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Consider this a companion piece to Hilltop's post.
Just How Much is the Stuff of Teflon® Sticking It to Us? Are Fluorinated Compounds the New Chlorinated Compounds?
They are among the world’s most recognizable brands and shining symbols of life made simpler by modern miracles of technology. Teflon. Stainmaster®. Scotchgard®. SilverStone®. When these brands are around, things don’t stick, stains don’t stain, and we don’t have to scrub stuff nearly as much as we used to. Recent evidence, however, suggests that non-stick coatings may be freeing more than food and spilled grape juice. They may be letting loose the molecules they’re made from and sticking with us for a very long while.
From Teflon pans to Stainmaster carpets, non-stick materials have become such an integral part of American homes, that they’re now part of our vernacular. Ronald Reagan was christened the Teflon president because controversy seemed to bounce right off his administration while reputed gangster John Gotti was called the Teflon Don because prosecutors could never get their charges to stick.
From Scotchgard to Silverstone, today’s non-stick materials are based on a class of compounds called perfluorochemicals, or PFCs. PFCs share some unique properties that make them extremely useful. Resistant to chemicals and heat, virtually nothing sticks to or can be absorbed by PFCs or products made from them. These attributes make them ideal coatings for cookware, upholstery, food packaging, appliances, clothing, and many other kinds of products. PFCs are also used in things like floor wax and shampoos because they have an innate ability to repel grease and oils.
The PFC family of chemicals consists of a variety of different substances. Chief among these is a compound called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. PFOA is a key building block of many non-stick products. It also is created when other types of PFCs break down during use.
Over the years, researchers have discovered a number of unsettling things about PFOA. They’ve found that it does not biodegrade or break down in the environment. In this respect, PFOA is much like other notorious persistent chemicals, especially chlorinated chemicals like dioxins, PCBs, and DDT. However, there is one critical difference: Though dioxins and other chlorinated compounds are resistant to decomposition by the forces of biodegradation, they don’t last forever. Depending on the particular compound in question, they may have half-lives of hundreds if not thousands of years, but nature will eventually break them down into more harmless component parts.
This is not the case with PFOA. Studies have shown that there is no known form of biodegradation to which PFOA is susceptible. It is simply not affected by the actions of microorganisms, sunlight, or water. In fact, scientists think that it may be the most persistent manmade chemical every created. In the most basic terms, they believe that PFOA lasts forever.
This means that PFOA is accumulating in the environment in ever-greater quantities as increasing amounts are added to our air, water, and soil both during the manufacture of PFC-based materials and then again when these materials break down during use. And that brings us to the second thing scientists have discovered about PFOA: Like many chlorinated compounds, it is also accumulating in our bodies.
Fifteen PFC-related chemicals have been detected in human blood and tissues. That’s every single PFC compound for which researches have so far tested people. This contamination is so widespread that it appears to be nearly universal. A study conducted by Scotchguard maker 3M, for example, checked the blood of 598 children from 23 states and the District of Columbia. PFOA was found in 96% of the tested samples. The levels in adult bloodstreams throughout the country are similar. Scientists estimate that 90% of the American population has some level of PFC contamination.
Current evidence suggests that PFOA has a half-life of 4.4 years in the human body. That is, after 4.4 years, the amount of PFOA in blood and bodily tissues (assuming no further exposure occurs) should be reduced by 50%. After another 4.4 years, the remaining 50% should be reduced by half again for a total reduction of 75% and so on.
The ubiquitous presence of PFOA and other PFCs in our products, environment, and bodies is troubling for many reasons. PFOA is a suspected carcinogen that’s been linked to testicular, pancreatic, breast, and liver cancer. It is also an endocrine (or hormonal) disruptor known to cause increased levels of estrogen and abnormal testosterone regulation in the body. In addition, PFOA can damage the thyroid gland and cause hyperthyroidism, a condition that can affect hearing and brain development. PFOA also disrupts the immune system by damaging a variety of different kinds of immune cells responsible for protecting us from illness. Scientists, in fact, have yet to find a PFOA exposure level low enough to not cause immune system dysfunction. And, if that’s not enough, PFOA is also able to cause reproductive and developmental problems like low birth weight, decreased growth, and birth defects.
All this information leaves us with one very important question: What can consumers do to protect themselves from PFOA exposures? The key is to keep further exposures to an absolute minimum by keeping PFC-based products out of the home. That means taking steps like these:
• Avoid non-stick pans and cookware. In addition to releasing PFOA over time, tests show that these items release hazardous fumes when heated during even normal use. Instead, invest in cast iron cookware and take the time to properly season it. (Seasoning is a process by which a cast iron surface is coated with shortening and then baked in order to create a smooth, slick surface.) A well-seasoned pan will function just like one coated in Teflon--foods slide right out and clean up is a breeze.
• If you choose to use a non-stick pan or other similarly coated cookware, never apply heat to it while it’s empty. Empty cookware gets very hot very quickly. Water, cooking oils, and other liquids absorb heat and prevent the cookware holding them from overheating, a process which causes the non-stick coating to breakdown more rapidly and release large amounts of PFOA in a single burst.
• When you purchase carpet or upholstered furniture, shop for products that are not pre-treated for stain resistance and refuse any such additional treatments stores or manufacturers may offer. Note that while 3M reformulated its famous Scotchguard treatment in 2001 in response to concerns about PFOA, the reformulation relies on a compound called PFBS, which is chemically related to PFOS and may present similar problems. (PFBS remains largely unstudied.)
• Don’t buy or wear clothing that says its been treated to repel water, dirt, or stains.
• Cut out as much processed food as you can from your diet. Avoid fast foods, especially greasy types, as well. Many of the containers used to package these kinds of foods are coated with PFCs in order to prevent grease and oils from soaking through. This especially true where paper- and cardboard-based packaging is concerned. If you choose to buy these kinds of foods, remove them from their original packaging as soon as possible and store and heat them in glass or ceramic containers instead.
• Do not use microwave popcorn, which is typically sold and prepared in PFC-coated bags. Instead, combine a quarter cup of high quality popping corn in a regular unbleached brown paper lunch bag, mix with the recommended amount of oil and any desired seasoning, fold over the opening, and staple the bag with a single staple. (Don’t worry--that’s not enough metal to cause sparking!) Heat for two to three minutes or simply use the popcorn setting on your microwave.
• Be careful what kind of paper plates you use at picnics and other events. If the plate looks glossy, don’t use it.
• Scrutinize personal care and cosmetic product labels carefully. Avoid those with any ingredient that contains "fluoro" or "perfluoro" as part of its name. This indicates the presence of a PFC.
• Be wary of dental floss. Many brands are coated with a type of Teflon called PTFE. Stick to plain, unwaxed varieties.
If you’d like more information about the issue of perfluorochemicals, the Environmental Working Group maintains a highly informative website on the subject at http://www.ewg.org/reports/pfcworld/.
Just How Much is the Stuff of Teflon® Sticking It to Us? Are Fluorinated Compounds the New Chlorinated Compounds?
They are among the world’s most recognizable brands and shining symbols of life made simpler by modern miracles of technology. Teflon. Stainmaster®. Scotchgard®. SilverStone®. When these brands are around, things don’t stick, stains don’t stain, and we don’t have to scrub stuff nearly as much as we used to. Recent evidence, however, suggests that non-stick coatings may be freeing more than food and spilled grape juice. They may be letting loose the molecules they’re made from and sticking with us for a very long while.
From Teflon pans to Stainmaster carpets, non-stick materials have become such an integral part of American homes, that they’re now part of our vernacular. Ronald Reagan was christened the Teflon president because controversy seemed to bounce right off his administration while reputed gangster John Gotti was called the Teflon Don because prosecutors could never get their charges to stick.
From Scotchgard to Silverstone, today’s non-stick materials are based on a class of compounds called perfluorochemicals, or PFCs. PFCs share some unique properties that make them extremely useful. Resistant to chemicals and heat, virtually nothing sticks to or can be absorbed by PFCs or products made from them. These attributes make them ideal coatings for cookware, upholstery, food packaging, appliances, clothing, and many other kinds of products. PFCs are also used in things like floor wax and shampoos because they have an innate ability to repel grease and oils.
The PFC family of chemicals consists of a variety of different substances. Chief among these is a compound called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. PFOA is a key building block of many non-stick products. It also is created when other types of PFCs break down during use.
Over the years, researchers have discovered a number of unsettling things about PFOA. They’ve found that it does not biodegrade or break down in the environment. In this respect, PFOA is much like other notorious persistent chemicals, especially chlorinated chemicals like dioxins, PCBs, and DDT. However, there is one critical difference: Though dioxins and other chlorinated compounds are resistant to decomposition by the forces of biodegradation, they don’t last forever. Depending on the particular compound in question, they may have half-lives of hundreds if not thousands of years, but nature will eventually break them down into more harmless component parts.
This is not the case with PFOA. Studies have shown that there is no known form of biodegradation to which PFOA is susceptible. It is simply not affected by the actions of microorganisms, sunlight, or water. In fact, scientists think that it may be the most persistent manmade chemical every created. In the most basic terms, they believe that PFOA lasts forever.
This means that PFOA is accumulating in the environment in ever-greater quantities as increasing amounts are added to our air, water, and soil both during the manufacture of PFC-based materials and then again when these materials break down during use. And that brings us to the second thing scientists have discovered about PFOA: Like many chlorinated compounds, it is also accumulating in our bodies.
Fifteen PFC-related chemicals have been detected in human blood and tissues. That’s every single PFC compound for which researches have so far tested people. This contamination is so widespread that it appears to be nearly universal. A study conducted by Scotchguard maker 3M, for example, checked the blood of 598 children from 23 states and the District of Columbia. PFOA was found in 96% of the tested samples. The levels in adult bloodstreams throughout the country are similar. Scientists estimate that 90% of the American population has some level of PFC contamination.
Current evidence suggests that PFOA has a half-life of 4.4 years in the human body. That is, after 4.4 years, the amount of PFOA in blood and bodily tissues (assuming no further exposure occurs) should be reduced by 50%. After another 4.4 years, the remaining 50% should be reduced by half again for a total reduction of 75% and so on.
The ubiquitous presence of PFOA and other PFCs in our products, environment, and bodies is troubling for many reasons. PFOA is a suspected carcinogen that’s been linked to testicular, pancreatic, breast, and liver cancer. It is also an endocrine (or hormonal) disruptor known to cause increased levels of estrogen and abnormal testosterone regulation in the body. In addition, PFOA can damage the thyroid gland and cause hyperthyroidism, a condition that can affect hearing and brain development. PFOA also disrupts the immune system by damaging a variety of different kinds of immune cells responsible for protecting us from illness. Scientists, in fact, have yet to find a PFOA exposure level low enough to not cause immune system dysfunction. And, if that’s not enough, PFOA is also able to cause reproductive and developmental problems like low birth weight, decreased growth, and birth defects.
All this information leaves us with one very important question: What can consumers do to protect themselves from PFOA exposures? The key is to keep further exposures to an absolute minimum by keeping PFC-based products out of the home. That means taking steps like these:
• Avoid non-stick pans and cookware. In addition to releasing PFOA over time, tests show that these items release hazardous fumes when heated during even normal use. Instead, invest in cast iron cookware and take the time to properly season it. (Seasoning is a process by which a cast iron surface is coated with shortening and then baked in order to create a smooth, slick surface.) A well-seasoned pan will function just like one coated in Teflon--foods slide right out and clean up is a breeze.
• If you choose to use a non-stick pan or other similarly coated cookware, never apply heat to it while it’s empty. Empty cookware gets very hot very quickly. Water, cooking oils, and other liquids absorb heat and prevent the cookware holding them from overheating, a process which causes the non-stick coating to breakdown more rapidly and release large amounts of PFOA in a single burst.
• When you purchase carpet or upholstered furniture, shop for products that are not pre-treated for stain resistance and refuse any such additional treatments stores or manufacturers may offer. Note that while 3M reformulated its famous Scotchguard treatment in 2001 in response to concerns about PFOA, the reformulation relies on a compound called PFBS, which is chemically related to PFOS and may present similar problems. (PFBS remains largely unstudied.)
• Don’t buy or wear clothing that says its been treated to repel water, dirt, or stains.
• Cut out as much processed food as you can from your diet. Avoid fast foods, especially greasy types, as well. Many of the containers used to package these kinds of foods are coated with PFCs in order to prevent grease and oils from soaking through. This especially true where paper- and cardboard-based packaging is concerned. If you choose to buy these kinds of foods, remove them from their original packaging as soon as possible and store and heat them in glass or ceramic containers instead.
• Do not use microwave popcorn, which is typically sold and prepared in PFC-coated bags. Instead, combine a quarter cup of high quality popping corn in a regular unbleached brown paper lunch bag, mix with the recommended amount of oil and any desired seasoning, fold over the opening, and staple the bag with a single staple. (Don’t worry--that’s not enough metal to cause sparking!) Heat for two to three minutes or simply use the popcorn setting on your microwave.
• Be careful what kind of paper plates you use at picnics and other events. If the plate looks glossy, don’t use it.
• Scrutinize personal care and cosmetic product labels carefully. Avoid those with any ingredient that contains "fluoro" or "perfluoro" as part of its name. This indicates the presence of a PFC.
• Be wary of dental floss. Many brands are coated with a type of Teflon called PTFE. Stick to plain, unwaxed varieties.
If you’d like more information about the issue of perfluorochemicals, the Environmental Working Group maintains a highly informative website on the subject at http://www.ewg.org/reports/pfcworld/.
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Date: 2005-11-17 06:08 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2005-11-17 01:33 pm (UTC)From:no subject
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