EPA Finds Potential Teflon Chemical Risks

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that people nationwide could face "a potential risk of developmental and other adverse effects" from exposure to low levels of a chemical used in making the nonstick substance Teflon.

EPA issued a draft assessment of the potential risks of perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, known as PFOA, or C-8. The report, based on animal studies, says some evidence exists that PFOA is carcinogenic in rats, but the cancer hazard for people is less certain.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-epa-teflon,0,2714914.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[BattyDem]

1. Teflon has been on the market for how long?

I think it's a pretty safe bet we've ALL been poisoned by now. :eyes:

[UpInArms]

2. there's something about teflon

that I never understood -

if nothing "sticks" to teflon, how does it "stick" to the pan?

I also think that the first time you use a teflon pan is the only time it is at its best - on the other hand, if you use a good old-fashioned iron skillet, the longer you use it, the better it becomes.

[NYC]

24. Teflon is "low stick" not "no stick".

And you are supposed to oil it from time to time.

I agree that they go downhill with usage.

[jmowreader]

34. A primer is used

I have of late discovered the University of Southern Mississippi's polymer sciences department's website, which can be a lot of fun if you're a total geek like me.

They're running a fun contest to figure out how DuPont's secret process for making teflon stick to a pan works--apparently they're not telling anyone, mainly because other chemical companies make PTFE.

Anyway, there seem to be two majority opinions: that they use some sort of primer that PTFE will stick to and that they "etch" the PTFE to strip out some of the fluorine atoms in it, which leaves "holes" in the PTFE structure that can be filled by the metal in the pan.

[mopinko]

3. one of the really bad things

to come out of the space program. that and perchlorates everywhere.
the "bird people" have been screaming about this shit forever. the least we could get is labeling. just try buying appliances, small or large, that don't have this shit. i dare ya. it's on everything, and not labeled.
and i think the new applications on clothes are gonna cause a real nightmare.

[NYC]

26. What about teflon on clothes?

I hadn't heard about it. What is it for? Is it a coating applied to the fabric?

[kk897]

29. Teflon on clothes

is used to make them wrinkle- and stain- resistant, I believe. Dockers have a line of pants that they've advertised heavily, and I know Liz Claiborne has some oxford-type shirts using the treatment. I think it's pretty wide-spread though, so if you see something labeled as wrinkle-resistant, it probably has Teflon.

[NYC]

31. Can you feel a coating on the cloth?

I would like to make sure I avoid this stuff.

[kk897]

32. it doesn't feel weird or anything...

I don't notice it on the pants, but the shirts feel like poly blends, even though they're 100 percent cotton.

[NYC]

33. 100% cotton sheets used to be coated in resin to prevent wrinkling.

You could feel the coating, and it wouldn't wear off until the sheets were nearly dead from old age.

The cotton sheets without the "no iron" coating were much softer. It must feel the same way with the teflon on the clothing.

Thank you.

[HereSince1628]

4. Old story suggesting risk from components of melted teflon

http://www.dailynews.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=541&fArticleId=2311634

[papau]

5. 90% of the folks in the US have Teflon in their blood - kind of late

to warn us if that was a problem.

But this problem is only in the manufacturing - and not in the eating-

but I still blame my raised cholesterol and triglyceride levels on DuPont!

:-)

[ElsewheresDaughter]

10. heated teflon pots give off a toxic gas that is harmful to your health ...

also teflon flakes in your food cause health problems....how can you believe or trust corp gov't reports????Teflon kills birds
Avian veterinarians have known for decades that Teflon-coated and other non-stick cookware can produce fumes that are highly toxic to birds. As early as 1986, a Chicago-area expert on “Teflon toxicosis” called the phenomenon a “leading cause of death among birds,” and estimated that hundreds of birds are killed by the fumes and particles emitted from Teflon-coated products each year <1><2>. Although an accurate national accounting of deaths is not available, in a single year this Chicago veterinarian documented 296 bird deaths in 105 cases involving non-stick cookware.

Under ordinary cooking scenarios, Teflon kills birds. A review of the literature and bird owners’ accounts of personal experience with Teflon toxicosis shows that Teflon can be lethal at normal cooking temperatures, with no human lapses in judgment or wakefulness.

Bird deaths have been documented during or immediately after the following normal cooking scenarios:

New Teflon-lined Amana oven was used to bake biscuits at 325°F; all the owner’s baby parrots died <3> <4>.
Four stovetop burners, underlined with Teflon-coated drip pans, were preheated in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner; 14 birds died within 15 minutes <2> <5>.
Nonstick cookie sheet was placed under oven broiler to catch the drippings; 107 chicks died <2>.
Self-cleaning feature on the oven was used; a $2,000 bird died <5>.
Set of Teflon pans, including egg poaching pan, were attributed to seven bird deaths over seven years <6>.
Water burned off a hot pan; more than 55 birds died <7>.
Electric skillet at 300°F and space heater were used simultaneously; pet bird died <8>.
Toaster oven with a non-stick coating was used to prepare food at a normal temperature; bird survived but suffered respiratory distress <9>.
Water being heated for hot cocoa boiled off completely; pet bird died <10>.
Grill plate on gas stove used to prepare food at normal temperatures; two birds died on two separate occasions <11>.
DuPont claims that its coating remains intact indefinitely at 500°F <12>. Experiences of consumers whose birds have died from fumes generated at lower temperatures show that this is not the case. In one case researchers at the University of Missouri documented the death of about 1,000 broiler chicks exposed to offgas products from coated heat lamps at 396°F <13>.

DuPont also claims that human illness will be produced only in cases involved gross overheating, or burning the food to an inedible state <12>. Yet DuPont's own scientists have concluded that polymer fume fever in humans is possible at 662°F, a temperature easily exceeded when a pan is preheated on a burner or placed beneath a broiler, or in a self-cleaning oven <14>.

[Eloriel]

21. Wow. Now -- gotta link for that?

I'd appreciate it if you do.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

22. here's the link Eloriel.....sorry for the delay but i have got busy kids..

http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/toxictemps.php

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

23. The ol' coal mine canary has found a new home: Home.

Throw out the carbon monoxide detectors - too narrow. Keep canaries in each room and run like hell when they die off.

[NYC]

25. I'm in trouble.

"DuPont also claims that human illness will be produced only in cases involved gross overheating, or burning the food to an inedible state."

Big trouble.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

28. So rumors of the teflon pResident are not overly exaggerated???? eom

[Ripley]

6. And new teflon products keep coming onto the market...

The latest one I saw at the store was a toilet bowl cleaner that had teflon in it!

It almost sounds like they *want* Americans to dump as many chemicals as possible into the water and air.

[girl gone mad]

14. And teflon coated dental floss..

my dentist told me to avoid using it because it's ineffective.

Humans can get "teflon flu" when teflon pans are quickly heated. The symptoms can last for days and mimic the flu.

[Redstone]

7. This headline is misleading.

The report says "a chemical used in making the nonstick substance Teflon" not Teflon itself, which is pretty damn inert stuff.

Redstone

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. yes "teflon" will kill you!..it kills parrots when heated even at low temp

google,teflon and parrots..ever hear of "canary in the kitchen"?

EWG Report || Canaries in the Kitchen || Teflon Toxicosis... oven was used to bake biscuits at 325°F; all the owner’s baby parrots died <3 ... Stove fumes killing cages birds ... Bird deaths linked to Teflon coating.” Waikato ... [br />www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/toxictemps.php


Daily News - Teflon: the miracle comes unstuck... a Teflon-coated, non-stick frying pan, your local department store is unlikely to warn you of the dangers of Teflon fumes killing your pet budgies and parrots. ...
www.dailynews.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=541&fArticleId=2311634


Healthy Pet Corner's Information and Links for Birds... Parrot Species - Information on specific types of parrots. Safety Links: ... Birds and Teflon Poisoning - Teflon is killing birds. ...
www.healthypetcorner.com/birds.html

[Thurston Howell IV]

17. Into the blood of almost every living creature

From the dailynews article:
"Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs for short) have gone on trial in the United States for mass assault, with intent to do grievous global harm. Culpable homicide charges could follow.

According to tests done in America, Japan and elsewhere, this all-but indestructible group of man-made chemicals has crept into the blood of almost every living creature in the northern hemisphere and will remain there for several years."

I have no idea what the actual risk is for PFCs, but this points to an idea I've had for about 30 years -- given that 10s of thousands of man-made chemicals have been introduced into the environment since the 50's and only a small percentage have been appropriately tested for long-term health effects, it seems just a matter of time before we are all exposed to some "innocuous" compound that has devastating effects. What if styrofoam caused brain cancer 20 years after exposure? It would be too late to do anything about it.

Just a positive thought for the day...

[ElsewheresDaughter]

8. when i got my parrot and read that heated gases from tefflon pots ........

would kill my bird i threw ALL of them away....if it can kill a bird it can kill my kids and me too!

miners used them in the mines

canary in the kitchen

[alfredo]

11. That's right.

I got rid of all teflon when I read about that.

Avacados are poisonous to birds too.

[Greybnk48]

12. And Chocolate

Bird owners have known this for years and have been lobbying for warnings on labels about teflon and birds.

We keep parrots and purged our house of teflon years ago. Again, how can it be good for us, or even benign, if the fumes--even from low temp cooking-- kills birds?

[ecoalex]

13. Non stick pans

if you have non stick cookware , you're eating teflon.

If you look at what is in breast milk now, it's some very persistant and possibably toxic all the chemicals the mother has been exposed to from birth on, all accumulating inside, built into tissue , fats ,organs . We are all walking toxic waste dumps.

[alfredo]

19. We got to take good care of

our "kids."

[evolvenow]

15. Dupont/ Monsanto= Evil Profits Based on Poison Products! Remember these

are the same people that came out with those awful tri-color shag rugs...that never decompose.

Yes, I love my birds and have NO TEFLON.

It is very, very bad.

[not fooled]

16. what about Silpat-type stuff?

silicon cooking accessories now showing up in cooking stores. also get exposed to heat. sound pretty inert but has anyone heard anything?

[Cornjob]

18. Silpat is glass-reinforced silicone...

and there are about a million different types of silicones, but all are classed as polyorganosiloxanes. In general silicones are considered harmless and are contained in foods, handcreams, medicines, etc.

I'm not sure about silicones exposed to high temperatures though. I suspect that, like teflon, they would have some organic vapor release.

[Eurobabe]

20. and now they have TEFLON toilet bowl cleaner!

Thanks for reminding me I have to write a nasty email to Clorox or whoever makes that shit to tell them to stop putting needless TEFLON in our drinking supply.

[Karenina]

27. Kick!

:kick:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

30. So *bush really IS pure poison!

:evilgrin:

[Dirk39]

35. Why do people buy Teflon-pans?

Hello from Germany,
besides the health-issue, I simply don't get this. Weight might be an issue and it might be easier to clean coated pans.... But the food simply doesn't taste as good as from a real pan.

I use only non-coated iron-cast or wrought iron pans and the reason is simply the TASTE of the food.

Dirk