Can Teflon Cause Cancer? : Facts & Myths Essay examples

Fundamental Structures and Properties of Teflon and Its Applications in Industry 1. Introduction Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) also known as Teflon is a thermoplastic polymer. It is formed by addition polymerization using the monomer tetrafluroethylene (TFE). Teflon is a strong, waxy and non-flammable resin which is used in many applications especially in corrosive industries due to its resistance to chemicals. In addition, it is able to maintain its physical properties over a wide range of temperatures.

For several decades, Teflon and its constituent PFOA were praised as the one and only solution regarding non-stick cooking ware and weather proofed clothing. When the first reports surfaced, describing the negative environmental impact of PFOA, consumers and NGOs started to question the safety of the substance for humans.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing malignant Mesothelioma. The latency period for the disease is

Many substances that are safe at normal doses, can be harmful or fatal at higher doses. For example, aspirin is beneficial when used at the prescribed dose, but can be lethal in large enough doses. Even water, essential to human life, can be fatal if very large amounts

Exposure to a constant and high level of asbestos can often times lead to cancer. Mesothelioma and lunch cancer are to of the most common asbestos cancers reported today. Gastrointestinal cancer and colorectal cancer have also been highly reported due to asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a highly hazardous chemical that was commonly used in homes and buildings starting in the 1930's. Asbestos was used as insulation in walls as well as the backing for flooring. What makes this chemical so harmful to people is that when dry, the small shards of asbestos break off and become airborne which then creates the chance of inhaling the chemical. If asbestos is inhaled on a consistent basis, the shards attach onto the lunch tissue and in the breathing airway.

Asbestos What is Asbestos? Asbestos is a heat resistant silicate (rock forming) mineral. It is woven into fabrics which are used in fire-resistant and insulating other materials. Asbestos includes the mineral fibers chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, actinolite and any of these materials that have been chemically treated or altered.

The use of teflon is not the only way one can get sick from the product itself (EWG). It has been found that the use of PFOA and being around the production plants has caused some cases of kidney, testicular, and thyroid cancer (Teflon and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) (Science Writing and Communication Club). Over many years, the tests revealed higher number of cases when the production began near the homes of those diagnosed (EWG). Since the teflon exposure is only through inhalation, it is common to feel the flu symptoms, especially the fever, and it is worse for someone who lives near a plant where PFOA is used, then there are much greater risks and

Also, of equal importance is the matter of chemicals being allied with affecting the human hormones and much more. “The National Institute of Health Sciences lists it as a suspected endocrine disrupter, and several studies point to its possible contribution to reproductive-health problems and genetic mutations,” Beem, E. A. (2016). Lawn Fertilizer Dangers: Are They Giving You Cancer? | Reader's Digest. We may not realize or distinguish it now, but we need to! We can’t even cipher why we have all of these disabilities forming. We are slowly killing ourselves and the things around us every day without vexing it.

Fluoride in school milk is now a cause for concern While the rest of the world campaigns and fights against water fluoridation, it’s now been decided that more than 8000 children in the Blackpool area will begin receiving fluoridated milk after councilors approved the proposal to introduce it within the town’s

There are many health risks that people need to be more aware of everyday. Many products that we use and take for granted may actually lead to serious health problems like cancer in the future. There are an assortment of things that increase your cancer risk that are really surprising.

Carcinogenic blacklist: fried foods have the highest risk Some food in our daily lives is very common, almost every day to eat. However, regular consumption of these foods, but the body will cause harm, even cause cancer. Then you know you have what daily life diet taboos it? Today small

Breast cancer can either be invasive (spreading) or noninvasive (non-spreading). An invasive cancer penetrates Chemicals are also suspected to cause breast cancer. Xenoestrogens are chemicals with estrogen-like effects, they are found in pesticides and other common industrial products. Other estrogen-like chemicals that have a stronger association with breast cancer include dieldrin and beta-hexachloraocyclohexane. Although these chemicals are very weak estrogens, one study showed that exposure to single weak-estrogen compounds isn’t a big risk but a combination of two or more chemicals result in extremely high estrogenic

Although there have been reports that certain types of asbestos are safe, this is a well-documented myth. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently reported that all types of asbestos (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophylite) are group 1: carcinogenic to humans (IARC 2012). Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 107000 people die of mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis related to asbestos exposure every year. Furthermore, 125 million people worldwide are currently exposed to asbestos at the workplace. Asbestos is causally linked to an increase in occupational hazard and subsequent

2005). Exposure to the contamination can lead to future health issues. For instance, the development to brain tumors, brain cancers, kidney cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia as well as reproductive effects such as birth defects, fetal death, and intrauterine growth retardation. This is just one of the many problematic issues pertaining materials used for clothing.

"According to the Surgeon General the use of this product may be hazardous to your health"; and alcohol with the label: "Government Warning: (1) according to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems. Contains sulfites."Technology is not the problem in itself, but rather the manner in which it is used.