Bird killing pots!

Most people probably don't think about cookware when it comes to their health but this is something I've wanted to share for sometime now. Teflon (non-stick pans) are poison. Non- stick coatings can contain residues of PFOA (perfluorooctanoate), a chemical used to make Teflon and a breakdown product of- stain and grease-proof coatings on carpet, clothing and food packaging. It is also a likely human carcinogen  (cancer causing) that has a variety of metabolic developmental, reproductive, endocrine, and neurobiological health effects-wiki answers. Let me try and make this easier cause I barely understood that lol. I've expressed to my friends several times that if you overheat a teflon pan and a bird were to fly over, the bird would drop dead. Their reactions have mostly been, "I don't have a bird."or "Why would a bird fly over my pan?" completely missing the point. The fumes that are emitted from non stick pans cause birds lungs to hemorrhage, suffocating them and causing death. PFOA is a chemical used when making Teflon that is the carcinogen  but Teflon itself or in scientific terms polytetrafluoroethylene  (PTFE) is bird killing component. Most people might ask ,"If teflon is the bird killing component then why do I need to worry about it if I do not have a bird?" because the emissions of those same fumes can lead to polymer fume fever which can cause flu like symptoms and in rare instances pulmonary edema, pneumonitis and death. And honestly, If it can kill a bird, why would I want breathe those same toxins? 

My recommendation. Use Stainless steel pots and pans. They are a little more expensive and can be harder to clean but are better for you in the long run. Also, if you choose a pan that has an aluminum or copper core sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel you'll have less of a clean up job. The heavier the pan the better. Food tends to burn more when the pan is lightweight.  Cast iron skillets are great as well and are known to increase the iron content in some foods. Cookware can be very expensive so if you're stuck with teflon, only cook using low temperatures and normally I would never say this but don't cook with metal utensils. They will scrape the teflon and you will end up with small particles in your food and if the fumes are bad, you can only imagine what the particles will do. I'm against using plastic utensils for cooking for the same reasons as teflon but if you do, never leave the utensils sitting in or on the edge of a hot pan. Wooden utensils are ideal for teflon. If your teflon is scratched, I strongly urge you to get rid of it.  Best scenario, stainless steel pots and pans with stainless steel utensils. They're very affordable at Ikea