Dr. Mercola March 20 2007 988 views
PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid), also known as C8, is a key chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon and the protective coating that prevents grease stains on boxes and wrappers.
Preliminary findings of a study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have linked the chemical to lower birth weights among newborns.
The study sampled the blood of 300 newborns and looked at their blood levels of a variety of fluorinated chemicals in relation to their birth weight, head circumference and other developmental markers.
The higher the level of exposure the infants had to PFOA, the lower their birth weight and head size.
More than a year after the FDA urged companies to ban the use of PFOA, the chemical used in making Teflon, reports of new toxic side effects keep on coming.
Of course, DuPont experts defended their toxic product, noting that many chemicals were detected in the blood samples of infants, but they were small and well within normal ranges. If the study results prove to be true, what does that say about the normal ranges of PFOA exposure that make the birth weights of babies fall?
Just a warning that the containers of many of the useless, health-harming processed foods you see in the grocery store, ranging from candy bars to French fry boxes to microwave popcorn, are lined with Teflon.
I urge you to take matters into your own hands by enacting a personal ban on cookware and paper products tainted with PFOA. The first step is to toss out every pan in your house that has Teflon on it.
The moment you heat the pan is starts to vaporize and this toxic chemical will go into your bloodstream. I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. It took me a few years to become convinced, but once you are you have no logical choice but to throw those pans out and never buy another one.
Many have asked me about alternatives to Teflon. Some have pointed out a non-stick, ceramic-coated titanium that is clearly not Teflon. I found that ceramic cookware clearly outclasses all of these. As you may know, even some of the "healthier" options pose potential hazards. Cookware Material Potential Hazards Teflon PFOA induced potential health hazards -- from your immune system to birthing activities Aluminum Is a reactive metal and suspected casual factor in Alzheimer's disease Stainless steel Potential likelihood of metal leaching into your food and allergen issues Copper Due to the possibility of copper caused discomfort, recommended to never have direct contact with your food
Reader Felicia from Seattle, Washington adds the following information on Vital Votes:
"Parrot keepers have known for a while now about the dangers of teflon and other coated cookware. Even a little over-heating creates toxic gases that kill parrots or other pet birds nearly instantly. The very few birds that survive the primary exposure die a horrible and painful death unless a vet kills them more humanely. "www.birdsafe.com has more information about this little-known fact and many others relating to bird safety in the home many of which dove-tail beautifully with this health site and many others in diet and exercise suggestions. "One example -- no reputable pet bird breeder will feed soy to their parent birds because of problems such as failure of fertility in the parent birds, chicks to weak to pip from the shell, early female chick maturity and failure of male chicks to mature properly and other problems. "While I don't recommend parrots as pets for the average person, they are an excellent animal to observe as an indicator species in our homes as they are so sensitive that they react to the slightest changes in their environment. Most of the time this isn't a fatal reaction but often, such as in the case of teflon, it is and the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet is a hard way to learn about a common toxin in our homes."
"Parrot keepers have known for a while now about the dangers of teflon and other coated cookware. Even a little over-heating creates toxic gases that kill parrots or other pet birds nearly instantly. The very few birds that survive the primary exposure die a horrible and painful death unless a vet kills them more humanely.
"www.birdsafe.com has more information about this little-known fact and many others relating to bird safety in the home many of which dove-tail beautifully with this health site and many others in diet and exercise suggestions.
"One example -- no reputable pet bird breeder will feed soy to their parent birds because of problems such as failure of fertility in the parent birds, chicks to weak to pip from the shell, early female chick maturity and failure of male chicks to mature properly and other problems.
"While I don't recommend parrots as pets for the average person, they are an excellent animal to observe as an indicator species in our homes as they are so sensitive that they react to the slightest changes in their environment. Most of the time this isn't a fatal reaction but often, such as in the case of teflon, it is and the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet is a hard way to learn about a common toxin in our homes."
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