About teflon. For the past 2 years, I have been predicting that they would soon be banned, and

[Marg CDN]

last week, finally bought what I thought I would need into perpetuity.

Last night on the news, it was announced that Canada would be the first country to ban non-stick products and certain treated fabrics. Here's the quote:

"The products break down into long-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids -- or PFCAs -- which have been linked to cancer and hormone disruption.

The chemicals don't break down in the environment, and have been found in animals in the Arctic."

I was predicting based on the first reason but was not aware of the second. I am old enough that I was not concerned about my own health-related issues and since I cook only for the 2 of us old geezers, I will just make the task easy on myself.

Now however, the environment is a major concern to me. Scientists are reported to have found PCFAs in polar bears in the Arctic!!

Having bought the cookware already, since the product is already produced, it has to go somewhere and I may as well use it until it does.

But I won't be buying any more.

Our poor world is hanging by such thin threads.

 

[denice]

Wow! Thanks for posting this.

 

[lisainla]

THanks Marg. Do you know if the anodized pans are in a similar vein as teflon coated ones?

I really like having non-stick, but I don't like teflon coating. I am slowly switching over to either stainless or anodized.

 

[Marg CDN]

From what I remember about anodizing is that it is just a process that hardens

aluminum...electro-chemical I believe. That's decades old remembering but I"m sure it would still be the same. It's the coating itself that is in question.

So if you have uncoated anodized cookware, it would not fall into this category.

It's interesting that Dupont is pedalling quickly to refute these claims but from what I have heard, they cannot offer substantive reports to counter these worries. And then, there are the admissions of harm done to the Dupont factory workers by teflon flakes.