Guest guest Posted April 21, 2005 Report Share Posted April 21, 2005 Please share this with friends who cook food ... ********************************************** A Sticky Situation Teflon, the nonstick surface that made fat-free cooking easy for everyone, started life as an accident in the DuPont labs nearly 70 years ago. Scientists working on Freon refrigerants stumbled onto a new material that is considered the most slippery in the world. The first Teflon products hit the marketplace nearly 60 years ago, with their nonstick surface seemingly making foods healthier, since you could cook with virtually no oil or butter. After last fall's Daily Health News article about acrylamide (Daily Heath News, November 4, 2004) several readers questioned the safety of Teflon. What about the chemical content of its cooking surface? Does it leach into the foods? Coincidentally, Teflon's safety concerns resurfaced in January with a finding by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that exposure to a chemical used to make Teflon could possibly cause health risks. The chemical in question is perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and the concern arose because blood samples from three population groups taken at random showed low residue levels of PFOA. In another study, rats fed large doses of PFOA had delays in sexual maturation and accelerated mortality rates. It's important to remember, however, that these findings do not relate directly to Teflon -- they concern PFOA itself. Facts About Teflon To find out if cooking with Teflon pans still is considered safe, I talked with Christopher J. Portier, PhD, associate director, National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Unfortunately, the answer still isn't crystal clear. Dr. Portier doesn't say it isn't safe, but neither does he endorse it as completely risk free. The reason, he says, is that research on Teflon and PFOA is an emerging science, and that studies are in the beginning stages, even after all these years. Previous studies on the material took place before the substance was so ubiquitous in cooking. Now that it is in such widespread use, it may be having a larger impact. Heat Factor There is one definite health risk that is well documented about cooking with Teflon pans. When empty Teflon-coated pans are allowed to rise to high temperatures -- over 500°F -- the Teflon emits dangerous fumes. (Teflon pans were never meant to be used with high heat and are clearly labeled to that effect.) Picture this scenario -- the fumes emitted from Teflon killing pet birds. The closer the birds are to the kitchen, the more likely they are to die. When I first heard of this it sounded eerily reminiscent of canaries being sent into a mineshaft to determine air safety. I didn't think it was an issue, since people don't normally cook at such a high heat. Don't be so sure... Since one of the culinary drawbacks of Teflon pans is that food will not brown in them, users all too often turn up the heat under a Teflon pan and walk away for a few minutes. This is all it takes, says Dr. Portier, to bring a pan up to the 500-degree danger zone. He cautions that if you see smoke coming from the pan -- assuming you have not put in oil -- it is far hotter than it was ever meant to be. Chipped Teflon has been another rumored health risk, but Dr. Portier says there is no research that supports any special risk from this. Nevertheless, he feels it is prudent to replace chipped or scratched pans because there may be the possibility of a long-term hazard. When pressed for further advice, Dr. Portier is hesitant to give a firm recommendation one way or the other about cooking with Teflon. His own pans are aluminum, but just because he likes to cook with them, not because he is worried about Teflon. (A side note about aluminum: The longer an acidic food sits in a pan at high temperatures, the greater the tendency for aluminum to be released as a salt into the contents. Don't store food in aluminum utensils or cook acidic sauces like tomato-based marinara in aluminum cookware.) Dr. Portier has a heavy iron skillet he likes for certain dishes, but he points out that it's possible the black residue that builds on the bottom of these pans might turn out to be a carcinogen. There's no proof on this yet, but he says, you never know -- so don't scrape the browned-bits into your food. Keep the Teflon? Or start scrubbing sticky pans? I asked Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, what he uses. His reply: Cast iron with an enamel coating for cooking... stainless steel to boil water... and glass in the microwave. As for Teflon, I go back to the concept of moderation. If used properly, Teflon still appears to be "okay." That said, I will use my Teflon pan as part of a varied cooking and food regimen that includes assorted cooking methods and pans. And, I will keep my eyes out for updates on Teflon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2005 Report Share Posted April 21, 2005 James et al, Pardon me for my bluntness, but does this article not underscore the fundamental imperative of eating a raw vegan diet? This article, posted to a purportedly " raw food " list, begs the question of why we (meaning human beings in general) are wasting precious resources and time on cooking in the first place. Footnote: the reliance on the torture of rats by poisoning them (in laboratories) to demonstrate the alleged (and probable) toxicity of Teflon is scientifically moot prima facie. Vivisection is pseudo-scientific fraud no matter how you slice it (pun intended). When we rely on torture of nonhumans disguised as " scientific research, " we throw all of our credibility into a tailspin so anyone with scientific integrity can easily question our data (even if they don't concede to the fraud of vivisection in itself). Clinical and epidemiological studies have always been & continue to be far more reliable sources of this data, not to mention far more ethical via informed consent, absent in vivisection. Namaste, David " James Garrett " <jhgarrett wrote: >Please share this with friends who cook food ... > >********************************************** > >A Sticky Situation > >Teflon, the nonstick surface that made fat-free cooking easy for everyone, started life as an accident in the DuPont labs nearly 70 years ago. Scientists working on Freon refrigerants stumbled onto a new material that is considered the most slippery in the world. The first Teflon products hit the marketplace nearly 60 years ago, with their nonstick surface seemingly making foods healthier, since you could cook with virtually no oil or butter. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2005 Report Share Posted April 21, 2005 David, I'm glad to see the article, only so it gives me one more reason to encourage others to eat raw. N. Nancy Parlette HEALTHY LIVING STRATEGIES Natural Health Counselor Nutrition Educator (410) 531-2410 healthylivingstrategies http://www.healthylivingstrategies.net/ On Behalf Of dapperd72Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 8:42 AM Subject: RE: Keep Using Teflon?James et al,Pardon me for my bluntness, but does this article not underscore the fundamental imperative of eating a raw vegan diet? This article, posted to a purportedly "raw food" list, begs the question of why we (meaning human beings in general) are wasting precious resources and time on cooking in the first place. Footnote: the reliance on the torture of rats by poisoning them (in laboratories) to demonstrate the alleged (and probable) toxicity of Teflon is scientifically moot prima facie. Vivisection is pseudo-scientific fraud no matter how you slice it (pun intended). When we rely on torture of nonhumans disguised as "scientific research," we throw all of our credibility into a tailspin so anyone with scientific integrity can easily question our data (even if they don't concede to the fraud of vivisection in itself). Clinical and epidemiological studies have always been & continue to be far more reliable sources of this data, not to mention far more ethical via informed consent, absent in vivisection.Namaste,David"James Garrett" <jhgarrett wrote:>Please share this with friends who cook food ...>>**********************************************>>A Sticky Situation>>Teflon, the nonstick surface that made fat-free cooking easy for everyone, started life as an accident in the DuPont labs nearly 70 years ago. Scientists working on Freon refrigerants stumbled onto a new material that is considered the most slippery in the world. The first Teflon products hit the marketplace nearly 60 years ago, with their nonstick surface seemingly making foods healthier, since you could cook with virtually no oil or butter.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2005 Report Share Posted April 22, 2005 Some of the people in this group are not all raw and could benefit from this info. Although raw food/vegan diet is what I eat everyone else is not required to eat this way nor do they need an explaination of why they eat what they eat. When I'm eating something beacause this person or that book or this article says it's ok, I'm really into being right and validated. This way of being lacks passion and excitement and also alienates people. "People don't care how much you know, they want to know how much you care" peace and blessings, Mark dapperd72To: Sent: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 08:41:38 -0400RE: Keep Using Teflon? James et al, Pardon me for my bluntness, but does this article not underscore the fundamental imperative of eating a raw vegan diet? This article, posted to a purportedly "raw food" list, begs the question of why we (meaning human beings in general) are wasting precious resources and time on cooking in the first place. Footnote: the reliance on the torture of rats by poisoning them (in laboratories) to demonstrate the alleged (and probable) toxicity of Teflon is scientifically moot prima facie. Vivisection is pseudo-scientific fraud no matter how you slice it (pun intended). When we rely on torture of nonhumans disguised as "scientific research," we throw all of our credibility into a tailspin so anyone with scientific integrity can easily question our data (even if they don't concede to the fraud of vivisection in itself). Clinical and epidemiological studies have always been & continue to be far more reliable sources of this data, not to mention far more ethical via informed consent, absent in vivisection. Namaste, David "James Garrett" <jhgarrett wrote: >Please share this with friends who cook food ... > >********************************************** > >A Sticky Situation > >Teflon, the nonstick surface that made fat-free cooking easy for everyone, started life as an accident in the DuPont labs nearly 70 years ago. Scientists working on Freon refrigerants stumbled onto a new material that is considered the most slippery in the world. The first Teflon products hit the marketplace nearly 60 years ago, with their nonstick surface seemingly making foods healthier, since you could cook with virtually no oil or butter. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2005 Report Share Posted April 22, 2005 exactly right Markblakenson wrote: Some of the people in this group are not all raw and could benefit from this info. Although raw food/vegan diet is what I eat everyone else is not required to eat this way nor do they need an explaination of why they eat what they eat. When I'm eating something beacause this person or that book or this article says it's ok, I'm really into being right and validated. This way of being lacks passion and excitement and also alienates people. "People don't care how much you know, they want to know how much you care" peace and blessings, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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