What are Non-Stick Chemicals?

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Have you ever struggled to unwrap a piece of candy or a chewy sweet? Often it becomes almost impossible to remove that last tiny piece of paper and you decide to eat it rather than go without the nice treat.

Modern packaging uses what are called non-stick chemicals to wrap articles of food especially that tend to stick to the plastic packet. That clinging plastic film you use in the kitchen has non-stick chemicals compounded into the film. The class of chemicals are known as perfluorocarbons and consist essentially of fluorine, carbon and hydrogen. Your pop corn packs and pizza boxes almost certainly contain these non stick chemicals.

A fear has been for quite some time that these non-stick perfluorocarbon chemicals may be dangerous to health and a recent study has confirmed that indeed non-stick chemicals may well be carcinogenic (cancer causing) to human beings. Tests have shown grease or oil-resistant surface coatings on food packaging actually degrade to contaminate the food inside the packaging. Non-stick chemical producers seem to be about to adopt a 10 year program to phase out these chemicals but environmental protection groups are insisting on immediate withdrawal.

The USA is the biggest user of non-stick wrapping materials that come into contact with food and Australia is a close second.

Early in February 2006, 24 independent scientists recommended to the EPA in the USA that non-stick chemical called PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acids) be treated a s a probable human carcinogen. Pressure is now being applied to companies like Walmart to remove food packaged into non-stick chemical plastic film off their shelves and this pressure is going to intensify. EWG's research helped inspire this review -- and these findings show the critical need for us to continue our advocacy. "We must get this chemical out of our food, and out of our children's blood." Reference EWG letter to WalMart and Grocery Association of USA.

ABC Newsonline reported the following on January 27th 2006..."Teflon and other non-stick substances contain a compound that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States has warned may cause cancer and birth defects.