Non-Stick Coatings Linked to High Levels of Bad Cholesterol

The chemicals used in non-stick cookware and in waterproof clothes and fabrics are linked to higher LDL cholesterol and higher total cholesterol in children exposed to these products.
This study was published in the journal Archives Teflon Coating of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine,and was conducted by Stephanie J. Frisbee of West Virginia University School of Medicine and colleagues. The study was done in the mid-Ohio River Valley.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) are the two compounds used in non-stick products, and their levels were measured in over 12,000 children’s blood samples to verify if these compounds are associated to altered lipid levels as they are in adults.
The results showed that PFOA was significantly associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, and also in total cholesterol. PFOS showed these increases as well, but also increased HDL, the good cholesterol. Larger increases in LDL and total cholesterol occurred at the lowest levels of exposure to these compounds, especially to PFOA.
The authors state that these compounds are associated with serum lipids, at levels of exposure “that are in the range characterized by nationally representative studies." PFOS PTFE Coated levels measured in this study, in fact, were very similar to those measured nationally.
The authors state that because PFOA and PFOS are consistently associated with high LDL cholesterol levels, there should be more study on these compounds.
It’s really unacceptable that these effects happened in children. The average age was 11! It would thus be very prudent to avoid non-stick pans, non-staining clothes and fabrics, and some cleaning products. Check the labels!