It seems that the ingenious invention of Teflon by DuPont Corporation has a dark side.  Remember when Teflon first came out and we were all awed about how we could virtually burn something like sugar and it just easily wipes out of the pan?  Well, a chemical that is used to produce Teflon and other non-stick materials like oil-resistant paper products and stain resistant clothing (called PFOA, perfluorooctanoic acid which is a perfluorinated chemical-PFCs) seems to harm the immune system, liver and thyroid.  This is based on a research study of 69,000 people who lived in West Virginia and Ohio who lived near Du Pont chemical plants. 

In animal studies PFOA exposure has been linked to the death of immune cells leaving the body vulnerable to infection.  Additionally a liver protein helpful in protection from infection was also found to be lower in people living near the DuPont plants.  Two liver enzymes were tested and found to be higher than normal indicating liver damage and liver cell death.  In children, early PFOA exposure lead to elevation in cholesterol and increased likelihood of obesity later on in life.  PFOA is found not only in Teflon but also in the lining of microwaved popcorn bags (to keep the paper bag from soaking up the butter), pizza box containers and Scotchguard.  Finally, the study found that PFOA is an endocrine disruptor significantly affecting the thyroid gland, which can affect the brain development of children and the metabolism of adults.

As a response to this study the State of California is currently trying to pass legislation to ban the use of PFCs in food packaging.  DuPont and other companies have agreed to stop using PFOAs in 2015 but since the PFC molecules never break down, the decades of the PFCs and PFOAs have been around are hazardous enough in our water and air.  So replace those Teflon coated pots, pans, baking sheets and such with stainless steel cookware with aluminum or copper cores to help with the heat conduction.  Avoid aluminum pots and pans as they contaminate the foods and can react with acidic foods easily.  Last week, 3 members of Congress introduced new legislation to test chemicals before they are allowed on the market.  This may be useful but many of these chemicals take years for us to fully understand the impact of their toxicity.  Currently most chemicals are allowed on the market with little of no safety testing.  Ultimately there needs to be a review board which tracks long term health and environmental impact of chemicals on the market.