Is Your Cookware Coated by Teflon?
If so, please take a few minutes to read this post and then make an informed decision about replacing them with cast iron cookware. Teflon cookware is made with a chemical called PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) which has been linked to cancer, birth defects, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, preeclampsia, high cholesterol, and other serious health problems. PFOA is found in the blood of 99% of Americans tested.
So What Makes Teflon Cookware Toxic?
When PFOA is heated, it breaks down and releases toxins into the air. These toxins can cause flu-like symptoms in humans, and are deadly to birds. In fact, Teflon was originally developed as a pesticide! Watch the Movie, Dark Waters, for an eye-opening, fact based tale of events happening in my state, West Virginia.
But We Can Still Buy Teflon Cookware
If you’re not ready to get rid of all of your teflon cookware, is it because you believe the rhetoric put out by the companies still making it and government entities still telling us it is safe? Are you under the impression that if it were really that bad for us, it would have been banned by now? Here’s the thing: Just because something hasn’t been banned, doesn’t mean it is safe. In fact, there are plenty of harmful chemicals and products still in use today that haven’t been banned—in America! Other countries, yes, but not in America. Go figure!
DuPont, the maker of teflon, was found guilty in 2001 of poisoning people in The Ohio River Valley. Did that stop them? Nope. Another company they created, DuPont and Chemours, agreed to pay $671 million dollars to settle thousands of lawsuits in 2017. Greed and willful negligence is profitable. It’s up to us to educate ourselves and make better decisions about what we allow into our homes.
Cast Iron Skillets are a Safe Replacement for Toxic Teflon
Cast iron skillets are a much healthier option for cooking than teflon cookware. They don’t release toxins into the air and they can actually be beneficial to your health. Cast iron skillets are coated with a layer of safe oil (never vegetable oils) that helps to season the pan. This seasoning creates a non-stick surface that gets better with each use. (As an Amazon Associate I earn commissions.)
Not only is cooking with cast iron skillets better for your health, but it can also help to improve the flavor of your food. When food is cooked in a cast iron skillet, it absorbs some of the iron from the pan. This extra iron can be beneficial for people who are iron deficient. Look for a future post on how to use cast iron cookware.
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