What struck me most about this article is how much rationalization occurred. I'm amazed that a (presumably licensed) doctor can in one breath say they have a moral responsibility to safeguard the public, their workers and the environment, then in the next breath describe why the results of their own study didn't apply.<p>But looking inward, I wonder if our industry doesn't do the same thing in many cases - what about:<p>- Eye strain caused by lack of contrast due to our favorite color palette.<p>- Stress induced by unintelligible workflows.<p>- Failure to protect a user's privacy.<p>- Programs that induce RSI.<p>I realize this is a far cry from polluting the environment with toxins, but shouldn't we at least think about these factors more often?
And the settlement reached was around 0.0086 DuPont's yearly revenue to be provided for education, water treatment facilities and medical expenses of the class action members.<p>Is that really going to deter them from doing it again? Where is the real penalty?<p><a href="http://www.hpcbd.com/Personal-Injury/DuPont-C8/C8-Class-Action-Settlement.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.hpcbd.com/Personal-Injury/DuPont-C8/C8-Class-Acti...</a>
Take the number of vehicles in the field, (A), and multiply it by the probable rate of failure, (B), then multiply the result by the average out-of- court settlement, (C). A times B times C equals X...If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.<p>What applies to the Car Industry (via Dialogue from Fight Club) applies to the Chemical Industry in Spades. DuPont Knew (or strongly suspected) that C8 & (Teflon) were causing Cancers, Birth Defects etc. But the cost was going to be too high to move away so they all "kicked the can down the road".<p>Time to sock them with a multi-billion dollar verdict after some of these people are locked up for long periods.
I've never understood the gravity of Teflon pans. I can never seem to keep them non-stick, whether it be because of using too high of heat or somehow scratch the damn thing.<p>So, I got cast irons. It's trivial to keep them seasoned and thus non-stick, and they can take the beating of very high heat -- searing meats -- and any metal utensils or rough substances.
Horrible. This is what's so scary about the free market and our current chemical regulations of innocent until proved guilty.<p>People cover up, even the biggest most "professional" here (DuPont), and the public gets decades of abuse.<p>Why is it that medication requires FDA approval with lots of animal/human tests before you can sell it, but chemicals do not? Here the tests internally done showed prove of issue year after year, and would have been a big red flag.
On the topic of chemical, how do you know if something is dangerous -- in the context of household item? Even with the MSDS and/or knowledge of the compositions, layman doesn't really have any sense on how dangerous something is (as it's all missing dosage). I'm a bit on the paranoid side (mostly because I think my roommate/ housemate has always been too liberal with spraying chemicals crap everywhere), and most of the time, even if I wanted to I have no idea if I want to use something in my house.
More on C8, the chemical discussed in this article: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanoic_acid" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanoic_acid</a>
As the article says: this is another tobacco case, so they'll deny everything even with fake/bought peer-reviewed studies. Just look how they treat their own workers... My family already moved from non-stick cookware to stainless steel. Consider doing the same in the mean time. As with the tobacco this will be a marathon, and hopefully common sense will win.
Stick with cast iron ( or even aluminium ) chef's skillets. Season them with oil or lard and build up that patina. No need for any teflon or manufacturing. Plus the heft and look is way cooler. If you want to cook on plastic, do it in a microwave. :)
Question - I use these pans:
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Circulon-Infinite-Hard-Anodised-Skillet/dp/B003ZYERM0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439371445&sr=8-1&keywords=circulon+infinite+30cm" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Circulon-Infinite-Hard-Anodised-Skil...</a><p>They are non-stick. But are they covered with Teflon? I honestly don't know. They are oven safe up to 240C, I can put them in the dishwasher...they are seriously the most durable pans I've ever used, unlike normal Tefal Teflon covered pans which scratch easily. Does anyone know?
You can make superhydrophobic surfaces with laser etching that affects the nano structure of the metal. Thus if you take a strong metal and laser etch it there is no need for potentially dangerous Teflon coating.<p><a href="https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/superhydrophobic-metals-85592/" rel="nofollow">https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/superhydrophobic-metals...</a>
I guessed this might be about PFOA when I saw the headline! <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanoic_acid" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanoic_acid</a> has the whole story, minus the anecdotes. Apparently a few parts per billion of PFOA in your drinking water is enough to detectably raise your risk of some cancers. Most environmental regulatory agencies propose 0.5 to 1 ppb as a safe limit for <i>drinking water</i>, while 4–5 ppb <i>blood serum levels</i> of PFOA are currently common among "unexposed Germans".<p>I was pleased to see that they aren't hyping the risk of cooking on Teflon.
Teflon has been known to be toxic for years. I'm not sure why "default trust" is a good position when dealing with companies like DuPont and Monsanto that have been caught lying to the public before. "Default suspicion" seems like the more cautious and logical approach here.<p>It's been more than a decade since I cooked with Teflon. I use glass, stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic/enamel (love that old original Corningware from eBay!).<p>Much like eating real food, it's not hard to switch and the result tastes better.
I highly recommend watching The Human Experiment documentary about chemicals, toxins and the chemical industry strong lobby. It's available on Netflix.
> A DuPont lawyer referred to C8 as “the material 3M sells us that we poop to the river and into drinking water along the Ohio River.”<p>Yet another lovely thing I'm sure I ingested when I grew up drinking tap water in New Orleans what with the Ohio being the biggest tributary to the Mississippi.
It may seem nit-picky, but the word "toxin" refers to a harmful substance produced by a living organism (e.g. snake venom). For a synthesized or manufactured chemical that is harmful, "toxicant" or simply toxic chemical is the correct term.
All that teflon is going somewhere when it falls off the pan. Its going in the food and into your body. I'd rather not run that experiment.<p>So many years ago I started using a glass frying pan.
Wait... <i>so nobody even got life-in-prison for this shit??!!</i><p>My gut reaction is the we should <i>seriously consider</i> resurrecting worse-than-death-penalty sanctions for the executives and scientists involved. I'd propose something like this for the fully-informed company executives and free acting scientists: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_familial_exterminations" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_familial_exterminations</a>
Teflon is an insulator compare to iron. Thermal conductivity W/(m K) Teflon 0.25, Iron 80[1]. So Teflon coating reduces cooking, heating efficiency.
[1]engineeringtoolbox.com