Coal miners used to take canaries to work. They used them as an early warning system to protect them from toxic gases leaking out of the depths of the mine. These gases quickly damaged the birds’ sensitive lungs, warning the miners to get out fast. The same thing can happen to pet birds exposed to Teflon. They develop a condition called Teflon toxicosis, which makes their lungs hemorrhage, suffocating them to death. Birds dying from Teflon exposure are a warning to us all. But are we listening?

 

What is Teflon?

 

Dr. Roy Plunkett’s clumsiness brought this slippery synthetic substance to the world. While studying refrigerants in 1938, an accident in his laboratory resulted in a strange waxy material that could withstand high temperatures, very slick and corrosion resistant. His company understood what this invention was worth. It was quickly patented in 1941 under the trademark of Teflon. The DuPont Company soon bought them out and brought Teflon to the world. It made its debut in the 1960s.

Teflon, also known as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), has since made its way into virtually every home in the developed world. Its useful properties have taken it way beyond the kitchen, with wide use in aerospace, communications, electronics, architecture, food packaging and even in performance fabrics like GoreTex.

PTFE is applied to pots and pans in a multi-step process to ensure that it stays stuck to the surface. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is a chemical used in one of these steps. It is PFOA that is dangerous. Experts consider it a serious toxin that is polluting the environment and damaging humans and wildlife.

 

Corporations confusing science

 

For many years, research has documented the risks of PFOA. This has led scientists, advocacy groups and environmentalists to pressure the U.S. government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban PFOA. It has been an uphill battle, made difficult by large corporations who make these products. They have hired lobbyists to win over politicians and tried to discredit the science with their own research.

DuPont claims that PFOA is completely removed from pots and pans in the fabrication process, but research has shown that it is there. It off-gasses into the air at temperatures as low as 250°F and is even transferred to water when boiled in a nonstick pan or pot (9).

They also claim that PTFE does not break down unless it is heated to 680°F, which they claim is well above normal cooking temperature. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted research with the University of West Virginia that showed that that normal cooking can actually heat pots to over 700°F.

One thing is certain. PFOAs have been found in the blood of over 98% of the U.S. population (1) and populations around the world are contaminated by PFOA (5 ). These chemicals should not be in our bodies, and it is ludicrous to think that they do no harm.

• Heart attack and stroke - PFOA exposure has been implicated in increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke in mice given various doses of PFOA (3,4,6,7).
• Cancer – mice exposed to PFOA develop can several different kinds of cancers, including breast, testicular and pancreatic cancer (9). In 2002 the EPA concluded that PFOA may put humans at risk for breast cancer (9,11).
• Immune system damage – industry-funded research suggests that PFOA suppresses the immune system, increasing the risk of infectious diseases (13). This occurs at every dose ever tested, meaning that there is no known safe dose.
• Pituitary and thyroid gland damage – the EPA has found that PFOA damages the pituitary gland. This master gland located in the brain controls many other hormones, including estrogen, thyroid and cortisone function (11,14). Disturbingly, the effects are greater at lower doses.

 

Moving towards change

 

Faced with a class-action lawsuit, the DuPont corporation recently chose to pay a settlement of over $100 million to citizens of several towns in Ohio and West Virginia. PFOA production facilities were apparently polluting the water that millions of people drank every day. Some babies were born with dramatic birth defects, and several cancers and other diseases appeared with unusual frequency.

 

In 2005, the EPA re-classified PFOA. It was upgraded from a suggested carcinogen to a likely one. It was on the heels of this change that a group of eight leading manufacturers were forced to stop making PFOA by 2015. To their credit, DuPont has recently published research linking PFOA exposure to high cholesterol levels in children.

Unfortunately, Canada has not followed the lead of the EPA. This means that Canadians are still at risk. The ban on PFOA was lifted in 2006 by the Harper government based on what they considered a lack of evidence that it was harmful. There is no planned phase-out of nonstick cookware in Canada yet. The problem is that there is no known substitute for PFOA in the production of Teflon.

 

The alternatives

 

Stainless steel – These are usually made of copper and coated with several layers of steel. Trace amounts of nickel can be a problem for people with allergies. Iron can also be leached but this is not a problem. They heat quickly but are difficult to clean.

Aluminum and anodized aluminum – These can expose you to large amounts of aluminum, which has been linked to several brain disorders including Alzheimer’s dementia. This is less of a problem if they are anodized by dipping them in acid, which also makes them less sticky.

Cast iron and enameled cast iron – The safest choice. Although they take a while to heat up, they provide even heat and are less of a hassle to clean. Small amounts of iron exposure are not generally a concern. The only drawback is their weight.

Copper – Not recommended, particularly if imported. They have been linked with fatal liver disease from copper toxicity in India.

 

Using nonstick cookware safely

 

Teflon-coated nonstick cookware has changed the modern culinary experience. This major advance in household product technology has made cooking easier and the cleaning up after a meal much less of a hassle. It makes eggs over easy easier, and burnt pasta a distant memory... but at what cost?

If, for whatever reason, you are stuck with your nonstick stuff, follow these guidelines to minimize your risk:

• Don’t cook at high temperature
• Don’t use metal utensils that may scratch them
• Wash by hand using nonabrasive sponges (do not use steel wool)
• Don’t stack pots and pans on top of each other
• Throw out scratched, discolored or flaking cookware

 

 

1. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(11), 2007.
2. Toxicologist 14: 301, 1994.
3. Final Report Prepared for 3M, St. Paul, Minnesota, by  International Research and Development Corporation, St. Paul, Minnesota, November 10, 1978. AR226-1136. Washington, DC: U.S. EPA
4. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 1128(1): 65-72.
5. Environmental Science and Technology. 38(17), 2004.
6. Final report. 3M Medical Department, 2001.
7. Report on the meeting held on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st 2004 at the Inn at Montchanin Village (Wilmington, USA) with 3M and DuPont delegations.
8. Report prepared for 3M, St. Paul, Minnesota by Riker Labo     ratories Inc. Study No. 0281CR0012; 8EHQ-1087-0394, October 16, 1987.
9. Environmental Science and Technology. 41(4), 2007.
10. U.S. EPA. 2002. ANNEX 1, 4 November, 2002. AR226-1137.    Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
11. U.S. EPA. 2003. Draft Final Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment. U.S. EPA. 2005. January 4, 2005. (Released January 12, 2005). Available online at www.epa.gov/oppt/pfoa.
12. Int Immunopharmacol 2(2-3): 389-97, 2002.
13. Report prepared for 3M, St. Paul, MN by Argus Research (Horsham, PA). Sponsor’s Study No. T-6889.6. AR226-1092. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.