Non-Stick Pans

When I bought my high end non-stick cookware, I thought I had hit the jackpot.  That was many years ago.  Then one day someone that knew I was studying Naturopathy asked if I knew of the dangers of non-stick pans....

As pans coated with non-stick surfaces are heated chemicals are released both into the air and into your food.  I have been told that if you were to hang a bird cage with a bird near your stove and you heated a non-stick pan, the fumes released would kill the bird.  One of the links in recommended reading goes into detail about this statement.  I do know that the fumes / chemicals released are toxic. 

Among the compounds released were a witches' brew of environmentally suspect chemicals. Besides trifluoroacetate they included:

• Polyfluorocarboxylic and polyfluorocarboxylic acids, a family of chemicals that includes one being phased out of Scotchguard and other products because it accumulates in the human body.
• Ozone-destroying CFCs.
• Fluorocarbons, which contribute to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere.
• Trifluoroacetate, or TFA, is known to be mildly toxic to some plants. Because it takes decades or centuries to break down, some scientists have speculated that it could accumulate and cause harm in certain locations, such as wetlands.

And here you can read of the EPA's warnings that are now required on Teflon cookware: http://missvickie.com/resources/cookware/1teflon.html

Recommended reading: http://missvickie.com/resources/cookware/1teflon.html
Recommended reading: http://www.naturalnews.com/026678_Teflon_iron_cookware.html

So, be very careful in choosing your new cookware.  It is better to use stainless steel or cast iron pans.

Blessings - E