Time to get rid of those non-stick pots and pans you love so much. No, really...it's time to let them go, cut the cord. You've read all the reports about the nasty chemicals in those slick surfaces. Well, today the EPA took action.

It all started in the late 90's, when some of these man-made chemicals (the ones used to make Teflon and many other slick surfaces) started showing up in the blood of the general population. In fact, the chemicals were turning up all over the place: the environment, the people, food - you name it. The EPA began to look into these chemical compounds and similar chemicals as well (they main chemical they are generally concerned about is referred to as PFOA). Based on the adverse effects and developmental problems they found in studies on laboratory animals they've decided to take a closer look at the potential impact on humans and in the meantime invited a handful of manufacturers, including DuPont, to participate in a phase-out plan.

Here's what the EPA had to say about the effects of PFOA's on animals:

"...An extensive array of animal toxicity studies have been conducted in rodents and monkeys. These studies have shown that APFO exposure can result in a variety of toxic effects in animals including liver toxicity, developmental toxicity, and immunotoxicity. In addition, rodent bioassays have shown that chronic APFO exposure is associated with a variety of tumor types..."

In an article titled, Harmful Teflon Chemical To Be Eliminated by 2015, The Washington Post has reported that eight companies including DuPont agreed to a pact of sorts - agreeing to eliminate PFOAs from all consumer products coated with the non-stick material. The article goes on to say that the chemical would "still be used to manufacture Teflon and similar products, processes will be developed to ensure that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) would not be released into the environment from finished products or manufacturing plants."

We aren't exactly sure what that means, but it sounds like they are still going to be using PFOAs.

The EPA site states that corporate commitments to the program with be posted to this website.

Comments (0) | January 27 - 9:27 PM

category: News, Studies + Trends