Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Monday, 19 September 2016

Toxic Cookware Chemicals Have Polluted Drinking Water for Millions

Are you one of the idiots using poisonous cookware?

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According to a recent Harvard study, 16.5 million Americans have detectable levels of at least one kind of polyfluoroalkyl or perfluoroalkyl chemical (PFASs) in their drinking water. About 6 million Americans are drinking water that contains PFAS at or above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety level.¹^,2,3,4

These industrial chemicals have been linked to a number of health problems, from obesity and hormonal problems to impaired immune function ⁵ and cancer, and the study’s authors warn that PFASs may contribute to illness even below the EPA’s safety level. Co-author Dr. Philippe Grandjean told the Charleston Gazette-Mail:⁶

“The EPA advisory limit … is much too high to protect us against toxic effects on the immune system. And the available water data only reveals the tip of the iceberg of contaminated drinking water.”

Recent research even suggests PFAS exposure may reduce effectiveness of vaccines in children by interfering with their immune function.⁷

PFASs Have Become Ubiquitous in the Environment

PFASs are used in many industrial applications calling for non-stick or slick surfaces, such as food packaging, stain- and water-resistant fabrics, non-stick cookware and firefighting foam. As reported by CNN:⁸

“As a result of their ubiquity, the chemicals migrate into air, household dust, food, soil and ground and surface water, and they eventually make their way into drinking water.

The problem with PFASs is that they remain in your body for a long time. Though other chemicals can be excreted within hours, it takes about 3.5 years for your body to get rid of just half of whatever amount you ingest …”

Do You Have Unsafe PFAS Levels in Your Drinking Water?

While toxic water supplies were found in 33 states, 75 percent of the samples with elevated PFAS came from 13 states: California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, Arizona, Massachusetts and Illinois.

Not surprisingly, the highest concentration levels of PFAS were found in watersheds near industrial sites, military fire training areas and wastewater treatment plants. Private wells were also found to be contaminated. According to the authors:

“Among samples with detectable PFAS levels, each additional military site within a watershed’s eight-digit hydrologic unit is associated with a 20 [percent] increase in PFHxS, a 10 [percent] increase in both PFHpA and PFOA, and a 35 [percent] increase in PFOS.

The number of civilian airports with personnel trained in the use of aqueous film-forming foams is significantly associated with the detection of PFASs above the minimal reporting level.”

Many Americans Face Health Risks from Water Contaminants

As reported by CNN,⁹ more than 18 million Americans also receive drinking water from water treatment facilities that have violated federal drinking water rules for lead. And, in 9 out of 10 cases, the EPA has taken no enforcement action against the violators.

Disturbingly, many water treatment facilities are actually using incorrect testing methods to avoid detecting high levels of lead, which means the number of Americans drinking lead-contaminated water is likely even higher than that.

An estimated 16 million also have perchlorate — a chemical used in explosives and rocket fuel — in their drinking water.¹⁰

Just how severe water contamination may be remains an open question, as the Safe Drinking Water Act only regulates 91 contaminants. Meanwhile, more than 80,000 chemicals are used in the U.S.¹¹ There’s really no telling how many of these chemicals, and in what amounts, end up in our drinking water.

Teflon Chemical Is Harmful at Minute Doses

One PFASs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, also known as C8), has been revealed to be far more dangerous than previously thought. For 50 years, DuPont used PFOA to make Teflon. Throughout that time, the company defended the safety of PFOA.

Despite the overwhelming evidence of harm, DuPont still to this day resists accountability for health problems resulting from PFOA exposure. However, the truth has finally become too obvious to ignore.

Last year, The Intercept blew the case open when it published a three-part exposé ¹²titled “The Teflon Toxin: DuPont and the Chemistry of Deception,” detailing DuPont’s history of covering up the facts.

Earlier this year, The New York Times also published an in-depth exposé ¹³ on the legal battle fought against DuPont for the past 15 years over PFOA contamination and its toxic effects.

According to a 2015 report ¹⁴ by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the EPA’s “safe” level of PFOA in drinking water is likely hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of times too high for safety:

“[T]wo leading environmental health scientists have published research with alarming implications … Their research finds that even very tiny concentrations of PFOA — below the reporting limit required by EPA’s tests of public water supplies — are harmful …

Since 2013, an EPA testing program has found PFOA in 94 public water systems in 27 states. These systems provide drinking water to more than 6.5 million people.

… [A]mong the samples with PFOA, statewide average levels ranged between five times and 175 times the level described by the new research as safe.”

Safety Level for PFAS Lowered, but May Still Not Be Low Enough

As a sign of progress, the EPA lowered the safety level for PFOA and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) from 0.4 parts per billion (ppb) to .07 ppb in May, 2016 ¹⁵ (including a maximum combined level of .07 ppb if both chemicals are present).

The new standard takes into account lifetime exposure that would occur from drinking contaminated water.

Unfortunately, EPA data shows that water systems in 18 states are contaminated with PFOA and/or PFOS above the new federal threshold. Besides, even the new threshold may not be low enough to protect public health. According to the EWG, the safety level really should be 0.0003 ppb.

DuPont Faces Increasingly Serious Fallout from Its Teflon Products

PFOA is now the subject of about 3,500 personal injury claims against DuPont, four of which have already gone to court. One woman who developed kidney cancer after drinking PFOA-contaminated water was awarded $1.6 million in damages.¹⁶^,17

These legal processes have uncovered internal documents showing DuPont was fully aware of the chemical’s danger to the public and employees, yet continued using it while hiding contamination problems.

In 2002, the EPA announced PFOA may pose a health risk to the general public both via contaminated water and Teflon cookware. DuPont’s own research shows that when its non-stick cookware is heated it breaks down to 15 toxic gases and particles, mostly fluorine-based.¹⁸^,19

Three years later, in 2005, the EPA fined DuPont $16.5 million for violating the Toxic Substances Control Act by withholding decades’ worth of information about health hazards associated with PFOA.

That same year, a panel of scientists was convened to determine PFOA’s effect on human health. After seven years of research, the results of which are detailed in more than three dozen peer-reviewed papers, the C8 Science Panel linked PFOA to:²⁰

Ulcerative colitis
High cholesterol
Pregnancy-induced hypertension
Thyroid disease
Testicular and kidney cancer

Its health effects were deemed to be widespread and occurred even at very low exposure levels. Now, residents of Hoosick Falls, New York — where a string of rare cancer deaths, thyroid disease and other health problems have occurred — are suing PFOA manufacturers for contaminating their local water supply.²¹

Hundreds of Scientists Issue Warning Over PFASs

It’s quite clear that the chemical industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself, and DuPont stands as a shining example of this. It can take decades before a dangerous chemical is recognized as such, and then the company can simply switch over to another untested, unregulated chemical, and the whack-a-mole game continues — all because chemicals do not have to be proven safe BEFORE they’re used.

In May 2015, more than 200 scientists from 40 countries signed the so-called Madrid Statement,²²^,23 which warns about the harms of all PFAS chemicals, both old and new. Documented health effects associated with the older, long-chain PFASs, including the following:²⁴

Liver toxicity	Disruption of lipid metabolism, and the immune and endocrine systems
Adverse neurobehavioral effects	Neonatal toxicity and death
Tumors in multiple organ systems	Testicular and kidney cancers
Liver malfunction	Hypothyroidism
High cholesterol	Ulcerative colitis
Reduced birth weight and size	Obesity
Decreased immune response to vaccines	Reduced hormone levels and delayed puberty

The Statement also points out the problem with replacing PFASs known to be harmful with other similar, but less scientifically evaluated, compounds, saying:

• “Although some of the long-chain PFASs are being regulated or phased out, the most common replacements are short-chain PFASs with similar structures, or compounds with fluorinated segments joined by ether linkages.

• While some shorter-chain fluorinated alternatives seem to be less bioaccumulative, they are still as environmentally persistent as long-chain substances or have persistent degradation products. Thus, a switch to short-chain and other fluorinated alternatives may not reduce the amounts of PFASs in the environment. In addition, because some of the shorter-chain PFASs are less effective, larger quantities may be needed to provide the same performance.”

How to Avoid PFASs

According to the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, the EPA can only test chemicals AFTER it has obtained evidence of harm. This arrangement is a prescription for disaster because it basically allows chemical companies to regulate themselves, and this is largely the reason why the EPA has restricted only five chemicals in the last four decades.

The Madrid Statement recommends avoiding any and all products containing, or manufactured using, PFASs, noting they include products that are stain-resistant, waterproof or non-stick. More helpful tips can be found in the EWG’s “Guide to Avoiding PFCS.”²⁵Other suggestions that will help you avoid these dangerous chemicals include avoiding:

Items that have been pre-treated with stain-repellants, and opt out of such treatments when buying new furniture and carpets

Water- and/or stain-repellant clothing. One tipoff is when an item made with artificial fibers is described as “breathable.” These are typically treated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a synthetic fluoropolymer

Items treated with flame retardant chemicals,²⁶ which includes a wide variety of baby items, padded furniture, mattresses and pillows. Instead, opt for naturally less flammable materials such as leather, wool and cotton

Fast food and carry out foods, as the wrappers are typically treated with PFCs

Microwave popcorn. PFOA may not only present in the inner coating of the bag, it also may migrate to the oil from the packaging during heating. Instead, use “old-fashioned” stovetop popcorn

Non-stick cookware and other treated kitchen utensils. Healthier options include ceramic and enameled cast iron cookware, both of which are durable, easy to clean and completely inert, which means they won’t release any harmful chemicals into your home.

A newer type of non-stick cookware called Duralon uses a nonfluoridated nylon polymer for its non-stick coating. While this appears to be safe, your safest bet is still ceramic and enameled cast iron.

While some recommend using aluminum, stainless steel and copper cookware, I don’t for the following reasons: aluminum is a strongly suspected causal factor in Alzheimer’s disease, and stainless steel has alloys containing nickel, chromium, molybdenum and carbon.

For those with nickel allergies, this may be a particularly important consideration. Copper cookware is also not recommended because most copper pans come lined with other metals, creating the same concerns noted above. (Copper cookware must be lined due to the possibility of copper poisoning.)

Oral-B Glide floss and any other personal care products containing PTFE or “fluoro” or “perfluoro” ingredients. The EWG has an excellent database called Skin Deep ²⁷ you can peruse to find healthier options

At-Home Water Filtration Is a Must for Clean Pure Water

Unfortunately, your choices are limited when it comes to avoiding PFASs in drinking water. Either you must filter your water or obtain water from a clean source. Both solutions can be problematic and/or costly.

While many opt for bottled water, it’s important to realize that PFASs are not regulated in bottled water, so there’s absolutely no guarantee that it’ll be free of these or other chemicals. Bottled water also increases your risk of exposure to hazardous plastic chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA), which has its own set of health risks.

Most common water filters available in supermarkets will not remove PFASs. You really need a high-quality carbon filtration system. To be certain you’re getting the purest water you can, filter the water both at the point of entry and at the point of use. This means filtering all the water that comes into the house, and then filtering again at the kitchen sink and shower.

The New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute recommends using granulated activated carbon “or an equally efficient technology” to remove PFC chemicals such as PFOA and PFOS from your drinking water.²⁸ Activated carbon has been shown to remove up to 90 percent of these chemicals.

One of the best filtration systems I’ve found so far is the Pure & Clear Whole House Water Filtration System, which uses a three-stage filtration process — a micron sediment pre-filter, a KDF water filter, and a high-grade carbon water filter.²⁹

If you have been regularly exposed to PFASs by drinking municipal water, it would be wise to not only implement the above filtering recommendations to limit future toxic exposures but also consider a detox program. The likely most effective form would be to use infrared sauna with niacin as discussed in my interview with Dr. George Yu.

I personally do a version of this program three times a week in one of our infrared saunas — not only for PFASs but for all the other, nearly unavoidable exposures from living in contemporary society.

From Mercola @ http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/08/24/drinking-water-pfas-level.aspx

For more information about Teflon see http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com/search/label/teflon

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Wednesday, 17 February 2016

Why We Won’t Use Microwave Ovens

Science Sheds Light Why Heating Your Food with Microwave Radiation Might Be a Bad Idea

by Arjun Walia

A few decades from now, will it be common knowledge that using microwave radiation to heat food is harmful to human health? It’s certainly a possibility, and information is already emerging which shows cause for concern. Microwaves work by causing water molecules to resonate at very high frequencies, converting them into steam and thereby heating your food. While this might be a convenient way to prepare your food, using microwave radiation in this way actually changes the chemical structure of that food.

The fact that they are approved as safe doesn’t mean much these days, as we’ve seen with several other examples from Tobacco, PCBs and Asbestos and Glyphosate. Just because a government agency, like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or a government health agency approves something as safe, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.

You might be wondering how this is any different from heating your food on the stove or steaming it, and that’s a fair question. The difference is that microwaves deform and distort the molecules in food, while conventional heating methods do not.

This is problematic in the medical field as well. We know, for example, that during blood transfusions, microwaves are often used to heat the blood before it is transferred to the patient. But using microwave radiation to this actually damages components found in blood. In fact, one woman even died after receiving a blood transfusion of microwaved blood. (source)

It is starting to look like microwaving can completely rid your food of most essential nutrients, but more research on this phenomenon needs to be done. That being said, there are some publications we can refer to if you’d like to find out more information regarding the harmful effects of microwaves on nutrients.

One example comes from 2003. A study published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture examined what microwaves do to broccoli, finding that broccoli, after being microwaved, lost up to 97 percent of its beneficial antioxidants. By comparison, when researchers steamed broccoli, they discovered that it only lost 11 percent or fewer of its antioxidants. (source)

A study out of Australia showed that microwaves cause a greater level of “protein unfolding” than conventional heating. It found that “microwaves cause a significantly higher degree of unfolding then conventional thermal stress for protein solutions heating to the same maximum temperature.” (source)

A study using garlic found that just 60 seconds in a microwave can render its principle active ingredient (alliinase) as useless. Microwaves have also been found to destroy immune-boosting agents that are found in breast milk. These are disease fighting nutrients which are essential to the health and development of the child. For example, one study found that microwaving breast milk caused a decrease in lysozyme activity and antibodies, and aided the growth of more pathogenic bacteria. (source) The interesting thing about this study is that the researchers found that more damage was done to the milk from microwaving compared to any other method of heating.

“Microwaving appears to be contraindicated at high-temperatures, and questions regarding its safety even exist at low temperatures.” (source)

A Japanese study found that only 6 minutes of microwave heating turned approximately 40 percent of the B12 found in milk dead and completely void of any nutritional value. (source)

Three recent studies of historical food composition have shown up to 40 percent declines in some of the minerals commonly found in fresh produce, and another one found the same thing for their protein source. (source)

A Scandinavian study conducted in 1999 also found that cooking asparagus in the microwave results in a reduction in vitamins. (Kidmose U and Kaack K. Acta. Agriculturae Scandinavica B1999:49(2).110-117.)

What Type of Container Are You Using To Microwave Your Food?

Not heating your food in plastic containers should be a no brainer at this point. This is precisely why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that any plastic containers should be labelled for microwave use, but even if they are labeled as safe, it’s still probably not a good idea. For more more information on what happens when you microwave your food in plastic containers, you can check out this article.

Many studies have shown that multiple plastic products contain various hormone disrupting chemicals, and heat is the worst culprit when it comes to increasing the rate of chemical transfer from the container to your food.

As written in the journal Toxicology Letters:

Using a sensitive and quantitative competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, BPA was found to migrate from polycarbonate water bottle at rates ranging from 0.20 ng/h to 0.79/h. . . . At room temperature the migration of BPA was independent of whether or not the bottle had been previously used. Exposure to boiling water increased the rate of BPA migration by up to 55-fold.

Again, heat increases chemical leaching, so be cautious of what you use to heat your food. Even plastic containers which are labelled as microwave safe (or even BPA free, which does not account for other worrisome chemicals) are still dangerous. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), “what the term ‘microwave-safe’ basically means is that any chemicals leaching from the container into food do so at levels far below those shown to have any health effects. There is cause to be wary of this claim, however. In particular, #7 polycarbonate plastic should not be used in a microwave, even if it is labeled ‘microwave-safe,’ because it leaches hormone-disrupting bisphenol A (BPA), especially when heated.” (source)

This may be frightening to consider, but examining the products we choose to use on a daily basis is important. We have seen many examples in recent human history of information coming to light about a product or drug which completely changes our understanding and attitude towards it. We only have to look at cigarettes to see the proof of that.

Why You Shouldn’t Be A Part Of The 90% Of Americans Who Still Use Microwaves

They’re fast, convenient, and easy to use. Manufacturers even produce packaged foods specifically for their use. What I’m referring to are of course, microwave ovens, the household appliance that is still regularly used as a part of meal preparation and re-heating in approximately 90% of American homes.

I say “still” in the previous statement because the dangers associated with microwave use have been documented for quite some time, dangers that I will once again outline in this article. Ultimately, arguments can always be made for the use of anything harmful if done in moderation, but given the hectic nature of most of our lives, the convenience the device offers makes little to moderate use seem very unlikely to be practiced.

Microwaves Alter Your Food’s Chemical Structure

Microwaves heat food by causing the water molecules contained within to vibrate at very high frequencies, eventually turning those molecules into steam. It is this reaction which increases the temperature of your food. The type of heating microwaves produce is known as dielectric heating, which bounces around the device and is absorbed by the food that you put into it.

Heating your food in general is known to deprive it of at least a portion of its nutrients, but many believe that opting to heat food via a microwave also subjects it to what is referred to as the “microwave effect.” Many still argue that the microwave effect is a myth, but a number of studies have come out suggesting otherwise. Most notably, a study released by Penn State University in 2001 stated that conventional and microwave heating appear the same at the macro level but are very different at the molecular level. The study also referenced a 1995 study in which a scientist successfully demonstrated that microwaves – unlike other heating devices – are capable of destroying viral DNA.(1)

Another study conducted in 2003 examined broccoli prepared in the microwave and found that the vegetable had lost 97% of its valuable antioxidant content through the cooking process. Given that we live in a world dominated by processed food, and much of the fresh produce we do eat is grown in soil heavily depleted of its naturally occurring nutrients, the idea of losing even more nutrition seems almost like a knockout punch to our health. To most of us, myself included, eating completely raw is definitely not overly enticing, so opting for the best possible cooking method certainly does seem important.

The best possible cooking method also extends into the oil you choose to prepare your food with, since many oils are found to turn rancid when heated past a certain point. You can find out more about that HERE and see one better alternative HERE.

Container Chemicals & Food Fats Leak Into Your Food

We’re all familiar with the “Microwave Safe” label found on a number of food containers, but this label is entirely misleading. Despite what many people think, it only refers to the container’s ability to be used in a microwave safely without melting or starting a fire. What it doesn’t refer to is the container’s safety in terms of the numerous toxic chemicals it can leak into your food when heated – chemicals which you then ingest.

Chemicals such as polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, xylene, the now well-known BPA, and even it’s so-called safer alternative BPS. Many of these chemicals have been linked to the impairment of female reproductive elements and brain development, along with diabetes, prostate disease, and more. The microwaving of fatty foods in “microwave safe” plastic containers has also been found to lead to the release of the known carcinogen dioxins.(1)

Oven-safe glass is widely recognized as one of the best alternatives when it comes to heating your food, and even though glassware can often be more expensive than many of its counterparts, it seems to be a worthy investment.

Even A New & Safety Inspected Microwave Can Leak Radiation

Microwave manufacturers do deserve a lot of credit for the heightened safety standards they’ve put into practice when developing the newest microwave ovens. Thanks to their hard work, a number of previous concerns have been rectified, however there still seems to be some exposure, especially when within a certain radius of the appliance when in use.

Even a brand new, perfectly functioning and locking microwave can expose us to up to 400 milliGauss of unwanted radiation. To put that into perspective, a mere 4 milliGauss has been linked to leukemia.(1) Steering clear of microwaves when in use is certainly advisable for all but is particularly critical for both pregnant women and children. Given that microwaves are most often used in the midst of the cooking process, steering clear of them can often be quite difficult, further exemplifying why they should be avoided altogether if possible.

How To Move On Without A Microwave

There are certainly no shortage of alternatives when it comes to heating food. The one key difference between microwaves and the other available options, however, is time. As with so many other worthy changes we feel inspired to make in our lives, they take a level of commitment in order to be implemented properly.

A simple step such as planning ahead can go a long way towards avoiding the need for a microwave. Taking frozen ingredients out of the freezer well in advance of meal preparation time will give them the opportunity to naturally thaw out in time for when they need to be cooked.

I believe that the more we become consciously present with the meals we prepare, the more likely we are to naturally steer away from the need for a quick prep option. Both a toaster oven and conventional oven may take substantially longer to prepare a meal, but the health concerns that they successfully avoid is certainly worth the wait.

—————–

I personally haven’t had a microwave in any of the houses I’ve lived in since the age of 12 and I can’t say that I miss it. What are your thoughts on the health concerns related to microwaves? Do you still use one regularly? And if so, why? We’d love to know via the comment section below.

For an even more in-depth analysis on the concerns related to microwave ovens, I strongly suggest you check out the Mercola article referenced throughout the article and as (1) below.

Sources

(1) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspx
(2) http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/are-you-still-using-a-microwave-oven
(3) http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html

From Collective Evolution @ http://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/01/20/science-sheds-light-why-heating-your-food-with-microwave-radiation-might-be-a-bad-idea/ and http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/04/06/why-you-shouldnt-be-a-part-of-the-90-of-americans-that-still-use-microwaves/

For more information about microwave ovens see http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com/search/label/microwave%20ovens