Nonstick cookware is the cookware we are widely used in the present situation. And we don’t know much about the healthy condition of our nonstick cookware. So, we need to know about the healthy condition of the nonstick cookware.
Nearly all nonstick products contain long-chain perfluorinated chemicals or PFCs for short. PFCs are man-made, synthetic chemicals used in thousands of industrial applications. Polytetrafluoroetheylene (PTFE, or Teflon) is a type of PFC. If you’ve ever purchased a piece of nonstick cookware or bake ware, you’ve more than likely seen a warning label cautioning you not to use it at extremely high temperatures. While PFCs are stable at most of the temperatures typically used for home cooking, the material can begin to degrade at temperatures above 500 degrees Fahrenheit or when physically damaged.
Dangers of Damaged Nonstick
It is not PTFE itself that is toxic to humans but rather the fumes emitted when PTFE is heated to high temperatures. Therefore, when a Teflon pan is scratched, there is no danger since flakes of solid PTFE are chemically inert. But when a scratched nonstick pan is heated, it will emit toxic PTFE fumes much more quickly and at lower temperatures than will a nonstick pan that is structurally intact. When a nonstick surface is scratched, its potential to prevent stuck food is also diminished, so even from a practical rather than a health standpoint, using scratched or damage nonstick products should always be avoided.
Other Possible Hazards
As noted, PTFEs emit toxic fumes when heated to exceedingly high temperatures. Manufacturers claim that nonstick cookware is safe for use with the temperatures that home cooks typically use, but the Environmental Working Group (EWG) claims that their own testing revealed that a structurally intact nonstick pan emits toxic fumes after only two to five minutes on a conventional stovetop. To reduce the harmful effects of PTFE exposure, never use a nonstick pan in a 500-degree Fahrenheit oven, and never allow a pan to get exceedingly hot on a stovetop.
Is our nonstick cookware is harmful for us?
We think the answer is yes, but the truth is no! Because there are many hidden information is behind this. The safety issues surrounding the toxic chemicals within Teflon nonstick cookware pots and pans were brought to my attention back around 1980. I had been watching a nightly newscast and a segment came on about large numbers of household birds dying without a visible reason.
The newscast was to warn consumers of the toxic chemical which was the reason why these household birds were dying so unexpectedly. A toxic gas known as Perfluoroctanoic Acid was being emitted from Teflon coated non-stick pans.
When the non-stick pans were set on a high heat the toxic gas was produced and it was this airborne poison which was killing household birds.
I walked into the kitchen and threw away every nonstick pan in my cupboard. Since that time I have used only the safer cookware choices of cast iron, stainless steel, and glass pots and pans.
The Facts on Nonstick Cookware
The first Teflon products were produced, marketed, and sold by DuPont in 1946. Awareness of safety problems with the toxicity of non-stick cookware pots and pans began showing up over thirty years ago.
DuPont has received heavy fines for covering up data on the toxic of perflouroctanoic acid, and its hazardous effects on human health, when used in cookware or other products involving food consumption.
In 2003 The “Environmental Working Group” reported on the toxicity of nonstick cookware pots and pans. The Environmental Working Group’s report concluded that a single pan could release as many as 15 toxic chemicals, 2 of which are carcinogenic, into the air per use.
A strange twist to the acceptability of non-stick cookware pots and pans and their toxic elements is the fact that these non-stick utensils have been built up as being a health conscious choice because they help to reduce the amount of fats and oil in cooking. George Bush in 1990 presented DuPont with the National Medal of Technology “for the company’s pioneering role in the development and commercialization of man-made polymers over the last half century” of which Teflon was listed.
Safer alternatives than Teflon non-stick coated cookware
Stainless steel, cast iron, glass, and copper cookware pots and pans are all much safer cookware choices for your home. Make a healthier choice in your cookware to protect the health of your family.
Cast iron has excellent heat retention and is basically non-toxic. A well seasoned pan will also develop a virtually non-stick surface with proper use and treatment, and cast iron’s non-stick ability tends to improve with the age of the pan. Cast Iron cookware does leach iron into food but this is generally a health benefit rather than a health detriment.
Our bodies require iron on a daily basis, regularly cooking with cast iron, will provide approximately just less than 20% of our daily iron needs. The only people who should be affected by this degree of iron intake would be individuals who suffer from iron issues. People who have iron deficiencies rather than suffering ill effects would actually benefit from the use of cast iron cookware.
Safety Issues with Older Cookware
It is important to note that older products did not have to comply with these regulations so you may still have older cookware in your cupboards that do not meet with today’s higher health standards. There are still quite a lot of glass or steel cooking and serving dishes out there which do not comply with the stricter health standards of today.
When choosing your cookware, take these exceptions into account. That old glass baking dish of grandma’s might look beautiful, but it could also contain and leach high concentrations of lead into the food that you are feeding your family.
Whatever your choices in cookware, select the safest pots, pans, and baking dishes for your family and the environment. Choose cookware pots and pans that are made of cast iron, glass, or stainless steel. Toss out, or recycle, your coated nonstick pots and pans.
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