Abridged for your convenience; the full report is after the
jump. Bear in mind that the author, Dr Joseph Mercola, is an
alternative medicine advocate and was a popular source of
opposition to H1N1 jabs last year, so you might want to treat some
claims lightly. Source: Huffington Post
A new study (by the University of Toronto) shows
that toxic perfluoroalkyls, which are used in surface
protection treatments and coatings to keep grease from
leaking through fast food wrappers, are being ingested by people
through their food and showing up as contaminants in
blood.
...
Besides food packaging and fast food wrappers, everyday sources
of this exposure include: drinking water, dust, air, carpet and
fabric protectors, flame retardants, non-stick pots and pans,
stain-proof clothing, and even cord blood and breast milk.
...
According to Madbury, regulators who approved these
chemicals for use with food and other products made three
assumptions, which have now been proven wrong:
1. The chemicals won't migrate from paper into food.
2. The chemicals won't become available to your body.
3. Your body won't process these chemicals.
Contrary to the regulators' findings, we now know PFCs have many
health dangers. In animal studies, PFOA has also been associated
with other health dangers such as:
-"Significant increases in treatment related
deaths" in rat offspring at doses that did not affect the
mothers.
- Serious changes in the weight of various organs,
including brain, prostate, liver, thymus and kidneys.
- Deaths of a significant number of rat pups of
mothers exposed to PFOA.
- Damage to the pituitary at all doses in female
rat offspring (The pituitary secretes hormones that regulate
growth, reproduction, and many metabolic processes. Change in
pituitary size is associated with toxicity.)
- Tumor development after prolonged
exposure.
Other studies have linked PFC's to (full descriptions in
article):
- Infertility
- Immune system problems
- Increased LDL cholesterol levels
For more information on these studies, please review the Environmental
Working Groups extensive report.
...
To identify other products to avoid, the EWG has compiled a
list of common products containing PFC's for you
here.
Keep in mind that avoiding these products is especially crucial for
pregnant women or couples who want to have children, since
PFC's can have a serious impact on fertility, and on a
baby's delicate hormonal system.
