Chemical Used in Teflon & Non-Stick Cookware Linked to Heart Disease
Elizabeth Renter
Activist Post
Further presenting
non-stick cookware dangers, a new study published in this month’s
Archives of Internal Medicine reveals a relation between PFOA (the chemical in Teflon, used in
non-stick pans among other things) and heart disease. While scientists
are cautious, as they always are, to say they are definitively linked,
some say that steering clear of the chemical “just in case” wouldn’t be a
bad idea.
Cooking up Heart DiseaseAccording to the
study published in the journal
The Jama Network,
researchers looked at PFOA presence and incidence of heart disease,
heart attack, or stroke. About 98 percent of Americans have traces of
PFOA in them; those with the highest levels of the chemical were found
to have double the odds of heart disease when compared with those having
the lowest levels.
Also, those with higher PFOA, had a 78 percent higher risk of peripheral heart disease—where arteries narrow and harden.
Researchers say there is no hard evidence that the
PFOA causes heart diseases or otherwise increases someone’s risk, merely
that the conditions “co-exist.”
<blockquote class="tr_bq">'What we are finding is that high levels of
PFOA and cardiovascular disease coexisted for some reason. That is all,'
said lead author Dr. Anoop Shgankar with the West Virginia University
School of Public Health. 'It is possible that we are seeing something
that is just a bystander and is there because of confounding
associations.'</blockquote>
But this isn’t the first time perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been
associated or found co-existing with other health problems. The
Environmental Working Group has it classified as a “likely carcinogen,” meaning it could lead to cancer. Even the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was likely to cause cancer.
So, if something causes mutations in cells, as in cancer, wouldn’t it
make sense that it could lead to a whole host of other health concerns?
Along with the increasingly well-known knowledge that the toxic fumes
emitted from non-stick cookware can make a bird drop dead if it’s in the
same room, PFOA has also been shown to cause conditions such as
low birth weight and organ-specific
oxidative DNA damage.
Other research published in the
Environmental Health Perspectives journal says those with higher blood levels of PFOA also have a higher incidence of thyroid disease.
But PFOA is still found in some non-stick pans—it’s the coating that
allows people to use less oil. And with 98 percent of Americans walking
around with PFOA in their bodies, it’s definitely something to be
concerned about.
What can you do? If you haven’t already, stop using non-stick pans. Cast iron is a far better choice, and will last a lifetime.
Source:-
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/09/chemical-used-in-teflon-non-stick.html