(Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by thenestor)

BPA or bisphenol-A is a dangerous chemical linked to health concerns from digestive problems to issues with brain development. It's recently been found in 91 percent of Canadians and is present in around two billion products here in the U.S. that we use on a daily basis. Because it's the most harmful on developing brains and bodies, children and pregnant women especially need to avoid contact with BPA.

While the industry claims that BPA exposure levels from their products are safe, that claim seems a little shaky when you start adding up all of the places we come into contact with BPA: canned food and soda, receipts, bottled water, plastic food containers, baby bottles, and more.

Here are some of the common places we come into contact with BPA each day and how to limit exposure.

 

1. Avoid canned food

While some companies have taken the BPA out of their cans, most still use this harmful chemical in the canning process. Your best bet is to either hunt down BPA free canned foods, like beans from Eden Organics, or avoid them all together.

This is especially important with more acidic foods like tomatoes. You'll want to stick with fresh tomatoes or the sort that come in a glass jar or cardboard box.

 

2. Quit canned soda

BPA has been found in many varieties of canned soda. This is a pretty easy issue to address! Soda isn't the healthiest option to begin with. Sticking with water and tea is better for your body beyond the BPA.

If you do want to treat yourself to a soda pop, you're better off with the sort from a soda fountain.

 

(Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by timo)

3. Turn down that receipt

Most types of cash register receipts contain BPA. Since it's a "free" form of the chemical, that means it gets onto your hands and into your body in greater quantity than with some of these other products.

If possible, just say no to the receipt when you're at the store. If you do handle receipts, wash your hands as soon as possible, especially before handling food. You can also ask the store manager if they're using BPA-free receipts. The types that do not contain BPA are thermal paper from Appleton Paper or regular "bond" paper where the information is printed onto the receipt using ink.

4. Ditch the type 3 and 7 plastics

That bottled water delivered to your home or office is most likely stored in #7 plastic, and there are alternatives you can seek out.

You'll also want to check your baby bottles and water bottles carefully, as some varieties of those are made with #3 and #7 plastic. The plastic number should be at the bottom inside something that looks like a recycle symbol. You definitely don't want your child drinking out of BPA-laden plastic!

 

5. Take care when canning

Canning is a great way to preserve the harvest, but many canning jars also contain BPA in the lining. Fortunately, there are BPA-free options, like these jars with glass lids from Weck Canning.

 

(Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Paul W Locke)

6. Nurse your baby

In most situations, breast is best, and we're now learning that infant formulas contain BPA from the packaging. You can lower the risk of BPA exposure by using powdered formula, if breast feeding is not an option. EWG has more detailed tips on BPA in formula and baby bottles.

 

7. Get heard

Of course, the best way to avoid BPA would be to ban the stuff all together. You can tell Congress to ban BPA with this petition.

Do you guys have more tips for keeping BPA out of our bodies? I'd love to hear them in the comments.

 

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• BPA Wrecks Sex
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Researchers at Edinburgh Napier University have developed a chemical process using the two main by-products of whisky production to make butanol, which can be used to fuel vehicles. The two by-products used are pot ale, which is a liquid, and the spent whisky grains, called draff.

Scotland produces large quantities of whisky, enough that there are 1,600 million liters of pot ale and 187,000 tons of draff left over. These waste products can now be used to create biobutanol, which is said to produce 30 percent more power than ethanol.

The university has filed a patent for the new biofuel and envisions a commercial operation to produce and sell it. Biobutanol can be used in ordinary cars, and requires no adaptions. The plan is to have the new biofuel available at petrol pumps already in use. Presumably it would be blended with conventional petroleum fuel to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It could also be offered in a pure form.

The World Wildlife Fund's Scotland Director, Dr. Richard Dixon commented, " The production of some biofuels can cause massive environmental damage to forests and wildlife. So, whisky powered-cars could help Scotland avoid having to use those forest-trashing biofuels."

Producing more biofuels is part of the effort by European Union countries to reduce their impact on climate change. The EU has set a goal of having ten percent of all fuel sales be biofuels. Biofuels typically are made from plant sources like corn, sugar cane, or soy beans and rapeseed.

The biobutanol chemistry was based on fermentation research conducted by Chaim Weizmann many decades ago. He was also the first president of Israel.

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• Alternative Fuels 101: A Beginner’s Guide
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While most bodywork experts agree that tension and pain in the body are largely caused by how we move (or don't move enough) throughout the day, a growing number of practitioners cite emotional stress as another factor. Deb Shapiro, author of Your Body Speaks Your Mind (Sounds True, May 2006), says that understanding how parts of the body connect to certain emotions can help us get in touch with neglected areas of our subconscious.

"And the great thing about that is tapping into the root of the problem on an emotional level can heal chronic pain," she says. Here's what your tension spots could be trying to tell you.

Neck
The neck is a two-way communicator: You take in life-sustaining food, water, and air through the neck, and at the same time, emotions, feelings, and thoughts are expressed outwardly through your voice. Stiffness here can indicate resistance, usually to other ways of thinking.

Shoulders
This is where you carry the weight of your responsibilities, whether it's work, family, or mortgage payments. Creative energy flows from here, moving into your arms and hands, where it emerges in what you do in the world. Tense shoulders can also indicate resistance, perhaps to the responsibilities you feel you must maintain, or pressure that's put on you to perform.

Upper back
This area, the reverse side from the heart, is where you can store repressed anger, resentment, guilt, or shame.

Mid back
Your core allows you to bend and move, representing your ability to be psychologically and emotionally flexible. Stiffness in the mid back can reflect an inner stiffness, holding on to a fear, or inability to go with the flow.

Low back
This part of the body supports your weight from above, and it's related to your notions of survival, security, and self-support. If you're feeling insecure -- or as though you're unable to meet other people's expectations -- that pressure can manifest in the low back.

Butt
Although seemingly soft, the glutes are often the most tense and clenched muscles in the body. This area has to do with elimination and release, so control and power issues are often held here.

Hamstrings
These muscles are connected to the knees -- which we use to bow down to a higher being -- and so tight hamstrings can often mean that a deeper level of surrender is needed. The thighs and hamstrings also hold on to past conflicts, such as traumatic childhood memories, anger, or resentment. This area is also closely associated with sexuality and intimacy.

 

More from Care2:

• The Emotional Effects of Meditation 
• Four Ways to Understand Your Pet 
• Understanding Emotions 

 

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But what to do with all those lemon peels? Don't toss them; put them to work.

Lemon juice is about 5 to 6 percent citric acid and has a pH level of between 2 and 3. This low pH acidity makes lemon juice a great ally in breaking down rust and mineral stains, but gentle enough to not dull finishes.

There is generally sufficient juice left in used lemon halves to tackle small tasks, and it all comes with its own applicator (the rind itself). Plus, the oil in the peel is perfect for clever culinary applications, and not bad in the beauty department either.

Here's what you can do:

 

Around the House

1. Clean greasy messes
Greasy pans? Splattered stove tops? Messy counters? If your kitchen has been the victim of some sloppy sauteing, try using lemon halves before bringing out possibly toxic chemical cleaners. Sprinkle some salt (for abrasion) on a juiced lemon half and rub on the greasy areas, wipe up with a towel. (Be careful using lemon on marble counter tops, or any other surface which may be sensitive to acid).

2. Clean your tea kettle or coffee pot
For mineral deposit build up in your tea kettle, fill the kettle with water, add a handful of thin slices of lemon peel and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit for an hour, drain, and rinse well. For coffee pots, add ice, salt and lemon rinds to the empty pot; swish and swirl for a minute or two, dump, and rinse. Hello, sparkly.

3. Clean your microwave
All it takes is one exploding bowl of food to render the interior of your microwave officially gunked, sometimes gunked with cement-like properties. Rather than using strong chemical cleaners, try this: Add lemon rinds to a microwave-safe bowl filled halfway with water. Cook on high for 5 minutes, allowing the water to boil and the steam to condense on the walls and tops of the oven. Carefully remove the hot bowl and wipe away the mess with a towel.

4. Deodorize the garbage disposal
Use lemon peels to deodorize the garbage disposal (and make your kitchen smell awesome at the same time). It is a great way to finally dispose of spent lemon peels after you have used them for any of these applications.

5. Polish chrome
Mineral deposits on chrome faucets and other tarnished chrome make haste in the presence of lemon--rub with a squeezed lemon half, rinse, and lightly buff with a soft cloth.

6. Polish copper
A halved lemon dipped in salt or baking powder can also be used to brighten copper cookware, as well as brass, copper, or stainless steel. Dip a juiced lemon half in salt (you also use baking soda or cream of tartar for the salt) and rub on the affected area. Let it stay on for 5 minutes. Then rinse in warm water and polish dry.

7. Clean a stainless-steel sink
Use the same method described to polish chrome, applied to any stainless sink.

8. Keep insects out
Many pests abhor the acid in lemon. You can chop of the peels and place them along thresholds, windowsills, and near any cracks or holes where ants or pests may be entering. For other ways to combat pests naturally, see seven steps to chemical-free pest control.

9. Make a scented humidifier
If your home suffers from dry heat in the winter, you can put lemon peels in a pot of water and simmer on the lowest stove-top setting to humidify and scent the air.

10. Refresh cutting boards
Because of lemon's low pH, it has antibacterial properties that make is a good choice for refreshing cutting boards. After proper disinfecting (see: How to clean your cutting board) give the surface a rub with a halved lemon, let sit for a few minutes, and rinse.

 

To eat

11. Keep brown sugar soft
If your brown sugar most often turns into brick sugar, try adding some lemon peel (with traces of pulp and pith removed) to help keep it moist and easy to use. (For all recipes using lemon peel, try to use organic lemons--and scrub the peel well to remove any residues and wax.)

12. Make zest
Zest is the best! Zest is simply grated peel, and is the epitome of lemon essence--it can be used fresh, dried, or frozen. If you don't have an official zester, you can use the smallest size of a box grater. (If you know you will be using lemons for zest, it is easier to grate the zest from the lemon before juicing them.) To dry zest, spread it on a towel and leave out until dried, then store in a jar. To freeze, use a freezer-safe container. Use zest in salads, marinades, baked goods, grain dishes, etc.

13. Make vegan lemon biscotti
Once you've made some zest, make these vegan lemon biscotti cookies. De-li-cious!

14. Make twists
Strips of peel, aka twists, are good in cocktails, sparkling water, and tap water. Use a vegetable peeler to make long strips, or use a knife and cut the peel into long strips, cutting away the white pith which is bitter. These can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag.

15. Make lemon extract powder
Make zest or twists (above) making sure to remove any of the white (bitter) pith--and dry the strips skin-side down on a plate until they dried, about 3 or 4 days. Put in a blender (or spice grinder) and pulverize into a powder. Use the powdered peel in place of extract or zest in recipes.

16. Make lemon sugar
You can make lemon extract powder (see above) and add it to sugar, or you can use fresh twists, put them in a jar with sugar and let the peel's oil infuse the sugar.

17. Make lemon pepper
Mix lemon extract powder (see above) with freshly cracked pepper.

18. Make candied lemon peel
Orange or grapefruit peel can be candied too. Yum. Candied peels are pretty easy to make, and can be eaten plain, or dipped in melted chocolate, used in cake, cookie, candy, or bread recipes. These recipes for candied citrus and ginger use Sucanat, the most wholesome sugar you can buy.

 

For Beauty

19. Lighten age spots
Many folk remedies suggest using lemon peel to help lighten age spots--apply a small piece to the affected area and leave on for an hour. You can also try one of these five natural ways to lighten age spots.

20. Soften dry elbows
Use a half lemon sprinkled with baking soda on elbows, just place your elbow in the lemon and twist the lemon (like you are juicing it) for several minutes. Rinse and dry.

21. Use on your skin
Lemon peels can be very lightly rubbed on your face for a nice skin tonic, then rinse. (And be careful around your eyes.)

22. Make a sugar scrub
Mix 1/2 a cup of sugar with finely chopped lemon peel and enough olive oil to make a paste. Wet your body in the shower, turn off the water and massage sugar mix all over your skin, rinse, be soft! You can also try any of these five simple homemade sugar scrubs as well.

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• 13 Ways to Use Cucumbers
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