Hi Everyone,

Please find below an email from one of our customers ...... makes for interesting reading and backs up other reports about the dangers of cooking utensils. About 12 months ago there was a bit of a media campaign regarding these dangers .... shortly afterwards we went to purchase some pans from David Jones and they went out of their way to assure us that the manufacturers of non-stick surfaces claim that there exist absolutely no dangers associated with their products!! Fortunately we purchased stainless steel.

Rob Maclachlan (OQF Brisbane)

Please take the time to read the ARTICLE BELOW (and the following info) for your own health, the health of your children, future generations and all wildlife on this planet. The information following this article is widely available and totally authentic. Should you want more information I recommend the following site: http://www.ewg.org/reports/pfcworld/ (from where the info was taken) which also has other sites listed plus includes all sources of information and what research was undertaken. Please forward this info to EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT.

We should pay attention to the canary in the kitchen, If fumes from nonstick pans kill birds, what are they doing to us?

Editorial San Francisco Chronicle August 16, 2006

The next time you find yourself standing in front of your stove, think twice about using that nonstick pan.

In just two or three minutes of preheating, your pan will give off fumes that can make you sick. Each time you use medium to high heat on an empty pan, the surface on Teflon-coated and other nonstick cookware breaks apart and emits a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, according to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C., organization that investigates issues of environmental health and safety.

Studies have shown that PFOA is present at low levels in 9 out of 10 Americans, and in the blood of most newborns. In one study, of 600 children tested, 96 percent had PFOA in their blood. Animal studies strongly suggest that when enough PFOA builds up in the body, it can cause cancer, liver damage, growth defects and immune-system damage.

For 50 years, DuPont, the manufacturer of Teflon, has said that its coatings do not emit hazardous chemicals through normal use. But recent DuPont studies, reported by the Environmental Working Group, show that at high temperatures (more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit) Teflon (and similar nonstick coatings) releases at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants and MFA (monofluoroacetic acid), a chemical lethal to humans at low doses. At temperatures that DuPont scientists say are reached on stovetop drip pans, nonstick coatings break down to a chemical-warfare agent known as PFIB, and a chemical analogue of the World War II nerve gas phosgene. The environmental group warns that the coatings break down at just 325 degrees Fahrenheit or at a medium flame.

As a result of this new data, the group has petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require that cookware and heated appliances having nonstick coatings carry a warning label. So far, the government has not assessed the safety of nonstick cookware and therefore there are no warning labels.

In the meantime, a number of lawsuits against DuPont are pending. One of the latest suits comes from Miami, where attorneys hope to win compensation for "almost every American that has purchased a pot or pan coated with DuPont's nonstick coating."

DuPont was fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly hiding data for years on the toxicity of PFOA, and also for contaminating the Ohio River drinking-water supply near its West Virginia plant.

Avian veterinarians have known for decades that Teflon off-gases are a leading cause of death among birds, and estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of birds are killed each year.

Like the canaries that were used in the coal mines, birds act as an early warning system for humans. The EPA recommends that bird owners avoid cookware and heated appliances with nonstick coatings completely. Perhaps everyone should be heeding this warning.

While you can choose whether or not to use Teflon pans, there is no way for you to tell if food containers and packaging contains PFOA. In one frightening example, the Food and Drug Administration has looked at microwavable popcorn packaging and found that PFOA is not only present but also that it gets into the oil from the packaging during heating.

You may want to microwave your popcorn in a plain brown bag instead. DuPont also makes a Teflon silicone lubricant aerosol spray used to waterproof, protect and preserve rubber, plastic, vinyl, leather, metal and wood. One can only imagine how those particles are ending up in our lungs.

In January 2006, DuPont agreed to an EPA plan to phase out PFOA by the year 2015.

In the meantime, start thinking about alternatives: Try switching to stainless steel -- most chefs agree that it browns foods better than nonstick surfaces.

Cast iron is another great alternative to nonstick. It is extremely durable and can now be purchased seasoned and ready to use. There are also ceramic titanium and porcelain enameled cast iron. Both of these surfaces are very durable, better at browning foods than nonstick coatings, and are dishwasher safe.

Anodized aluminum is another choice, but some people question its safety, citing evidence in some studies linking aluminum exposure to Alzheimer's disease.

If you're thinking about Calphalon, be aware that the nonstick coating used in Simply Calphalon cookware is not Teflon, but is made by ExxonMobil, and uses the same chemical compound as Teflon.

If you can't bring yourself to toss out every Teflon-coated pan in your kitchen, at least manage your use of it carefully by making sure your kitchen is well ventilated and do the following: Never preheat on high; never leave nonstick pans unattended on an open flame or other heat source; don't use metal utensils; wash by hand using nonabrasive cleaners and sponges (no steel wool); don't stack pans; keep pet birds out of the kitchen.

At first, I must admit, I was resistant to giving up my nonstick omelet pan. Every time I tried making eggs in a stainless steel pan they would stick to the bottom. But I persisted, and after some playing around with the timing of preheating and using of a bit more butter or oil than I was used to, I discovered I could make the perfect omelet.

These all contain “perfluorochemicals” (PFCs) Gore-tex®, SilverStone® and Teflon® [registered trademarks of Dupont Chemical Company]; Stainmaster® and Scotchgard® [registered trademarks of 3M]; Guardsman® [registered trademark of Lilly Industries]

What can you do?
Although some exposures to PFCs are unavoidable - they have been found in food, air, and drinking water - you can choose to avoid many PFCs in future purchases of consumer products. Doing so will help reduce the impacts of the "PFC" economy on human health and wild animals. Here are some tips:

Phase out the use of Teflon and other non-stick cookware and other equipment that is heated in your home. If you can afford to replace it now, do so. When heated to high temperatures, Teflon and produccts with other non-stick PFC coatings emit fumes that can be harmful.

Do not use Teflon or non-stick cookware in your home if you have pet birds. In fact, avoid any kitchen equipment that contains Teflon or other non-stick components that are heated to high temperature during use. Fumes from these materials can quickly kill birds.

When you purchase furniture or carpet, decline optional treatments for stain and dirt resistance, and find products that have not been pre-treated with chemicals by questioning the retailers. Most of these chemical treatments contain PFCs that might contaminate your home and family.

Avoid buying clothing that bears a Teflon label or other indication that it has been coated for water, stain, or dirt repellency. Many of these coatings are PFCs. By buying alternatives you will help shrink the PFC economy and the associated global contamination.

Minimize packaged food and greasy fast foods in your diet. These can be held in containers that are coated with PFCs to keep grease from soaking through the packaging. PFCs are used in a wide variety of containers, including french fry boxes, pizza boxes and microwave popcorn bags.

Avoid buying cosmetics and other personal care products with the phrase "fluoro" or "perfluoro" on the ingredient list. Among products that might contain PFCs are lotions, pressed powders, nail polish, and shaving cream.

PFC Health Concerns
In new laboratory work scientists find that low doses of PFOA harm lab animals — at estimated blood levels lower than those found in some children. The government initiated in-depth analyses of human risk on receiving 3M lab studies in May 2001. And now, with calculated risks to human health far too high, the government is poised to demand rare, expedited assessments.

Industry’s most recent study shows organ weight changes — often a gross sign of toxicity and damage to organ function — among lab animals exposed to PFOA in the womb and into early adulthood. [Organ weight effects] [Mortality and sexual development] Some human children and adults have more PFOA in their blood than the estimated levels for the animals in this study. Under duress from the Environmental Protection Agency, 3M and DuPont are handing over unprecedented amounts of health and safety data — some 50,000 pages worth to date.

Three of the four tumors caused by PFOA are on the rise in people, including testicular, breast, liver and prostate. PFOA also causes hypothyroidism in lab studies, a condition linked to fetal brain damage. Hypothyroidism strikes 4.6% percent of Americans, mostly women . Levels of PFOA in some people’s bodies now appear to be in the range known to harm animals.
PFOA and other PFCs come from common products in every home.

Non-stick pans, furniture, cosmetics, household cleaners, clothing, and packaged food containers can all contain PFCs, many of which break down into PFOA in the environment or in the human body.

Teflon and PFOA: Teflon itself is not PFOA (C8), but PFOA is used to manufacture Teflon and is released to the air, along with other PFCs, when Teflon cookware is heated to broiling temperatures PFOA is also emitted to air and water at Teflon manufacturing plants.

Other common consumer products and PFOA (fluoropolymers and telomer alcohols): PFOA also comes from products designed to repel soil, grease, and water, including carpet and furniture treatments, food wraps, sprays for leather, shoes and other clothing, paints and cleaning products - and from products like shampoo and floor wax, where PFCs are used as surfactants. These PFC products include formulations like Stainmaster fabric protection and Zonyl paper protection, and are made with chemicals that break down into PFOA and related chemicals in the environment and inside the body.

Industrial pollution and PFOA: Chemical companies like DuPont and 3M have not been required by law to monitor or report emissions of PFOA, PFOS or other PFCs into air, water or landfills because the chemicals are completely unregulated—so all emissions are legal. Industry studies submitted to EPA provide the companies’ partial estimates of pollution loadings, but only for recent years and only from manufacturing plants, not from “downstream” industrial users. >From these documents we know that tons of PFOA have been released annually as air and water pollution from DuPont and 3M plants in West Virginia, North Carolina, Minnesota and Alabama; and from carpet, clothing, and paper industries in Georgia, North Carolina, and other places. In 1999 alone, DuPont released over 40 tons (86,806 pounds) of PFOA into the air and the Ohio River from its Washington Works Teflon production facility in West Virginia. The company now boasts of having reduced those loadings to 10 tons (20,168 pounds) in 2002.

3M’s Original Scotchgard and PFOA: Scotchgard products made by 3M before the year 2001 break down into PFOA, among other chemicals, in the environment The Environmental Protection Agency forced 3M to alter its Scotchgard formulation because chemicals in the product were found to be toxic and persistent in the environment and the human body. The public record contains little information on the new Scotchgard formula. 3M is using PFBS, a sister chemical to PFOS, as a replacement to PFOS based chemistry for some products PFBS does not break down. If 3M's replacement chemistry is based on telomer alcohols, it likely breaks down into PFOA as well.

Other PFCs: PFOA is only one of many terminal breakdown compounds of household products that contain PFCs, and only one of 15 PFCs known to pollute human blood. Some other persistent compounds that come from consumer products and are found in human blood include PFOA's chemical "sisters" that are characterized by carbon chain lengths either longer or shorter than PFOA's 8-carbon chain. Another group of PFCs found in consumer products breaks down into PFOS-like chemicals, the perfluorinated sulfonates that formed the basis of 3M's original Scotchgard formulation.