Non-stick pan chemical is linked to thyroid disease

PERFLUOROOCTANOIC acid (PFOA), a chemical used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, as well as, for making carpets and fabrics stain and water repellent, and thyroid disease in adults. The substance to be found throughout the home has previously been branded, as being potentially carcinogenic.
According to the study, women more susceptible to thyroid problems are twice at risk, since PFOA is used in industrial and consumer goods like Teflon-coated pans, becoming unstable at very high temperatures. It is also used in fast-food packaging and as in flame-resistant and stain-resistant coatings for carpets and fabrics. Blood tests of 4,000 US adults between 1996 and 2006 indicated, 25% of those with the highest levels of PFOA, also had higher rates of thyroid related problems.
David Melzer, a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health said, researchers have long been suspicious that PFOA concentrations might be linked to changes in thyroid hormone levels. Used in a wide variety of materials, PFOA has been in production for over 50 years, entering the body via food or as dust breathed in.
Animal studies have also shown the chemical to affect the functioning of the thyroid, responsible for heart rate maintenance, body temperature regulation and other bodily function support, including metabolism, reproduction, digestion and mental health. The study published in Environmental Health Perspectives and conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter said, while they successfully demonstrated an association between the chemical and thyroid malfunctioning, causality was not proved, highlighting the need for further research. VB
However, experts like Ieuan Hughes, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Cambridge and Chair of the Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in the Environment is skeptical about these findings, saying the evidence for the link was unsubstantiated.
Concerns over PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS, a similar chemicals link to cancer has led U. S. safety chiefs to ask manufacturers to phase out use of both chemicals by 2015. VB