Teflon stupidity

[jinasphinx]

Contra Costa Times:

The chemical [PFOA] is used in the production of the famous nonstick cookware and hundreds of other products, but it is not found in the products after manufacture, so no one knows why so many people have it in their bloodstream.

Environmental Working Group (which filed the Freedom of Information Act request to get DuPont's data), in its Canaries in the Kitchen report:

Teflon offgasing studies show that at the design temperatures of conventional kitchen appliances, Teflon chemicals break apart to form the following particulates and gases:

• Two chemicals linked to cancer or tumors in laboratory studies (PFOA and TFE);
  

...

Um, duh? Contra Costa Times, CBS and others are all scratching their heads as to why PFOA is present in all of our bodies. I found out in FIVE MINUTES that it's because Teflon breaks down in 2-5 minutes on the stove or in the oven. And what crazy radicals have come up with this information? That would be DuPont's own scientists.

Comments

[beneluxboy.livejournal.com]

I switched to cast iron for almost every pan-related activity a few months ago. I've been surprised at how easy it is to cook with and clean (especially if you aren't afraid of a little oil).