View allAll Photos Tagged nontoxic
Wenn einer einen blütenreichen Frühling und einen satten Herbst erlebt, so muss er sich doch eingestehen, dass es schön ist, Mensch zu sein.
If one experiences a flowering spring and a rich fall, then he must admit that it is nice to be human.
(Kumagai Naoyoshi, 1782-1862)
"Sycamore seed balls, when washed and dried, make a versatile all-natural craft material. Dye the seed balls with food coloring or nontoxic tempera paint and hang them from ribbons to make holiday ornaments. To make a holiday wreath, twist a chenille stem into a ring and use quick-dry tacky glue to attach sycamore balls around the circle. Hang the wreath from a ribbon when it is dry."
what to do with sycamore tree seed pods homeguides.sfgate.com
Die Abwässer aus dem Braunkohle Tagebau haben den Kanal orange bis rot gefärbt.
Wie bei jedem Ereignis besteht zu keiner Zeit eine Gefahr für die Bevölkerung.
Es gibt aber eine kleine Ausnahme. Bitte waschen sie vorübergehend keine weiße Wäsche. Vielen Dank.
The sewage from the lignite opencast mine colored the canal orange to red.
As with any event, there is no danger to the population at any time.
But there is one small exception. Please do not wash white laundry temporarily. Many Thanks.
Nach 2 km unterirdischem Verlauf unterhalten von Köln Worringen fließt das Wasser des Kölner Randkanals in den alten Worringer Hafen und weiter in den Rhein.
Der Kölner Randkanal wurde in den Jahren 1954 bis 1957 von den Vorgängerfirmen der RWE-Power AG unter Beteiligung des ehemaligen Landkreises Köln geplant und gebaut. Neben der Abführung der Sümpfungswässer (Grundwasser) aus den Tagebaugebieten der RWE Power AG dient der Kanal bis heute der Entwässerung großer Teile des westlichen / nordwestlichen Kölner Umlandes und des Rhein-Erftkreises.
After a 2 km underground course maintained by Cologne Worringen, the water of the Cologne Rand Canal flows into the old Worringer port and further into the Rhine.
The Cologne Rand Canal was planned and built between 1954 and 1957 by the predecessor companies of RWE-Power AG with the participation of the former Cologne district. In addition to the drainage of swamp water (groundwater) from the opencast mining areas of RWE Power AG, the canal is still used to drain large parts of the western / north-western Cologne area and the Rhine-Erftkreis.
An ecology public art project in Breckenridge, Colorado. The trunks are painted with a nontoxic water-based blue paint. Exquisite colors.
Others from this trip are in the Album www.flickr.com/photos/thadz/albums/72157660032324601
Da ist das Fernwärmewasser erst seit ein paar Wochen eingefärbt, damit Leckagen schnell gefunden werden, schon geschieht ein Rohrbruch bei einer Fernwärmeleitung und bereitet uns dieses leuchtend grüne und dampfende Spektakel. Für den Moment ists also für mich "der grüne Kiel" und nicht "der kleine Kiel".
Die Daumen sind natürlich gedrückt, dass die noch wärmelosen Haushalte es ganz bald wieder kuschelig haben.
Nach 2 km unterirdischem Verlauf unterhalten von Köln Worringen fließt das Wasser des Kölner Randkanals in den alten Worringer Hafen und weiter in den Rhein.
Der Kölner Randkanal wurde in den Jahren 1954 bis 1957 von den Vorgängerfirmen der RWE-Power AG unter Beteiligung des ehemaligen Landkreises Köln geplant und gebaut. Neben der Abführung der Sümpfungswässer (Grundwasser) aus den Tagebaugebieten der RWE Power AG dient der Kanal bis heute der Entwässerung großer Teile des westlichen / nordwestlichen Kölner Umlandes und des Rhein-Erftkreises.
After a 2 km underground course maintained by Cologne Worringen, the water of the Cologne Rand Canal flows into the old Worringer port and further into the Rhine.
The Cologne Rand Canal was planned and built between 1954 and 1957 by the predecessor companies of RWE-Power AG with the participation of the former Cologne district. In addition to the drainage of swamp water (groundwater) from the opencast mining areas of RWE Power AG, the canal is still used to drain large parts of the western / north-western Cologne area and the Rhine-Erftkreis.
Desmognathus imitator from Sevier County, Tennessee. At first glance, this image looks quite similar to the Plethodon jordani I posted yesterday. Not only for the setting, but for the general appearance of the subject. P. jordani is generally unpalatable to predators. D. imitator, on the other hand is nontoxic and could be on the menu. As its name implies, D. imitator is a mimic of P. jordani, and therefor may benefit from this latter's foul taste and be avoided by predators.
Sometimes my love pours straight out of my eyes
And rolls down the sides of my cheeks -Becky Hemsley
Digital image ; a Meyer-Optik 80mm Diaplan adapted to Fuji X.
Please do not place advertising, images or comment code on my Flickr pages. It disturbs other users while reading.
photo: MPP 4x5+ boyer 90mm+ fp4+ instant mytol 1+1
print: this is a chiba leimdruck print on HPR paper. this is a pigmented print in 3 layers made with two process idea the first is chiba system using ammonium ferric citrate as polymerizer/hardener and the leimdruck process made by heinrich Kühn, using animal glue as colloid.
Cascade du herisson, doubs FR
for more information, ask
Aluminum Plant pilea is an evergreen perennial, growing up to 60 cm (24 in) tall and featuring dark-green, oval leaves with silvery patches (hence the name "aluminium plant").
The species is endemic to the southern Chinese provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan, as well as Vietnam.
With a minimum temperature of 15 °C (59 °F), it is cultivated as a houseplant in temperate regions due to its decorative leaves and easy vegetative propagation through cuttings. This plant is nontoxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and so is safe to have around pets.
"Japanese beautyberry is a moderate-sized, rounded, deciduous shrub in the Lamiaceae (mint) family. Japanese beautyberry is a native of China and East Asia. It was introduced to western cultivation in 1845"
"The berries are nontoxic to animals as well as humans. They are also on the menu of more than 40 species of songbirds. Despite being edible, beautyberries aren't very palatable when eaten raw because they tend to be bitter. However, they can be cooked and sweetened to make jellies or sauces
The card is the standard size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") and is made with 100% sheep wool. The letter and background are both needlefelted with a single barbed needle onto a white wool base.
This card (and the alphabet series) came about because both of my daughters are learning their alphabet and starting to read and write. Both are hands-on, visual learners.
I use a rather eclectic approach for homeschooling, and like aspects of both the Waldorf and Montessori philosophies.
This combines the Waldorf aspect in that the item is made from all-natural, beautiful materials.
It is a modification of the Montessori aspect in that rather than working with wooden shapes of letters as a child learns her/his alphabet, reads, and spells, the child works with the image in wool.
For families/teachers/home educators, please see my profile for more information.
For those who enjoy trading ATCs, if you are interested in trading one of your cards for this needlefelted one, please comment below or email me.
The card is the standard size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") and is made with 100% sheep wool. The letter and background are both needlefelted with a single barbed needle onto a white wool base.
This card (and the alphabet series) came about because both of my daughters are learning their alphabet and starting to read and write. Both are hands-on, visual learners.
I use a rather eclectic approach for homeschooling, and like aspects of both the Waldorf and Montessori philosophies.
This combines the Waldorf aspect in that the item is made from all-natural, beautiful materials.
It is a modification of the Montessori aspect in that rather than working with wooden shapes of letters as a child learns her/his alphabet, reads, and spells, the child works with the image in wool.
For families/teachers/home educators, please see my profile for more information.
For those who enjoy trading ATCs, if you are interested in trading one of your cards for this needlefelted one, please comment below or email me.
The card is the standard size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") and is made with 100% sheep wool. The letter and background are both needlefelted with a single barbed needle onto a white wool base.
This card (and the alphabet series) came about because both of my daughters are learning their alphabet and starting to read and write. Both are hands-on, visual learners.
I use a rather eclectic approach for homeschooling, and like aspects of both the Waldorf and Montessori philosophies.
This combines the Waldorf aspect in that the item is made from all-natural, beautiful materials.
It is a modification of the Montessori aspect in that rather than working with wooden shapes of letters as a child learns her/his alphabet, reads, and spells, the child works with the image in wool.
For families/teachers/home educators, please see my profile for more information.
For those who enjoy trading ATCs, if you are interested in trading one of your cards for this needlefelted one, please comment below or email me.
The movie depicts DEIR-V cells (normal human fibroblasts Detroit 551 transduced with E1A, HRAS and VSV-G) that were treated with PBS pH 6.0 for 1 minute and then filmed for the subsequent ~25 minutes by phase contrast microscopy. Each frame of the movie is 23 seconds, the replay is 7 frames per second. The timer shows HRS:MIN:SEC.msec elapsed from the beginning of the movie. The green arrows indicate the cells that fused to produce binuclear heterokaryons. Some frames from this movie are shown in Fig. 1C.
According to an article written in the "Reporter," a Southwest Regional Publication, in 2022, the tradition began about a decade ago, when the Irish operations manager of Lake Katherine worked there. He thought that it would be a fun-filled family event to use biodegradable dye to turn the manmade waterfall green on St. Patrick's Day. There are two times, one early in the morning and one at noon, so that families can fit the event into their schedule.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was not held.
(crown flower) is a species of Calotropis native to Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, and tropical Africa.
Calotropis is a poisonous plant. The active principles are uscharin, calotoxin, calactin, and calotropin.[citation needed] The leaves and stem when incised yield thick milky juice. It is used as an arrow poison, cattle poison , rarely for suicide and homicide and mostly an accidental poison.
The milky latex sap of Calotropis gigantea is a known cause of toxic keratoconjunctivitis and reversible vision loss. Crownflower keratitis is a rare condition and is usually the result of accidental ocular exposure to the sap. During the process of making a Hawaiian lei flower necklace, touching the sap and then touching the ocular surface may result in crownflower keratitis. Damage (poisoning) of the cornea endothelium results in corneal stromal edema and decreased visual acuity. Although there is some permanent damage to the corneal endothelium with decreased endothelial cell count and irregular shape, the remaining corneal endothelial cells usually recover with complete resolution of the corneal edema and a return to normal visual acuity. The condition is usually self-limited and resolves faster with topical steroids. The clinical course of this condition suggests that Calotropis is paradoxically relatively nontoxic to corneal epithelium and highly toxic to corneal endothelium. The painless clinical course may be related to anesthetic properties of Calotropis latex and relatively minor epithelial injury.
Every year this man-made waterfall and the lake below it are "turned" green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. *Non-toxic to the fauna in the lake.
photo: MPP 4x5+ boyer 90mm+ fp4+ agfa ansco 40 dev
print: this is a chiba leimdruck print on HPR paper. this is a pigmented print in 3 layers made with two process idea the first is chiba system using ammonium ferric citrate as polymerizer/hardener and the leimdruck process made by heinrich Kühn, using animal glue as colloid.
for more information, ask
hbw
This is the only passion vine to create fruit. the seeds are like pomegranates with a sweet pulp around them. the flower petals would be considered edible and the rest of the plant is nontoxic.
Filip Martens (left) and Jos Pastijn (right) demonstrating page layout in metal at MIAT Ghent. Jos Pastijn is teaching at the Ghent Academy of Plastic Arts and is currently helping the museum to implement non-toxic printing techniques.
Brown Birch Bolete / leccinum scabrum. Derbyshire. 31/10/116.
* (Posted 31/08/17)
I have sat on the fence over this image for exactly 10 months now because I couldn't decide what species of bolete fungus it was!
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
This week I visited the same location to photograph more fungi, which included Brown Birch Bolete. Whilst reading up on it later and looking at images of its different stages, I finally reached the conclusion that this too is probably BBB, but an immature one. Standing just 5cms tall, this fresh little beauty had a deep brown, velvety cap that was hemispherical. Its 'woolly' whitish stem had evidence of darker scales which unfortunately don't show that clearly in my picture. I found it growing between roots of a Silver Birch, close to the trunk base.
However, nothing is ever straight forward in the fascinating world of fungi. It seems there is one other bolete sp. that this could potentially be - leccinum cyaneobasileucum.
I welcome any opinions.
This one is at Handmaker. There is one in my Alhambra garden too.
__________________________________________
Tecoma stans
Species of tree
"Yellow trumpet flower" redirects here. For Yellow trumpet, see Costus spectabilis. For Yellow trumpets, see Sarracenia alata.
Tecoma stans is a species of flowering perennial shrub in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae, that is native to the Americas. Common names include yellow trumpetbush,[3] yellow bells,[3] yellow elder,[3] ginger Thomas.[4] Tecoma stans is the official flower of the United States Virgin Islands and the floral emblem of The Bahamas.
Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Description
Tecoma stans is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, growing up to 10 m (30 ft) tall.[1] It features opposite odd-pinnate green leaves, with 3 to 13 serrate, 8- to 10-cm-long leaflets. The leaflets, glabrous on both sides, have a lanceolate blade 2–10 cm long and 1–4 cm wide, with a long acuminate apex and a wedge-shaped base.
The large, showy, golden yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are in clusters at the ends of branches. The corolla of the flower is bell- to funnel-shaped, five-lobed (weakly two-lipped), often reddish-veined in the throat and is 3.5 to 8.5 cm long. Flowering takes place from spring to fall, but more profusely from spring to summer.[5][6]
The fruits, narrow capsules, arise from two carpels and are up to 25 cm long. A fruit contains many yellow seeds with membranopus wings; when the fruit opens upon ripening, these seed are spread by the wind (anemochory). The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.[7] Apart from sexually by seed, Tecoma stans can also be reproduced asexually by stem cuttings.
Habitat
Tecoma stans is native to the Americas. It extends from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Antilles to northern Venezuela, and through the Andes mountain range to northern Argentina. It was introduced in southern Africa, India, and Hawaii. It is evergreen in moist and warmer regions, but is deciduous in more temperate regions that have a pronounced dry season.[8]
Yellow trumpetbush is a ruderal species, readily colonizing disturbed, rocky, sandy, and cleared land and occasionally becoming an invasive weed. It thrives in a wide variety of ecosystems, from high altitude temperate forests and tropical deciduous and evergreen forests, to xerophilous scrub and the intertropical littoral. It quickly colonizes disturbed, rocky, sandy, and cleared fields. The species prefers dry and sunny regions of the coast.
Cultivation
Flowers
Tecoma stans is drought-tolerant and grows well in warm climates. It is cultivated as an ornamental. They are grown in many parts of the world for their beautiful flowering, to adorn streets and gardens. It can be easily propagated by stem cuttings.
Uses
The wood of Tecoma stans is used in rustic architecture like bahareque, for the construction of furniture and canoes, or as firewood or charcoal. It is a medicinal plant used against diabetes and against diseases of the digestive system, among other uses. The plant is desirable fodder when it grows in fields grazed by livestock.
It is a very potent anti-venom against cobra venom, used by Pakistani old medicine. It is proved to be better than antiserum, the paste of this plant's leaves are applied topically on the cobra bite. Its bio-chemicals bind with the cobra venom enzymes thus effectively inhibiting the venom.[9]
Honey production
Main article: Bees and toxic chemicals
Tecoma stans is unique in that although it is nontoxic itself, the honey from its flowers is poisonous nonetheless.[10][11]
Invasiveness
Tecoma stans has invasive potential and occasionally becomes a weed. The species is considered invasive in Africa (especially South Africa), South America, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. It now presents a significant danger for biodiversity. It competes with local species and can form thick, almost monospecific thickets.
I put a birthday candle into a pack of crayons, in place of the red crayon. The fire first melted adjacent crayons and then set them ablaze.
Nikon D800 & Sigma ART 50mm f/1.4 @ f/5
And this would be the scene the artist was capturing.
About La Jolla Cove Sea Lions:
Courtesy of Mother Nature Network's Matt Hickman:
03 Jan 2014:
First neighbor-irking demolition projects and now the “foul, noxious, and sickening” stench of sea lion poop wafting in from the cove …
The blows truly seem to keep on coming for residents living in the sleepy seaside enclave of La Jolla, Calif. where plutocrat/prolific granddad Mitt Romney has already disrupted the peace by razing his modestly proportioned beach house with plans to erect a hulking mansion, complete with the largest basement known to mankind, in its place. On top of that, beleaguered La Jolla residents are struggling with an odor so pungent, so persistent that even celebrated boxing champ Floyd Mayweather has hightailed it out of there and fled for less rank grounds.
A collective of concerned La Jolla business owners calling itself Citizens for Odor Nuisance Abatement recently sued the city of San Diego in hopes that authorities will take action and do something about the source of the offending odor: a cluster of rocks in La Jolla Cove that are used by sea lions, cormorants, and other forms of marine life as a communal latrine.
Several years ago, city officials approved the construction of a white wooden fence geared to prevent people from getting too close to the sea lions, which, if you think about it, makes total sense as the blubbery beasts are federally protected from being harassed. But as the lawsuit alleges, because the fence prohibits people from accessing the rocks where they could potentially harm the animals or themselves, the birds and sea lions see absolutely no reason to move further out into the cove to take care of business. And without human interruption, the rocks have become the site of a big old poop party.
The lawsuit also notes that the omnipresent stench is particularly horrific due to the sea lions’ anchovy-rich diet — it "makes the smell much worse than it might otherwise be."
Due to the olfactory terror that’s gripped the area, the owners of a handful of upscale restaurants and hotels situated above La Jolla Cove have complained of lost business. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, La Valencia Hotel lost $5,000 in one day’s rooms revenue when Mayweather and his entourage checked into — and quickly checked out of 15 minutes later — two villas and six guest rooms because of the smell.
The city of San Diego has responded to similar odor complaints in the past including funding a $50,000 clean-up operation in early 2013 to rid the cliffs above La Jolla Cove of decades of accumulated bird poop. But as those living and working near the cove will probably tell you, the period of relief following the cleaning was short-lived and in recent months the displeasing aroma has returned worse than ever due in part to a surge in the sea lion population.
It's believed that taking down the fence and permitting people — people donning gas masks, no doubt — to access the bluffs again will once again bring relief, this time more long-lasting.
Just days prior to the lawsuit being filed, city officials actually did decide to install a gate in the offending fence that would allow people to access the bluffs and, in turn, keep defecating animals at more of a remove. Explains Alex Roth, spokesman for Acting Mayor Todd Gloria: "You can't put yourself in danger or actively harass the wildlife, but you can go down to the cliffs. We hope this will alleviate the problem."
Bryan Pease, a pro bono attorney representing Citizens for Odor Nuisance Abatement, thinks that the addition of the gate, which, again, was apparently not in response to the aforementioned lawsuit filed by his client, is a fine start in rectifying the “potential health hazard and serious public nuisance” — but not enough to do the trick. “I don't think this one small gate will be enough. There is another long, flat rock area that is still inaccessible and contributing to the odor,” he explains to the L.A. Times.
Courtesy San Diego Union-Tribune:
08 Jan 2015:
Residents exasperated with sea lions' stench in La Jolla Cove want to hire an animal behavior expert to train the creatures to stay away.
They propose hiring Precision Behavior, an Orlando-Florida based company that advises zoos and marine parks on animal behavior. Its consultants include former SeaWorld executive David Butcher.
La Jolla community members hope the company’s techniques could discourage sea lions from relieving themselves on the bluffs.
“It’s basically just an attempt to alter their behavior patterns,” said Norm Blumenthal, an attorney representing local residents and business owners. “It’s very reasonable.”
Dan Daneri, a recreation district manger with the San Diego Park & Recreation District, said the city met with La Jolla community members on Wednesday. Daneri and other city officials including Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilwoman Sherri Lightner, who represents La Jolla, did not say what action they are considering. It’s unclear whether the city would pay for the animal training service.
The picturesque cove has been in the headlines for several years, since pungent animal waste from birds and sea lions began driving away tourists and shoppers. A loose coalition of merchants and residents has complained that the stench could also be a public-health hazard.
In June of 2013, the city hired a contractor to apply a nontoxic bacterial solution that dissolved accumulated bird droppings from the cliffs, but the smell of sea lion poop persisted. In December of that year, a business group called Citizens for Odor Nuisance Abatement filed suit against the city in San Diego Superior Court, demanding that the officials eradicate the smell.
The following month, the city opened a gate to the bluff to allow public access, in response to suggestions that increased foot traffic in the area would safely ward away the sea lions. The smell has persisted, however, as the marine mammals continue to congregate there.
Blumenthal said a trial date is set for May 1, but City Attorney Jan Goldsmith plans to file a motion for summary judgment later this month, asking the judge to dismiss the suit, said spokesman Gerry Braun.
The group that brought the lawsuit says that animal behavior training could make the cove less comfy for the animals.
Precision Behavior officials including Butcher and company founder Angela Millwood did not respond to calls from U-T San Diego. The company’s website lists clients including Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida, along with the Georgia Aquarium, the Forth Worth Zoo in Texas and numerous other U.S. and international animal and marine parks, and states that it employs positive reinforcement in animal training.
Blumenthal said those techniques could safely encourage the animals to go elsewhere.
“You come at night at certain times if they’re sleeping, so you change their sleep pattern, so it makes it more uncomfortable for them to be there,” he said. “No one likes to get their sleep pattern disturbed. That’s a big part of it.”
Blumenthal said the La Jolla group is waiting to hear back from the city on its proposal.
“As long as the smell is removed, without harming the sea lions, then everybody’s going to be happy,” he said.
Aquilegia vulgaris is a species of columbine native to Europe with common names that include: European columbine, common columbine, granny's nightcap, and granny's bonnet. It is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.2 m tall, with branched, thinly hairy stems. The leaves are biternate; each leaf has three groups of three leaflets. The flowers, in various shades of purple, blue, pink and white, are pendent or horizontal with strongly hooked spurs, and appear in early summer.
The Latin specific epithet vulgaris means "common".
Distribution
The species is native to Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Corse, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Northwest European Region, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sicilia, Spain, Switzerland, Yugoslavia. It has been introduced to many other areas including parts of North and South America, and other parts of Europe and north eastern Asia.
Cultivation
This species and various hybrids derived from it are popular garden flowers, available in a variety of single colours and bi-colours, in single and double forms. Though perennial, cultivars may be short-lived and thus best treated as biennials. Spent flower-heads should be removed to prevent the plant going to seed. Cultivars include the Barlow series (‘Nora Barlow’, 'Black Barlow', 'Rose Barlow', 'Christa Barlow'), 'Pretty Bonnets'. Seeds may be sold as mixtures. The white flowering cultivar 'Nivea' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Pests and diseases
Aphids and sawfly larvae may attack the plant.
Folklore
In traditional herbalism columbine was considered sacred to Venus; carrying a posy of it was said to arouse the affections of a loved one. Nicholas Culpeper recommended the seeds taken in wine to speed the process of childbirth. In modern herbal medicine it is used as an astringent and diuretic.
Toxicity
The plant is a member of the poisonous Ranunculus family and all parts of the plant, including the seeds, are poisonous if ingested. It is possible that inhaling the crushed seeds dust or otherwise absorbing oils from them may cause poisoning or at minimum exhibit symptoms of poisoning.[citation needed]
The acute toxicity test in mice showed that ethanol extract and the main flavonoid compound isocytisoside from the leaves and stems of Aquilegia vulgaris can be classified as nontoxic since a dose of 3000 mg/kg did not cause mortality in mice.
Here's more evidence that I've been living under a rock. I'm afraid the world of baking has been lost to me for decades and what are these silicone muffin cup thingies?
Like many self-isolating folk I'm re-discovering old activities, like baking, while, at the same time, discovering the world has moved on from my old, ugly metal muffin tins.
The silicone muffin cups are great and I've turned into a no-recipe, experimental, muffin-creating fiend!
In order to save whatever waistline I have left I give away much of the baked-to-perfection, fruit-filled fare.
WHAT US SILICONE? "While not a “100% natural” material like rubber, food-grade silicone is a non-toxic polymer mostly made from silica (sand). It can withstand heating and freezing without leaching or off-gassing,"
EXCUSE ME. I can't let the new-to-me term "off-gassing" go without a comment. All I want to say is: "I, personally, endeavour not to of-gass in public".