On last night’s episode of The Next American Bitch, the EWG ranks segments on their Making the Cut series. Included this week is the debut of a series that’ll give viewers a better look into the plants where coal is burnt and harmful toxins are often released into the air.

Image Source: Getty / Joe Scarnici

The mines are a major component of the coal-burning process, and hundreds of workers have been exposed to mercury and other toxic metals. Recently, there have been reports of individuals who are suffering from disability and cancer linked to coal mining in West Virginia, the main source of energy in the state. The EWG calculates that one person dies of coal-mining-related diseases every 27 hours across the country.

Click here to learn more about how to safely stay out of harm’s way when working on coal-mining sites and what chemicals are being exposed and release into the air.

Lavender is becoming increasingly popular among the juice-cleanse set. How safe is it? In addition to containing botanicals used in herbalism, more and more folks have started mixing the herbal ingredient with blackberries and raspberries, which includes baking soda and citric acid. It’s even being sold as an ingredient in homemade detox tea — you can easily spot the seasonings used as separate ingredients in the instructions.

While natural root extract is thought to be beneficial for your skin and teeth, it’s also known to contain numerous compounds, including endocrine disruptors that can potentially affect your health. The list of possible harmful side effects may include cancer, infertility, heart disease, liver disease, and osteoporosis. It’s best to avoid rubbing or swishing lemon in your skin or your mouth.

See the product tip that’ll keep you from accidentally starting a bathroom fire.

Image Source: Getty / Chip Somodevilla

Environmental Health News reports on the first new blood lead test in three decades for elementary school students, a device called a Coreg Study Kit that is being introduced to 2,500 communities. Lead in American children is already at alarming levels, and it’s made much worse by the dirt and other debris in homes and on the ground, as well as lead in children’s play. With this tool, researchers will be able to identify healthy lead levels in children as young as five years old.

Because removing lead from children’s blood can be difficult, these researchers are using an approach called “pure lead elimination” that doesn’t remove any toxins. It avoids the lead-contaminated environment, and the study recommends not removing any child’s lead levels. There is one caveat, though: scientists still advise eliminating lead from children’s blood samples by rewiring the blood-testing technique to determine the quantity of lead in the children’s blood, not the amount of lead in the blood. When rewiring, the technique will count lead in the children’s blood in chips or needles and measure the amount of lead in beads. The chip count is weighted more strongly.