Teflon causes cancer?

[Airencracken]

http://www.medpagetoday.com/tb/PublicHealthPolicy/EnvironmentalHealth/1296

EPA Advisory Panel Upgrades Teflon Chemical to 'Likely' Carcinogen

Review
WASHINGTON, June 30-A ubiquitous chemical compound used to make Teflon appears to be a stronger cancer risk than the government had previously reported, according to a draft report submitted this week to the Environmental Protection Agency.


An independent scientific advisory panel said there was sufficient evidence to elevate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from a "suggested" to a "likely" carcinogen. Panel members also recommended cancer risk assessments to examine possible associations between PFOA exposure and liver, breast, testicular, and pancreatic tumors found in animals.


The EPA declined to comment on the preliminary report.


PFOA, manufactured by DuPont, is widely used in household non-stick products, upholstery, stain-resistant clothing, and fast food packaging, including pizza boxes. While the report did not suggest that any these products posed a cancer risk, it linked exposure to PFOA to tumors found in rats and mice.


On their own, EPA scientists are studying how PFOA gets into the human bloodstream and what the consequences of various levels of exposure could be. According to a report appearing in USA Today, tests conducted by the CDC have found PFOA may exist in the blood of 95% of Americans, though the source or sources of exposure have not yet been determined.


DuPont has conducted studies on its own employees and reiterated this week that there is no connection between PFOA and cancer.


The EPA will be discussing the draft report on PFOA as a carcinogen at a public meeting on July 6.

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Uncoated pans it is!

[Leon]

Well, that's just fantastic. I thought cell phones would kill me... But now it might be the stuff I've been COOKING with.

[Grimm]

Ok people, so now you know, don't have yourself coated in Teflon.

[Cubsfan]

Ok people, so now you know, don't have yourself coated in Teflon.
But I stick to so many surfaces... what will I do now?

[BrewMaster]

please excuse me for playing the "I do this for a living so I am the authority" card, but that article is a pile of crap. Teflon does not equal perfluorooctanoic acid. They need to get that straight in the article. PFOA is used in the polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene to produce polytetrefluoroethylene (PTFE) which under DuPont's brand name is Teflon. It is a minor contributor to the reaction, too. If there is any residual PFOA in Teflon it is very little. Notice that the article does not talk about concentrations or toxicity levels. That article is a terrible attempt to scare people. Teflon is inert and is one of the most amazing materials every invented. I wouldn't worry about anything.

There are plenty of chemicals that are hazardous to your health that are used in manufacture of plastics and rubber goods but those chemicals are removed before products reach market (at least in the US and Europe, I can't speak for Chinese manufacturers). Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) is used in most consumer plastic goods and even a lot of medical goods. I'd be much more afraid of that than PFOA used to make Teflon. Your coated pans are still safe.

[Burzhui]

please excuse me for playing the "I do this for a living so I am the authority" card, but that article is a pile of crap. Teflon does not equal perfluorooctanoic acid. They need to get that straight in the article. PFOA is used in the polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene to produce polytetrefluoroethylene (PTFE) which under DuPont's brand name is Teflon. It is a minor contributor to the reaction, too. If there is any residual PFOA in Teflon it is very little. Notice that the article does not talk about concentrations or toxicity levels. That article is a terrible attempt to scare people. Teflon is inert and is one of the most amazing materials every invented. I wouldn't worry about anything.

There are plenty of chemicals that are hazardous to your health that are used in manufacture of plastics and rubber goods but those chemicals are removed before products reach market (at least in the US and Europe, I can't speak for Chinese manufacturers). Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) is used in most consumer plastic goods and even a lot of medical goods. I'd be much more afraid of that than PFOA used to make Teflon. Your coated pans are still safe.


i agree with you on this, honestly you don't even need to know chemistry, just by reading the article you see that it's a pile of crap when you pay attention. They use teflon and perfluorooctanoic acid interchangebly

[Jeffbx]

PFOA is used in the polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene to produce polytetrefluoroethylene (PTFE)...


Pfft.... well, yeah, any third grader knows THAT!

[jstreet]

To test, leave an empty teflon pan on high heat on your stove, leave a bird in its case in the kitchen, and watch TV for a half hour or so. Bye bye birdie.

[InfiniteNothing]

I thought we argued this recently. The moral of the story was don't leave teflon on the stove at high heat for a long time or just use oil and don't let it catch on fire. teflon (http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87732&highlight=teflon)

[jstreet]

I thought we argued this recently. The moral of the story was don't leave teflon on the stove at high heat for a long time or just use oil and don't let it catch on fire. teflon (http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87732&highlight=teflon)

That's what I do. I have Teflon everything and I'm just careful. I'm much more scared of blowing up my apartment b/c the stove is gas.

[nickel]

yeh, this reminds me of the silver (amalgam) filling scare due to a piece of very slanted reporting on 60 minutes that triggered an avalanche of people who wanted all their fillings removed and replaced with composite (plastic) ones.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mercury.html

[Grimm]

But I stick to so many surfaces... what will I do now?

please excuse me for playing the "I do this for a living so I am the authority" card, but that article is a pile of crap. Teflon does not equal perfluorooctanoic acid.
Well, looks like you are ok then Cubsfan. Coat away!

I still would try not to eat excessive amounts of teflon though. Try to keep it under two 4 ounce servings a day. ;)

[nickel]

and this popular floss is teflon coated

http://www.breezecare.com/images/prodimages/glide.jpg

i use it. i am not concerned with it's composition at all.

[bachviet]

...

Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) is used in most consumer plastic goods and even a lot of medical goods...
Our company products don't container any DEHP.

[ooBaKeep]

But I stick to so many surfaces... what will I do now?


Thanks for the laugh! :cheers:

[BrewMaster]

To test, leave an empty teflon pan on high heat on your stove, leave a bird in its case in the kitchen, and watch TV for a half hour or so. Bye bye birdie.
that's hydrofluoric acid (HF) being released, not perfluorooctanoic acid. And if you heat up anything high enough and long enough it will probably release toxic fumes. Teflon is not meant to be used above 500°F or 600°F in your kitchen. Normal cooking with oil in a pan usually happens around 400°F. Leaving the pan to heat up in your kitchen is misusing the product. It's like saying that cars are death traps because if you drive one off a cliff you can die. Pretty empty logic.

[DarkFury]

:bawl: :cry: WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!! :cry: :bawl:

[blueindian]

and this popular floss is teflon coated

http://www.breezecare.com/images/prodimages/glide.jpg

i use it. i am not concerned with it's composition at all.


you sure about that? i thought it was wax coated goretex.

[nickel]

you sure about that? i thought it was wax coated goretex.
made by Gore, but teflon coated:

Dentists suggest that you floss at least once a day. Better yet, floss each time before you brush. If you have trouble using floss because your teeth are closely spaced, try Glide® dental floss -- it's made of teflon so it slides easily between your teeth. Do not traumatize yourself getting the floss in. Remember, the cleaning takes place on the outward sweep. In order to clean both sides, insert the floss twice into each space between your teeth (the interdental space).

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:bzDkGQZmXxQJ:www.saveyoursmile.com/healthygums/prevention.html+glide+floss+teflon+coated&hl=en&start=10

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:vOpaPYowDWUJ:www.breezecare.com/usa/glide.html+glide+floss+teflon+coated&hl=en&start=1

Colgate Total floss is teflon coated, too.
http://www.epharmacy.com.au/images/productimages/44322/200.jpg

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:Y6zfssrHTuwJ:www.dentist.net/colgate-total-floss.asp+glide+floss+teflon+coated&hl=en&start=5

basically either wax or teflon coats the flosses we use to help them slide between teeth. the teflon is not being burned at high temps and exposing us to fumes.... so it's safe ;)

[brainsmile]

well I don't know about the correlation of teflon and perfluorooctanoic acid but there's a high correlation between impotence and not getting any :P