Poisonous Teflon Chemical To Be Eliminated
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.27.06
Well, we recommended dumping those Teflon pans last year. Now eight U.S. companies, including DuPont, agreed yesterday to virtually eliminate a harmful chemical used to make Teflon from all consumer products. Although the chemical would still be used to manufacture Teflon and similar products, processes will be developed to ensure that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) would not be released into the environment from finished products or manufacturing plants.
PFOA is a key processing agent in making nonstick and stain-resistant materials — has been linked to cancer and birth defects in animals and is in the blood of 95 percent of Americans, including pregnant women. It has also been found in the blood of marine organisms and Arctic polar bears.
The voluntary pact, which was crafted by the Environmental Protection Agency, will force companies to reduce manufacturing emissions of PFOA by 95 percent by no later than 2010. They will also have to reduce trace amounts of the compound in consumer products by 95 percent during the same period and virtually eliminate them by 2015.
The push to eliminate PFOA was headed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
About 10 years ago, our two parakeets were in perfect health and then suddenly dropped dead within hours of each other. For months, we had no idea what happened. We sent their seed back to the manufacturer to have it tested etc. After talking to an expert at a bird shop, we learned that the culprit was probably the new teflon coated pan. Apparently, the first time you use a teflon pan, a coating put on during manufacture burns off. The fumes are poisonous, but there aren't enough to noticably effect humans or larger animals. I'm very glad to see that this is finally being taken care of!
Yow! You did have to picture the camping set I have, didn't you?
FWIW, my (in my own opinion semi-rational) solution has been to keep the non-stick, but to never over-heat, to use only wood implements, and to replace it when it shows the FIRST sign of wear.
That by itself would be insufficient, in isolation, but here's the kicker - I eat at restaurants quite frequently. I KNOW they abuse their teflon, overheat, use metal implments, and who knows how often they are replaced.
So my rationale is - if you are going to eat out, just do what you can to limit your home exposure. If you are actuallly going to give up (or severely limit) your restuarant eating, then go ahead and scrap those non-stick pans.
Hot pan + cold oil = nonstick. I have one "nonstick" pan that I use only for eggs. For deep frying and stews I have a cast iron dutch oven, for single-pan dishes I have a cast-iron skillet, and for boiling water and making stews, I have a stainless steel stockpot. I also have a stainless saucepan for side dishes and soups.
I love all my cast iron cookware. It's really easy once you get the hang of it, I can even cook gravy in it. I also keep a stainless steel stock pan and soup pan.
Couple years ago, tossed all of our teflon. ALL of it. I even spray painted the fuckers to make sure no one else picked them up at the recycling center to use.
I endured a lot of foilhat remarks, but I wasn't about to roll the dice on my daughter's health over a few pointed verbal jabs.
However, this "agreement" is 100% sham, a Bush admin gift from the neutered EPA to those companies. It's voluntary, lacks teeth, postpones action until 2010, and ultimately leaves the PFOA in the product.
From the WaPo article...
>> "They're trying to save face," said Bailey, who is suing DuPont over his birth defects.
He's right.
This is an obscenity. A joke.