Living Greener with Stainless Steel Cookware
Most of us over the years have acquired nonstick cookware to use because they are great. They do not allow any burned or dried food to stick. The cookware cleans right up. However, we have learned that the nonstick surface is toxic. In most recent years there has been testing done to show that the chemicals in the nonstick surface is toxic. The cookware has a brand called Teflon.
When Teflon® pans become sufficiently heated, the nonstick coating begins to decompose, releasing one or more of a dozen different toxins. This is not only true of Teflon® pans, but of all brands of nonstick cookware
As Teflon® pans become hotter, the chemicals released become more toxic. This outgassing is sufficiently toxic to kill pet birds and is responsible for “polymer fume flu” in humans, sometimes called “Teflon® flu.” Among the symptoms of Teflon® flu are headache, nausea, fever, backache and malaise. Symptoms subside within a few days, but there may be even greater risks to using Teflon® pans.
A nonstick pan left empty to preheat can easily reach 700°F (371°C) within a few minutes. At 680°F (360°C), Teflon® pans begin releasing tiny particles of perflurooctanoic acid (PFOA) or C-8. PFOA is used in the manufacture of Teflon® pans and other non-stick cookware.
PFOA does not break down in the body or in the environment, and has led to cancer and birth defects in lab animals. It may also be linked to two documented cases of human birth defects seen in DuPont plant workers who handled chemicals used in the production of Teflon® pans. In 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared PFOA a likely carcinogen. DuPont has agreed to phase out PFOA by the year 2015. While cooking a steak doesn’t require temperatures higher than 500°F (260°C), should Teflon® pans be forgotten on the stove in the face of a distraction or emergency elsewhere in the house, high temperatures could release even more noxious chemicals known to be harmful to humans, animals and the environment.
Studies indicate 95% of all Americans, including children, have small but detectable amounts of PFOA in the bloodstream.
Studies regarding the safety of Teflon® pans and other non-stick cookware continues. The EPA deems PFOA products safe for use pending more studies. DuPont admits Teflon® pans can release toxic PFOA fumes, but insists this only occurs if the pans are overheated, which it characterizes as abusive use of the cookware. DuPont’s stance is that by the time Teflon® pans release toxic PFOA fumes, food would already be burnt and inedible.
If you choose to use Teflon® pans or other nonstick cookware, cook with low-to-medium heat and do not preheat the pans. I prefer using stainless steel pots and pans in my home. They look very luxurious and attractive somewhat like pieces of jewelry.
Here is a link to a set of cookware that I have in my home.
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Tags: birds, bloodstream, burned, cooking, cookware, fixie chick, food, humans, nonstick, PFOA, stainless steel, telflon, toxic, toxins