So Is Anything Being Done About PFCAs?

Yes, because of the research findings, governments have pledged to monitor the situation, and manufacturers have agreed to work towards phasing out PFCAs by 2015.  Also, in 2004 residents in six communities around the DuPont plant in West Virginia which processes PFCAs, took a class action against the company, alleging health issues arising from drinking water contaminated by the plant. 

Nothing was proven, but in settlement the C8 Health Project was set up to carry out research in the Mid-Ohio valley to determine if there are health risks associated with exposure to PFOA. Although some research has been reported, the project is still on-going and no conclusions have been drawn as yet.

As an update, even in 2021, concerns about PFCAs remain ongoing, but research has not conclusively proven their association with causing health conditions. Cookware with these chemicals remains in many kitchens, but to be on the safe side, you may wish to consider other options such as cast iron.

What about other chemicals in cookware?

Plastic food wrap

You may have seen e-mails warning that chemicals called dioxins, and a substance called DEHA can leach out of food wrap into food, especially when the wrap is used to cover fatty food being cooked in a microwave.  The research behind the story, allegedly showed that DEHA can move from plastic wrap into food when heated, but it was never published and therefore cannot be reviewed.

With regard to dioxins, they are a group of chemicals, only one of which has been linked to any health issues.  They are by-products from some industrial processes and some plastics release dioxins when burned at high temperatures. But there is no evidence to show they are released from plastic wrap when heated in a microwave. An expert from Johns Hopkins university (where the rumors falsely claimed to originate) recommends:

Aluminum pans and Alzheimer’s Disease

There has been concern in the past that absorbing aluminum from food cooked in aluminum pans is linked with Alzheimer’s disease.  While some researchers claim there is a link, others say none has been found.  Other substances such as tea, beer, baked products and anti-perspirants which contain aluminum have also been investigated, but again, no link found.  This may be because the small amount of aluminum we absorb from food and other sources is removed in the urine or incorporated into bone.  

The causes of Alzheimer’s are likely to involve more than one factor and it is difficult to actually prove that a substance causes a disease – circumstantial links are often found i.e. a substance may be present in high or detectable amounts in people with a certain disease.  But, as mentioned, that does not prove that the substance causes the disease.