Dangerous plastic bottles

By Barbara Sims

You need to get rid of the plastic bottles. Health Canada is about to declare the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), found in hard plastics like baby bottles, water coolers, plastic toys, water bottles, pacifiers, plastic containers, tin cans and bottled water containers a danger to human health and the environment.

This will be the first regulatory body in the world to do so, even though a 2006 report by U.S. scientists found a link between BPA and breast cancer, early puberty, reproductive problems, diabetes and a host of other problems. It's reported that 93 percent of Americans have BPA in their urine, so our exposure is quite high. Particularly vulnerable are children and people of reproductive age. Here are some things you can do now to minimize exposure:

- Get rid of plastic baby bottles and stick to glass

- Get rid of plastic toys, especially anything your child is chewing on.

- Ditch the plastic bottles and bottled water, use filtered water (Brita containers claim to have no BPA, cheap knock offs do contain BPA) and carry it in a reusable metal, ceramic or glass containers.

- Get rid of old cans of food, especially anything with a high acid content like tomatoes that encourages leaching. Buy fresh or frozen produce instead of canned, it's better for you anyway. And canned soups tend to have very high sodium content; besides you're better off making your own and freezing it in individual glass containers.

Be your own health advocate you may want to eliminate plastic from your life.

Now on a lighter side

How to make your own spot rinse daily shower cleaner - elbow grease not required!

- No one enjoys cleaning the shower. After all, it's a difficult job. If you're not in the shower when the shower walls are cleaned, the water usually ends up running down your arms and into your sleeves. Cold soapy water under the arms isn't a pleasant feeling! What seems like a simple job can turn into a huge chore, and this is why many people don't clean the shower walls as often as they should.

Stores sell shower cleaner that can be used on a daily basis, but spray-on daily shower cleaner isn't cheap. I've never purchased daily shower cleaner.

Instead I've been making a recipe for daily cleaner given to me by a friend in the cleaning business. This homemade cleaner made with spot rinse works quite well to keep the shower walls looking clean and free from water spots and soap scum. The walls still require occasional deep cleaning, but not nearly as often. If you dislike cleaning shower walls, give this idea a try. You have nothing to lose but ugly soap scum, stains, and difficult water spots.

Barbara Sims may be reached via bnteditor@robinsonnews.com.