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Questions
about safety of nonstick cookware unresolved
August 11, 05
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
After
more than two years of study by the federal government, questions
concerning the safety of nonstick cookware remain unresolved.
Consumers should be aware of the controversy and consider
whether they want to take steps to limit possible harm while
the science is being sorted out.
The questions center around a man-made chemical called perfluoroctanoic
acid, or PFOA for short. PFOA is used in the production of
Teflon and other nonstick-coated cookware and water-, grease-
and stain-repellent products used in carpet, fabric, paper,
leather, and other goods.
I first wrote on this topic in this
column almost two years ago. The issue at that time had
taken on urgency because the Environmental Protection Agency
had determined that PFOA:
* Is persistent in the environment and continues to build
up as more is produced;
* Is present in the blood of up to 90 percent of Americans;
* May cause cancer and other problems, including liver damage
and birth defects, in laboratory animals.
The EPA two years ago launched an expedited review of the
scientific data concerning risks PFOA may pose to human health.
The agency found there was “suggestive evidence”
that PFOA causes cancer in humans.
But an independent EPA scientific advisory board in June concluded
the association was stronger and that PFOA was a “likely”
cancer-causing agent in humans.
Industry representatives point out that consumer goods produced
in processes that use PFOA don’t necessarily still contain
the chemical.
But scientists have found that nonstick coatings can chemically
break down when heated, creating and releasing PFOA into food
and the environment. The EPA has not yet finalized its report
and recommendations on the risks.
Any risks, though, may extend well beyond nonstick pots and
pans.
The Food and Drug Administration has begun a preliminary investigation
into the migration of PFOA into food heated in coated paper
packaging, such as that used for microwave popcorn, pizza
boxes and french fry containers. A spokesman for the FDA told
The New York Times last month, however, that it’s too
early to declare coated food packaging a safety risk.
Where does this leave consumers?
You have two choices. The first: Wait and see.
This is the advice of the EPA. (The agency answers basic questions
about PFOA online at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoainfo.htm.)
However, you may opt to err on the side of caution and take
some steps now to lessen potential exposure to PFOA:
* Set aside your nonstick pots and pans and use stainless
steel or cast iron cookware instead.
* If you use nonstick cookware, you should not let it sit
on a burner without adding food or liquid. Leaving empty pots
and pans on a heat source may allow cookware to get hot enough
to release PFOA.
* If you use nonstick cookware, avoid high temperatures. Use
low or medium heat settings instead.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit consumer and
research organization, also recommends limiting consumption
of foods packaged in wrappers or containers coated to keep
grease from soaking through. (More consumer tips from the
Environmental Working Group can be found online at http://www.ewg.org/reports/pfcworld/part10.php.)
The final word on PFOA and the safety of nonstick pans and
pizza boxes isn’t likely to come any time soon.
Even if additional studies confirm that PFOA poses a substantial
risk to human health, ridding it from our lives and environment
would be difficult: It’s already everywhere, even in
the blood of polar bears living in the Arctic.
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