Yesterday the EPA released a report that they are increasing pressure on companies to stop using the chemical, called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), by asking DuPont and several other corporations to voluntarily eliminate PFOA and similar substances from plant emissions and products by 2015.
PFOA is most commonly found in Teflon, which is used in many household products, namely cookware.
The EPA plan would classify PFOA as a persistent bioaccumulative toxin--a pollutant that builds up in people and animals and takes years to break down. Substances in that category include mercury, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. The agency says "relatively small amounts" of such substances "can pose human and environmental health threats."
DuPont, currently the only firm that manufactures PFOA in the United States, agreed to join the EPA's voluntary program to eliminate releases of the chemical from its manufacturing plants by 2015, though the company did not commit to phasing out its use of the chemical altogether.
Late last year, DuPont agreed to pay a record $10.25 million fine for failing to tell the EPA what it knew about PFOA, including studies that found the chemical had contaminated human blood and should be considered "extremely toxic."
Obviously these chemicals take years to effect the body, but I am really glad that Ryan and I chose stainless steel cookware. I don't think the masses are going to die from eating food cooked in pans made with teflon (non-stick), but it is good to be informed. And please let me know if you are able to use your non-stick pans without using a little Pam cooking spray. Before we were married I used non-stick hard-anodized cookware and it was never "non-stick." Most professional chefs use stainless steel cookware, so it can't be for the quality of cooking it does. . . what is the point of it anyways?
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