New Non-stick Pans — Safety Concerns

All of us by now have heard about the old Teflon pans may actually cause cancer.  This was such a great concern that the maker of Teflon (Dupont) was sued.  Teflon as we knew it use to contain a toxic compound PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as C8 and perfluorooctanoate)  These compounds have been retired and removed from Teflon.  Disturbing is the fact that Teflon is still on the market with a secret new active ingredient. 

Since it was so secret, scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency sampled the river water downstream from a North Carolina chemical plant that presently manufactures the new Teflon as they did with the old lethal ingredient C8 or PFOA.

Yes even today in 2016 rivers are being used to dump industrial waste.  Scientists then performed some tests on the new Teflon and have found that it too has induced cancer in lab animals.

The environmental and chemical safety laws that protect us were actually written by the chemical giant that created Teflon.  These new and improved ingredients are allowed to be rushed to market and only after millions of dollars in profit scientists prove them to be harmful.    It is reported that the initial toxic ingredient in Teflon PFOA found it’s way into 99.7% of Americans.  This news is very disturbing in that the laws do not protect us over corporate  profits.

The only thing consumers can do is stop using and purchasing pans with miracle  non-stick coatings.

Consumers  best option is to replace it with whatever safer alternatives we can afford. Stainless steal, cast iron, and glass.

Adapted from Jill Richardson the author of Recipe for America: Why Our Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It

Image credit:  yummymummyclub.ca