Looks like we won't be seeing teflon additives anymore---->

ZaneO said:
Shucks....
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I don't know why anyone would think this is a loss to the detailing community as Teflon® has never done anything to make our products better. The use of the Teflon® brand was nothing but a marketing gimmick to sell more product.
 
Well, last time this was discussed, the discussion got a little heated, but the chemical they are referring to is part of the manufacturing process, not the finished product. So the carcinogenic danger they are talking about is to the workers in the plant, and in the surrounding area.
 
Dang!



OK, as an automotive detail product, PTFE (Teflon) might rank right up there with silicone. They've been hard to come by. I've actively sought them out. Not for my car, truck, or motorcycle. For my trombone.



I play trombone. The slide is two metal tubes. The inner tube is usually nickle plated, and the outer tube is either raw brass or nickle silver. Treating the outer slide tube with those PTFE bearing products (Blue Coral had one years ago, and Eagle One had one fairly recently) goes a long way to (a) prevent corrosion of the brass or nickle silver, and (b) improve the lubricity.



Are there alternatives? Yes, but these have been found to be a great addition to our arsenal of maintaining our slides. I'll have to stock up.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Well, last time this was discussed, the discussion got a little heated, but the chemical they are referring to is part of the manufacturing process, not the finished product. So the carcinogenic danger they are talking about is to the workers in the plant, and in the surrounding area.
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Not to get this heated, but; :chuckle:



I believe you are overlooking the fact that 96 % of Americans now have this synthetic chemical (PFOA) in our blood and this chemical is now classed as a "carcinogen" by the EPA's 16 member Science Advisory Board. It looks like this affects all of us. PFOA is released from Teflon when heated and PFOA is in the coatings of pots and pans and this material does disintegrate and flake off the surface. Look at your pans and many will see scratches and flakes missing. A lot of food packaging also releases PFOA through both heat and absorption.



The EPA has not yet determined how this chemical (PFOA) is getting into our blood and the blood of our children. They have clear proof that even moderate amounts of PFOA causes cancer in animals. They also know that it is cumulative, being absorbed in the body. This chemical is not a natural chemical and has been found in nearly all animals in the world including polar bears near the north pole. We know that these polar bears aren't using Teflon® pots and pans, impregnated food wrappers, or Teflon® containing wax :), so one has to assume it is in their food chain. This chemical is in the water and likely in the food we eat around the world.



When the EPA ordered DuPont to remove all traces of PFOA from the water supplies around their Teflon® manufacturing plants they were required to supply the communities with bottled water while the removal machinery was added to the water plants. Just by chance they tested the bottled water and found PFOA present in the bottled water. That water was coming a bottling plant from some 800 miles away.



OK, so this is probably more than most here want to read but this just may turn into a serious health issue that most Americans don't have any knowledge of. What you don't know can kill you, just as it has killed unsuspecting asbestos workers and many others who didn't know the stuff they were working with had deadly side effects.
 
jfelbab, I respect what you are saying about PFOA, but there are plenty of products that are dangerous when heated above 400*F...I don't think you would want to be around almost any chemical you have in your home at that temperature. Everybody's got mercury in their body, also...and it's gotten everywhere, but that doesn't mean it's getting into you body from the mercury in that thermostat hanging on your wall, it got into your body from being dumped in a river somewhere, which got into some small fish, which got into some bigger fish, that were eaten by a tuna, that you ate for lunch yesterday. That doesn't mean that thermostats are dangerous to your health (in a direct way).



I'm not arguing that teflon-coated frying pans can produce hazardous fumes if they are overheated, and that teflon manufacturing plants may have released poisonous/carcinogenic compounds, which are spread easily, into the environment for many years. That doesn't mean that the frying pan in your closet is a danger to you sitting in there, and I don't think that there is any evidence that ingesting coating from cookware is a danger to humans.



There are many, many, dangerous precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of safe products, even foods, every day--just because they are part of the process doesn't mean they are part of the product. I fully support your right to call for teflon to be banned, so that PFOA isn't required anymore. Just bear in mind that teflon is industrially ubiquitous, with no directly equivalent replacement.



While I'm at it, I have to point out that there is another substance that is in everyone's daily lives which contains a number of potent potentially carcinogenic benzene compounds. This material can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, forms an explosive mixture with air. If it were today to be regulated for general public use, it probably would face formidable regulatory obstacles. That substance is gasoline.



Once again, I am not arguing with you, I'm just looking at it from a different perspective.



EDIT: Here's a link to a gasoline MSDS, you can see that that it contains about 2% benzene, a known carcinogen. Gasoline is in (almost) everyone's garage, has contaminated the groundwater in countless, countless instances through leaking tanks, everywhere across the US, and countless people are coming into physical contact with it every day.
 
I'm glad I cook with stainless steal and olive oil!



At any rate, now that everyone is paranoid here is a nice off-topic story to go with this subject.



The FDA tests chemicals to verify that they are safe for consumption in humans. They test these chiefly on an individual basis. There are hundreds and thousands of food preservatives being used that are chemically compiled. The FDA would not nor could not possibly test each and every possible chemical combination that an average consumer might ingest. Who knows exactly what combination *might* lead to increased chances of cancer?



Moral of the story- avoid processed foods at the grocery store as much as possible. What is the easiest way to do this? Shop the "outer belt" of the store- fresh dairy, meat, produce, bakery, and seafood.
 
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