What d'ya mean popcorn bags are dangerous to our health? I can see that greasy food like fries, pizza or chicken wings may not be healthy, but the paper container those foods are served in may be hazardous too? Who knew? And by the way, you may also wish to dispose of those Teflon pots and pans and use stainless steel or ceramic-coated pans instead. What is the problem? The coating used on these products. The US Environmental Protection Agency put out the notice in February of 2006, that the chemical, perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA) which is used to make the non-stick coating Teflon used on pots and pans and grease-resistant food packaging like microwave popcorn bags, is known to be linked to birth defects in animal studies and is likely to be a carcinogen.

PFOA seems to be in the blood of most Americans, as found in studies that examined blood from American blood banks, and is likely to be in the blood of most of the rest of us as well. PFOA enters into our bodies very easily through the cooked food when the non-stick pan is either scratched, or when it is heated, (which is what we do with pans and popcorn bags! ) Popcorn bags seem to cause higher exposures to PFOA compared to non-stick cookware, as a chemical in the packaging migrates into the oil which coats the popcorn which we then eat, and the chemical then degrades into PFOA in our bodies. Heated Teflon also releases toxic fumes which we inhale. Please note that for pet birds, PFOA fumes can be deadly. (There is a reason they took canaries into the coal mines - if the canary died, the miners new the air was toxic and they should leave!) PFOA is used to coat some light bulbs, in lots of cookware, stain-resistant carpets and clothing, Gortex fabrics, shampoos, conditioners, paints, cleaning products, electrical components and many other common household products.

These chemicals seem to have a very long half-life (1.5 years for males) and they remain in our bodies because our livers cannot find a way to get rid of them. Because other chemical classes break down into PFOA in our bodies and in the environment, even if PFOA were banned, we would be stuck with its effects for a very long time.

Not only are the chemicals released by heating Teflon toxic to humans, but research has shown that they also break down the ozone layer of our planet thereby contributing to global warming. Their persistence in the environment is a big problem.

DuPont was fined many millions of dollars by the EPA in 2006 for hiding the toxicity of PFOA from the US government for 20 years. And at the same time they were taking out full page newspaper ads stating that Teflon pans are safe! Please understand that most companies are usually more interested in their bottom line than in your health. Don't be duped into thinking otherwise. For more on the extremes some companies will go to to protect their bottom line despite serious health or environmental concerns, see the DVD The Corporation.

Now, I'm no cook, but my understanding is that the way to stop food from sticking in stainless steel or ceramic cookware is to heat the fat first, and then put in the food you are cooking. (Remember to use a stable fat for cooking, such as organic coconut oil, organic butter, organic ghee, or organic beef or chicken fat, as opposed to vegetable oils that are unstable and go rancid when heated.) I've also found that when frying eggs, after they have cooked for a bit, if you add a small amount of water to the pan, cover it and take it off the heat for a couple of minutes, the eggs will just slide out as if the pan were actually non-stick. Sorry, this doesn't work for omelets or scrambled though.

Related Posts:

Our toxic bodies
Artificial Sweeteners
The soy controversy
Which plastic water bottles don't leach chemicals?
Saturated fat - the misunderstood nutrient

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