WHAT IS TEFLON ?

 WHAT IS TEFLON?


The Teflon or poly tetra fluoro ethylene is a substance in the widely used in cookware as well as in the production of carpets, waterproof clothing and footwear (Gore-Tex), water repellents, furniture, due to the harmful effects that has on human health, it was over used..

In February 2005, I appeared on pages of 'Vjesnik' daily Zagreb's papers, with the statement on toxicity and carcinogenicity of the Teflon among other toxic materials, but that my article disliked certain structures, so I had to draw certain consequences for writing it down.

That something is wrong with the Teflon, it has been noticed for the first time, 50 -ies of the last century, at the workers who worked at Du Pont's factory; they had suffered from some strange disease of similar symptoms as the flu, but with severe consequences, because the pulmonary edema led to death ...

Inertia, neglect, cover-up or whatever else you may take as the reason why the Teflon has been quite late researched, although evaluated as a difficult poisoner, persistent and bioaccumulative, the studies on toxicity began only since the 80s of last century, although it was discovered in 1938 by Du Pont's chemists..

Attention to its own product Du Pont devoted unfortunately too late, but the results of these first tests they decided to keep for themselves because they have been devastating for the safety application of products, keeping them "under the carpet MORE THAN 25 YEARS.

The result of this conspiracy against the health of USA citizens and actually the whole population of our civilization is that 92 percent of USA residents has a Teflon decomposition products in its blood! The most probably the situation world wide is neither better.

But WHO, World Health Organization does not possess such information.

Well let's see what are the products:

EWG, USA, is an abbreviation for the Environmental Working Group, USA whistleblowers, which like the European Greenpeace place under the magnified glass everything that is considered suspicious.

During the investigation, they discovered that the TEFLON is not as stable as thought and as our the state toxicologist thought, the decay of which begins at temperatures at you grill the meat, and by accidental overheating even more, accelerate the launch of toxins and harmful chemicals in the environment, DECOMPOSES INTO 15 TYPES OF THE TOXIC GASES AND TOXIC PARTICLES:

-2 CHEMICALS ARE CARCINOGENIC: PFOA and TFE

-2 ARE FOUND GUILTY OF INCREASING A GLOBAL WARMING FAR MORE HARMFUL THAN RELATIVELY INNOCENT CO2: PFB and CF4

-2 CHEMICALS BELONG TO THE GROUP OF WARFARE AGENTS:, PFIB & MFA, AND THE POLLUTION OF THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT TAKES WORRYING VALUES

-PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THE PERSISTENCE OF THESE COMPOUNDS, PFOA, TFA, CF4, PFB PERFLUORINATED PARTICLES OF ALKANES (alkanes are paraffins, Straight unsaturated compounds, PARUM AFINIS =NOT REACTS ) NEVER WILL DECOMPOSE BY ITSELF ONCE RELEASED IN ENVIRONMENT!

-4 OTHER ARE THE MOST TOXICAL INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS: PFIB, MFA, and of course COF2 HF, WHICH ERODES EVERY ONE ORGANIC MATERIAL GETTING IN TOUCH WITH!

For those who do not want to bother themselves by a chemical 'hieroglyphics'
I recommend that you read only this basic information, and for those "explorer's” may read the whole article, and then to consider whether theywill be still using for inst. the Teflon pans!

Basic data are released by the EWG = Environmental Working Group, this data each of us should know, is that the Teflon (a compound that is not stable at all and, as such, does not belong to kitchen ware at all! R-author) begins to decompose already at 260 degrees Celsius, which is only 30 degrees above the temperature of roasting meat that take place at 200-230 degrees Celsius. By the overheating and reaching 383 degrees of Celsius, when you meat is actually carbonized flesh, and it occurs in only 5 minutes from start grilling it-but then evaporating occurs, and as the temperature in all parts of the pan is not equal, the higher temperatures produces stronger evaporating fumes of higher fractions.

Melting point teflon is only 327 degrees Celsius! Now you can feel free to ask what such a compound does in your pan, who put it there, WHO'S GOT A PERMIT TO PUT IT THERE!

The answer is NOBODY! Teflon was invented in 1938. when the control mechanisms were nonexistent or very low, and the consequences are visible today when, again, 92 percent of USA citizens carry fractions of decomposition the Teflon in their blood, and they POTENTIALLY CARCINOGENIC ...

Thermal decomposition, which starts already at temperatures of 240 degrees Celsius, the first release of gaseous compounds that would later be joined by scorched particles that by inhalation of them, mixed with gases entering the lungs and the precipitate starts there its disastrous effect on the body by the both aggregate forms of matter.

TEMPERATURE SCALE OF THE TERMAL DECOMPOSITION TAKES PLACE ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING SCHEME:

-240 Degrees Celsius: frees TEFLON fine particles of extremely toxic Teflon fraction that damages lungs in rats after only 10 minutes inhalation from start of exposure to this mixture, and the exposure over 10 minutes in test rats caused death! Here begins the evaporation of the disperse particles carried by the fumes and deposition of the same in the lungs begins.

-360 Degrees Celsius: the temperature of the releases of the TFE = tetra fluoro ethylene, which according to the report of the 'National Toxicology Program ", USA, is a human carcinogen, causing cancer at kidneys, liver, causing mononuclear leukemia.

-360 Degrees Celsius: releases the CPF = hexa fluoro propylene, which causes irritation to the respiratory organs and eyes, fluid builds up in them, leading to pulmonary edema and death, and also damages the kidneys.

-360 Degrees Celsius: releases TFA = three fluoro acetic acid which damages the bone causing osteoblasts, neurological damage to the tested embryons of rats, liver enlargement.

-360 Degrees Celsius: releases DFA = di fluoro acetic acid on which bad effect to the health we still do not know enough yet, but at the testing rats the kidney damage is observed.

-360 Degrees Celsius: release the MFA = mono fluoro acetic acid, an extremely toxic compound that already in small intaken quantities of 0.7 to 2.1 mg / kg body weight is lethal. It causes nausea, fibrilation of the heart rhythm and heart attacks and no breathing.

-360 Degrees Celsius: releases PFOA = fluoro oktanoid acid, which is persistent, do not decomposes and the US tests found that 92 percent of USA population have this compound in the blood, causing tumors of the liver, pancreas, breast cancer, reduces the production of thyroid hormones.

EPA = Environmental Protection Agency put this product to the list of carcinogens, which was published in the 'ABC Health & Wellbeing' of February 23th 2006.

EPA has requested that Du Pont, the patentee Teflon phase out from the technological process, PFOA, which Du Pont agreed to do-but only up to 2015!

-470 Degrees Celsius: releases SiF4, silicon tetrafluoride = very toxic compound who works out as the phosgene, but far more reactive than phosgene, the moisture in the respiratory system releases the hydrofluoric acid HF by the same time coating of the lungs by silicone. HF is known to destroy all organic materials with which it comes in contact! Causes pulmonary edema, anemia and leukopenia, osteosclerosis ...

-475 Degrees Celsius: releases PFIB = perfluoro iso butene which affects SiF4 above, causing edema in the lungs, releases HF, which is 10 x more toxic than carbonyl chloride (phosgene was the first poison gas, the warfare, administered in The First World War, which through moisture in the wi respiratory organs released hydrochloric acid, HCl, which is damaging eyes and respiratory tract of soldiers).

-500 Degrees Celsius: releases COF2 = carbonyl fluoride and hydrofluoric version of phosgene, the effects described above ...

-500 Degrees Celsius: releases HF = hydrofluoric acid, causing the decomposition of any tissue with which it comes into contact, causing pneumonia, edema, slows breathing, reduces the production of ATP = adenosine triphosphate, the basic chemical energy to the body.

-600 Degrees Celsius: releases CF3COF = three fluoro acetic fluoride, which decomposes into the next stage in trifloro acetic acid and HF (see above) and at the test rats induce osteoblasts and liver enlargement ...

-600 Degrees Celsius: releases OFCB = octo fluoro cyclo butane by which inhalation cardiac arrhythmia is caused, unconsciousness and death, and is suspected to damage DNA ...

-600 Degrees Celsius: releases PFB = per fluoro butane, which is the strongest global 'heater'. If the effect of CO2 on global warming is evaluated as a factor 1, the influence of the PFB's 8000 x stronger!
Not enough toxicity data are known yet.

-650 Degrees Celsius: releases CF4 = carbon tetra fluoride, (incidentally, by-product of aluminum production!) which has a factor of 'heating' 6000 x in relation to evaluation of CO2 effect on global warming as 1.
Causes damages to respiratory organs, irregular heartbeat, headache, lung damages, tremors, and coma.

The biggest problem is that once released in the environment, its life time is equal as some radionuclides, such as about 50,000 years!


Although the harmful effects of Teflon is already detected more than 60 years, even 30 years ago it was observed that induce genetic changes in newborns of women employed in the factory of Du Pont, only 80-ies years of the last century began research of the toxicity of its Teflon product which was believed is a safe product.

The results were devastating when they discovered the effect of PFOA per-fluoro oktanoidne acid, so toxicological data are 'swept under the carpet'.

Because of cover up the toxic facts of the Teflon, EPA fined Du Pont 2005 (in the year when our state toxicologist said that in his database is no data on the HARM effects of Teflon!) with 16.5 million dollars. Now please put this figure in proportion with 92 percent of the population of USA, who carry in blood Teflon decomposition compounds and ask yourself about the fairness and sense of the sentence.

Who is this money supposed to get?

In 2004 Du Pont has agreed to pay U.S. $ 300 million extrajudicial settlement of environmental pollution in rivers in West Virginia town of Parkersburg and Little Hocking in Ohio where the Ohio River was polluted by wastewater from the factory. Manufacturer has not admitted its guilt!

The tragedy is that the pollution was known to the Du Pont factory ever since 1984. and the Little Hocking residents were only let to know it 2002, eighteen years too late, when the four water supply sources were closed!

HISTORY OF THE EMERGING TRUTH:

Let's follow the time line

-1950s was observed that workers in Du Pont factory have respiratory problems and suffer from pulmonary edema ...

-1980. 3M announced that PFOA is retained in the body for years ...

-1981. women-workers in the factory had two children born with abnormalities of the eyes and nostriles. The women had PFOA in their blood.

-3 M, the patentee repellent of rain and moisture, called Scotchgard, recognized 1976 the PFOA presence in the blood of the population, by check the blood of workers taking the test 1979. Only after 20 years of silence, and threatened that the EPA will ban the product and take legal steps, 3M withdrawn product from the market.

Until then it was not known that they produced the foil for food packaging based on Teflon!

-January 2002, the presence of PFOA detected in drinking water in
Little Hockingu. Teflon was detected in the water in the Georgia and Minnesota, where there are processors of Teflon.

-May 2003, EWG is conducted warming test, where has been observed that the collapse of Teflon occurs after a minute and a half since the beginning of warm-up and then begin the releasing the above written fractions of thermal decomposition the Teflon. It is interesting that the first released are dispersed Teflon PARTICLES and fumes comes after 3 minutes of warm-up begining, carrying them into the lungs and respiratory system of your body. Then the decomposition products of Teflon are already in your food!

EWG called this phenomenon 'Canary toxicosis' because the Teflons dishes killed the canaries, because they died out from exposure to toxic products of Teflon decomposition and the questioned is now is it yet our turn?!?

-May 15th 2003, EWG announced that Du Pont knew about that the exposure to Teflon decomposition fumes causes the disease called 'the polymer fume fever', which is a good description. It was known to lead to pulmonary edema and death.

-June 6th 2003, EPA starts testing the presence of PFOA fraction of decomposition of the Teflon in the residents blood, later PFOA was called persistent, bio accumulative and toxic through all limits ...

-June 10th 2003, EPA requests that producers disclose information on the toxicity of materials used in the production process. The game begins with excuses to confidential factory process ...

-July 15th 2004 EPA blames Du Pont on hidding the data on poisoning workers blood and the pollution of waterways ...

-January 11th 2005 Du Pont has published a study in which a Teflon increased LDL, low density cholesterol, or bad cholesterol in 10% of workers which in turn increases the risk of myocardial infarcts.

It is remarkable that the Italian manufacturer of Teflon Miteni noticed increased both forms of cholesterol, and 3 M in turn observes increased 15%!

-May 06th 2005, Du Pont allocated 15 million dollars in compensation fund for the payment of the final sentences because of intoxication the American babies by Teflon ...

-January 30th 2006, EPA published a statement calling Teflon 'probable human carcinogen. "

Tetra fluoro ethylene, the raw material from which the Teflon is polymerized IS on the list of IARC's (International Assotiation of Research on Cancer) as a carcinogen. CHECK IT!

-October 01st 2008, The attempt to ban the use of toxic materials in food packaging in California failed as the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger put his veto!

-March 07th 2011 EPA requires testing of drinking water to all irregular (??) pollutants, listed by the 28 pollutants, including 6 per flourinated chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, PFC ...

However, testing begins in 2013! So who survives, will enjoy the results ...

 By writting above article used data from internet sites of:

EWG

Tuberose

EPA MSDS

ECHA

ABC Health&Wellbeing

IARC