Introduction - "The Happy Pan"

Teflon = Not so happy pan…..

In chemistry, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene known by most under the DuPont brand name Teflon. It was invented accidentally in 1938 by Dr. Roy Plunkett when attempting to make a new CFC refrigerant (a class of chemical compounds that depletes ozone). It wasn’t until 1945 that DuPont patented the trademark, and the first pan coated with Teflon non-stick resin was created in 1954. The first frying pan was released to the general public in 1962 and was called “the happy pan.”

Dangers to Human Health

The reason Teflon cookware is so easy to clean is because its ultrafine particles are easily degradable, with thin layers coming off the pan during cooking. This is what makes it “nonstick”. More specifically, this decomposition begins to happen when the pan is heated above 260 °C (500 °F), causing the tiny particles to get inhaled/ingested and embedded deep inside the lungs and digestive system. 260 °C is a fairly common temperature in cooking, making it unreasonable to expect consumers to use the cookware without overheating it above that initial warning point. In a demo done by 20/20 news, a piece of bacon was just getting crisp when the Teflon pan reached that temperature.

The short-term effects of these ingested Teflon particles are flu-like symptoms in humans (headaches, chills, backache, and temperature between 100 and 104 degrees.) However, for smaller animals (and specifically for birds), they are lethal. In the long-term, the various chemicals that make-up Teflon (for instance ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or C-8 for short) have been linked to cancer, organ damage and other health effects in tests in both laboratory animals and humans.

However, the health risks aren’t limited to the consumers. The Teflon industry has reached the 2 billion per year mark, and the health of the workers producing it is also severely compromised. One of the biggest consequences of working in such extensive exposure to the substance is an extremely high incidence of birth defects among their children.

Dangers to the Environment

Teflon off-gassing studies show that at the 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)

· Two chemicals that are potent global warming gases (PFB and CF₄)

· Two chemical warfare agents (PFIB and MFA)

· A chemical analog of WWII nerve gas phosgene (COF₂)

· At least two chemicals that have widely contaminated the world (PFOA and TFA), one currently undergoing a rigorous safety review at the Environmental Protection Agency (PFOA)

· Four gaseous chemicals and some components of the particulate matter that are highly persistent environmental pollutants, that likely never break down in the environment (TFA, PFOA, CF₄, PFB, and the perfluorinated particulate alkanes)

· Four chemicals that are considered highly toxic relative to most other industrial chemicals (PFIB, MFA, COF₂, HF).

The environmental effects of this substance are therefore very serious. Furthermore, Teflon not only pollutes the air but also contaminates the water system as particles are washed off when the cookware is cleaned after use. As well, the environment around the manufacturing plants suffers, which is particularly harmful to birds.

To Learn more:

http://www.naturalnews.com/026033.html

http://www.thecancerblog.com/2006/02/16/fdas-teflon-carcinogen-warning-getting-stronger/