Teflon, Harmful to Babies and Children, Birth Defects and Infertility

By Ina Woolcott

PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid), aka C8, is a key chemical used in the production of Teflon. It is the 'protective', coating that prevents grease stains on wrappers and boxes. It is also used in products such as clothes, stain repellents, food packaging and cosmetics. PFOA and other related chemicals have been in use for around 50 years now, but the risks of exposure have only recently been highlighted. The chemical is infinitely persistent. PFOA will remain in the environment FOREVER. There are other classes of chemicals that break down into PFOA, meaning that even if PFOA were to be banned, levels in the environment could still rise!

There is no law making it a requirement for safety tests to be carried out on chemicals such as PFOA in order for them to be used or sold. Because of this, the Environmental Protection Agency, in the USA, (EPA) influence over chemical manufacturers is mainly limited to requests for data once contamination creates a problem.

PFOA poses developmental and reproductive risks to humans, according to a risk assessment form the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Children's exposure to this chemical may be way above safe levels. Some children have high enough blood levels of PFOA to cause serious toxicity in laboratory studies.

PFOA don't break down in the environment and can be the cause of various cancers and adverse effects. Animal studies with PFOA have shown

* "Significant increases in treatment related deaths" in rat babies at doses that didn't affect the mothers
* Serious changes in the weight of organs, including the kidneys, thymus, liver, prostate and brain.
* A high amount of rat babies died whose mothers that had been exposed to PFOA
* Damage to the pituitary gland at all doses in female rat offspring. The pituitary secretes hormones that regulate reproduction, growth and many metabolic processes. The change in pituitary size is linked with toxicity.

There are also various unrelated studies which have provided evidence of birth defects in babies from PFOA-exposed workers. The chemical has been linked to tumours of AT LEAST four various organs in animal tests. It has also been associated with increases in prostate cancer in PFOA plant workers. In 1981, 2 out of 7 women working at a DuPont Teflon plant gave birth to babies with birth defects. The plant then moved 50 women workers to reduce their contact with PFOA. The potentially negative effects of PFOA TO ALL are high due to exposure being so widespread.

Preliminary findings of a study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found a link between this chemical and lower birth weights in newborns. The study sampled the blood of 300 newborn babies and looked at their blood levels of a variety of fluorinated chemicals in relation to their birth weight, head circumference and other developmental markers. The more exposure the infants had to PFOA, the lower their birth weight and head circumference. 95% of US citizens, including children, have PFOA in their blood. The chemical PFOA has been classified as a "likely carcinogen," with previous studies suggesting that it can cause adverse effects in laboratory animals. Unfortunately at the moment, it is not regulated by federal environmental laws.

WARNING: the containers of many health damaging processed foods which can be purchased in supermarkets, from chocolate bars to chip boxes to ready microwave meals, are LINED with Teflon. Look after yourselves and loved ones by discontinuing the use of Teflon, stop using Teflon pots and pans. Chuck them out! The moment Teflon pots and pans are heated, they start to vaporize, releasing the toxic chemical PFOA allowing it to go into your bloodstream. ITS TRUE! Find alternatives, for instance we only use stainless steel/aluminium pots and pans. Also to avoid even more exposure to this chemical, below are some tips

* Glass containers should be used to store food whenever possible.

* Use only natural cleaning products in your home. ECOVER is a good one to use in the UK and can be found in most supermarkets such as Tesco's and Sainsbury's as well as other health stores.

* Eat organic whenever and wherever you can

* Try to eliminate processed foods

* Try to use only natural (preferably organic) toiletries e.g. shampoo (also paraben free), deodorants (also aluminium free) and toothpaste (also fluoride free)

Talk about animal testing - people who own parrots have known for a while now about the dangers of Teflon and other coated cook ware. Just a small amount of over-heating can release toxic gases that kill parrots, as well as other pet birds such as budgies, almost instantly. If a bird survives, they usually die a nasty painful death, unless they are put down. Bird Safe has more information about this little known fact.

Despite mounting lawsuits against DuPont for PFOA, the company has still not admitted that perfluorochemicals (PFC) are the focal point of countless environmental and health-related disasters. They have already paid millions in in fines for hiding evidence about PFOA and other PFC's. To date, any ban among manufacturers has been voluntary. Fines, even if millions of dollars are nothing against the hundreds of billions made on the products whose residues can be found in nearly all US citizen! Although there is a wealth of information supporting the side effects of these chemicals, who knows if their use will ever be regulated. Maybe something equally as bad, if not worse, will take their place! Around 150 applications are received monthly by the EPA and it is up to them to find out the truth.

See link: Ecover, The Power of Nature