers, and experts, many working as volunteers, scrutinize many aspects of the U.S. economy--agriculture, fisheries, water supplies, transportation, energy production. The result is a comprehensive, fact-checked report relied upon by state and local governments as well as private sectors like water utilities and schools, to help prepare for the effects of heat waves, floods, droughts, wildfires, and other calamities of climate change. The last climate assessment came out in 2023.
On Monday, April 28th, 2025 researchers around the country who had begun work on the sixth national climate assessment, planned for early 2028, received an email informing them that the scope of the report “is currently being re-evaluated” and that all contributors were being dismissed.
Looks like we can’t rely on that information any more. We must look elsewhere for the reliable, factual information we need to prepare and cope with the increasing calamities of climate change which is affecting us all.
Source: “All authors working on the flagship U.S. Climate Report have been dismissed,” by Brad Plumer and Rebecca Dzombak, The New York Times, April 28, 2025.
Your protein bar may not be as healthy as you think
Protein bars might not immediately come to mind when you think of unhealthy foods, but some aren’t as beneficial as they seem. Many bars sold today contain large amounts of ultra-processed ingredients, artificial sweeteners, and added sugars.
A hearty alternative to granola bars, protein bars have ballooned into a $4.5 billion dollar industry with some analysts predicting the market will grow to $7 billion by 2030. Options at the protein bar aisle at the grocery store keep growing, with flavors like Birthday Cake, Maple glazed Donut, and Strawberry Crème.
But don’t be fooled by the flashy packaging and high protein count; some protein bars masquerade as “healthy,” despite containing the calories of a candy bar.
Although people often eat protein bars after a workout or as a meal replacement, those that are heavily processed or contain artificial sweetener do not supply the nutrients your body needs to get from a meal or to recover from exercising.
This tip brought to you by the Environmental Working Group’s “Guide to Food Additives.” Get yours at https://www.ewg.org/search?fullsearch=Guide+to+Food+Additives
Scientists unify around a name for the medical condition linked to EMF exposures
Many names have been suggested for the well-documented condition linked to exposures to electromagnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation emitted by modern wireless technologies. Until recently the condition was known by multiple names—Radiation Sickness, Microwave Syndrome, Electrohypersensitivity, Havana Syndrome, and others. Now scientists and medical professionals have unified around a formal name: Electromagnetic Radiation Syndrome, known commonly as EMR Syndrome, or EMR-S for short.
Frequently referred to as the “Disease of the Digital Age,” EMR Syndrome is characterized by a wide range of symptoms linked to electromagnetic radiation emitted by modern technologies such as cell towers, smart meters, Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, and smart technologies. Symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, heart palpitations, tinnitus, sleep disturbances, ADHD, and other cognitive impairments.
Giving this condition a formal name paves the way for new treatments, greater social understanding, and improved quality of life for millions worldwide. It’s a condition we all should be paying more attention to.
Source: The Environmental Health Trust newsletter, https://ehtrust.org.
to lose weight, stay away from ultra-processed foods
A recent study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, found that people consumed more calories and had more cravings when they ate ultraprocessed foods. This isn’t surprising considering the quantities of sugar, salt, and fat in ultraprocessed food, plus the fact they are typically low in fiber, and that cravings make you eat more than you usually would. That certainly is my experience. I don’t know anyone who can eat just one or two Cheetos, for example. I’ve been known to end up eating the whole bag.
Ultraprocessed foods are defined as those which undergo extensive industrial processing and contain additives--like artificial flavorings, emulsifiers, and dyes--synthetic chemicals never or rarely used in kitchens. Meals cooked at home from whole foods—like fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, and eggs--are considered “minimally processed.”
In this recent study, the largest and longest clinical trial of its kind, participants lost twice as much weight when they followed diets made up of minimally processed foods--like pasta, chicken, fruits and vegetables--as they did when their diets were composed of ultraprocessed foods that met nutrition standards--such as ready-to-heat frozen meals, breakfast cereals, protein bars and shakes. Bottom line, if you want to attain a healthy weight, stay away from ultraprocessed food.
Sources: (1) “Avoiding Ultraprocessed Foods Might Double Weight Loss,” by Alice Callahan, The New York Times; August 4, 2025. (2) “Eating minimally processed meals doubles weight loss even when ultraprocessed foods are healthy, study finds,” by Sandee LaMotte, CNN; August 4, 2025.
