To The Dump With Them!!!

The controversy surrounding Teflon coating is huge. Just as with the tobacco companies, DuPont denies that there are health risks in using their products. Obviously, if the public were to find out that there were suspected health risks in using a product, the company producing the product stands to lose business, and money. The subsequent pattern of behavior on the part of the company is to spend substantial amounts of time and money proving that their product is safe for public use. I am not interested in proving that Teflon coating is not safe. To me, your choice of what you use to cook with is your choice. I am only interested in seeing that your choice is an informed one. I am not qualified to inform you on the particulars of the science involved, and with my own preoccupation with researching dietary interventions in cancer treatment, a new assignment as Troop Committee Chairperson in my churches' Boy Scout Troop, and my third semester of college scheduled to begin next week, I haven't the time or the inclination to research the particulars of the Teflon controversy.

I can, however, direct you to a very informative website (http://www.townsendletter.com/June2006/healthrisk0606.htm)

that is sure to inflame pro-industry sensibilities, and then leave you all to make your rebuttals in the commentary.

To this, I'd like to add my own anecdotal evidence. My mom loves Teflon coated cook ware. She uses it until it is scratched and warped. She isn't really aware of the threat, and is probably still in denial about it. About 10 years ago, after the death of her beloved schnauzer, I bought her a pet parakeet. I gave her printed information on it's care, because she had never owned a parakeet before. In the material was information that said Teflon coated cookware has been known to be lethal to pet birds. I may have mentioned this verbally to her as I left the printed material with her, but I might not have. The bird didn't last long. Mom, known for her love and care of animals, was not able to understand what caused the bird to die. This would have been a great opportunity to point out that fumes from the use of Teflon cookware was known to kill pet birds, and since her father had worked in the coal mines in Pennsylvania before she was born, she was familiar with the omen that a dying bird presents.

Could Teflon have caused my fathers cancer? Any number of things could have. We live in a toxic world and one of the benefits of knowing about fighting cancer with food is knowing that there are ways to offset the damage done to our bodies by our toxic environment. That is why, in spite of the challenges of a busy life, my blog posts will continue for years to come. For now, the purpose of this blog post is to convince you (sorry DuPont) that you can live without Teflon.

Back when I was 21 years old, I went to culinary school for 1 year. I worked in the food service industry many years after. One thing I can testify of is that nothing beats stainless steel for cooking. Aluminum, properly seasoned, is also great. If something sticks, they clean up easily, maybe even easier than Teflon. You don't have to worry about having the right utensil to turn over an egg. You don't have to replace the pan if it has a scratch, and most importantly, you don't (to the best of my knowledge) have to worry about the toxic effects of using stainless steel or aluminum.

Today I took my Teflon coated pans and put them in the trash. They were gifts from Mom, and they were nice while they lasted, but they are both scratched, which increases the likelihood that they are off-gassing toxic fumes. I don't have a stainless steel or aluminum frying pan, so this evenings breakfast (my son works third shift) was scrambled eggs with red and green peppers (full of phytochemicals and vitamin c), onions and ham, cooked in an enamel coated dutch oven. Yes it's strange, but it's safe. Someday I'll invest in a really large stainless steal saute pan that can handle a family sized stir-fry or omelet. I'm not afraid of change, in fact it's a blessing. Maybe my body has been damaged by toxins in the environment, or by naturally occurring processes that has caused cancer in humans since the dawn of time, but I am learning everyday to find and use foods and life-styles that can reduce the risks, AND I am teaching my children to make these changes too. I hope this post has encouraged you to do the same.