Wednesday, December 1, 2010

A Teflon Free House...it's harder than you think!

So I made the mistake of ordering and reading a book called "Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things." Don't get me wrong it's a good book, well written. I just can't say I am enjoying reading it. Before I read it I was more naive about the things that surround us and sometimes ignorance is bliss. It's one of those books that makes you realize that no matter how hard you try to limit one's exposure to toxic, bad substances it still manages to be in our lives.
 For example I thought "if I get rid of all my Teflon cooking pans I will have banished it from my life." Not so. Sure I have decreased my daily exposure but it can still be found in my house in anything "stain resistant", in my raincoat, in Olivia's raincoat (it is found in water resistant fabric such as gore-tex, scotchgard and stainmaster), carpets that are stain resistant contain it, pizza box lining, toaster ovens, irons, space heaters, carpet glues, stain resistant coating on sofas, self-cleaning ovens with non stick coating (which I have),windshield wipers, computer mice, if you live in West Virginia chances are it is in your drinking water (DuPont is located in West Virginia), and it is  a key ingredient in cosmetics and clothing.( And this is only one substance addressed in the book)

Let me share with you a little of what I have learned about Teflon or PFC's.
DuPont invented Teflon. Their "Tag line" for Teflon is "It's Everywhere". Well in my opinion and the opinion of the book. It's not supposed to be everywhere! If our blood was to be drawn and a test for the presence of PFC's 98 percent of us would test positive for them. The problem with Teflon is that it is a chemical that lasts almost forever. What is the big deal about PFC's? I mean why should I even care? Teflon has been linked to respiratory ailments (when pans are cooked on high in the kitchen pet birds have been known to drop dead), various cancers, birth defects, and a contributing factor to asthma and autism.
All this information is overwhelming. But knowledge is power. I may not be able to get rid of everything bad. But I can take one small step at a time. At least I got rid of all my non-stick pans. Although...they are now in a landfill leaching into someones water supply.
The reason I care:

3 comments:

  1. you are invited to follow myy blog

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  2. wow. more purging... by any chance is this stuff in the PUL (or is it PLU) in the water proof lining of my fluff? i really love my diapers and i don't want to have to be rid of them...

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh wow...I had not even thought of my diaper liners. I will have to see if I can find out!

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