Dark Waters
Updated 9/02/2023. Previously published 19/03/2020
The true story behind the movie “Dark Waters”
This is very strange indeed, not only because I have no recollection of the coverage and of any public outcry, but also because what I heard from people was just a mixture of strange statements, nothing that truly made sense to me.
I am a movie-goer, not a television person. In fact, I believe TV to be an unnecessary evil — and for more than a few reasons — and I have not owned a TV in my adult life. Thus it may be expected that I miss on major headlines and in my days (don't I sound old already?) the internet and much later, mobile phones, were complete novelties, nothing like the explosion of technology we are seeing today, including the millions of smartphone applications and the rollout of the most highly-contested 5G. Now we have breaking news in our faces day-and-night, and other news at our fingertips in case we still want more.
Why does this matter?
Well, back in the early 2000s, there was a massive scandal brewing in the background, and despite what we are told today, we — the consumers — are (and have always been) the guinea pigs of the gigantic conglomerates, which generate so much money that we will never get anything but a minuscule fraction of that money in our lives and all of our 'riches' combined could never match the balance of one of the fiscal paradise account of only one of their shareholders.
Did you know that new chemicals and food additives or packaging don't need to be approved before their use?
Did you know that there is no law asking industries to release the result of studies about the safety of their new products?
As a matter of fact, industries ARE NOT required to make such studies and prove the safety of their new products, chemicals and food additives, and we — the consumers — ingest it all!
So what was happening back at the edge of the new millennium?
I watched the movie "Dark Waters" yesterday, with #MarkRuffalo and #AnneHathaway, and I have to say that — despite that it was a 'romanced' version of actual events — everything that is happening behind closed doors is still true today. #Dupont has 'paid' government officials to walk away from (and escape) their responsibility and the global environmental disaster that their products PFOA and PFOS are still representing today. These substances are indestructible fluoride-containing compounds and bio-accumulative persistent organic pollutants, which means that their concentration will continue to rise in the environment and inside our bodies — it is inside 99% of humans and most probably inside 100% of the animal kingdom.
The problem with these companies is that they think they are untouchable because of the money they are amassing -- money you are willingly giving to them! — and the money they give to governments to hold politicians hostage and scared of losing their biggest donators and thus lose their seat of power, while the power of big companies continues to grow and grow and the power that politicians think they have has long disappeared, and yet these politicians (hungry for power and donations) are supposed to be representing us and have our interests at heart.
It took more than 50 years for Dupont to be exposed and pay the victims compensation — some 650 Million dollars. A drop of blood in the ocean of dead people. Dupont made in 2000 alone something close to 1 Billion in revenue, solely from the sales of non-stick pans.
But PFOAs are found in many household and consumer products and not only nonstick cookware. To make my point a bit clearer, I am attaching an extract of my upcoming book. This is the raw version (still needs to be corrected and edited) but you can get an idea about what Chapter 14 Detox is about.
"Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are dangerous types of perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), the collective name for a vast group of fluorinated compounds, which can be found everywhere in a kitchen and inside a home, especially if you are still using old non-stick and Teflon pans.
Fluorochemicals have been widely used in water-repellent finishes and waterproof coating (prior to 2015) in outdoor apparel, but also in nonstick cookware, paints and coatings, stain and water-resistant (Scotchguard) treatments for carpet and fabrics, items made of gore-tex, food packaging, floor polishes, shaving creams and insecticides.
PFOA is shown to be an active compound with high thermal, chemical and biological inertness. It is nonetheless a great concern to our health because PFOA is on the list of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The most concerning fact is that POPs are poorly degradable and tend to accumulate in nature and in our bodies: they are bioaccumulative chemicals. Scientific reports indicate increasing levels of these chemicals accumulating in the environment, in animals and in humans. High levels are found in the liver of fish and polar bears.
Nearly a decade ago, the European Union banned PFOS and has just now, in May 2019, banned PFOA.
The Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has added PFOA to Annex A, requiring all 180 countries to take action to "eliminate the production and use" of the chemical. Some exemptions were approved with up to a five-year deadline, including the manufacturing of plastic accessories for car interior parts, of electrical wires and the use of invasive and implantable medical devices.
Until further notice, fire-fighting foams containing PFOA and PFOS will remain in use, a practice known to dramatically contaminate our water system. With California and Australian bushfires that have lasted for many weeks in 2019 and 2020, the amount of these chemicals having reached the water supply must be quite severe and a very concerning matter.
The use of PFOA in manufacturing may be negligible today. As always, we know what we have lost but are not sure what we have gained. One of the replacements, fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH), may have some of the same health and safety issues as PFOS and PFOA. [just another name to continue producing extremely toxic health-damaging chemicals for the sake of money].
FTOH is a by-product of most water repellents, even those claiming to be PFOS-free and PFOA-free and research shows FTOH also forms part of the toxic house dust, a major concern for infants crawling and playing on the floor.
Another issue is that some compounds breakdown into PFOS or PFOA, such as sulfluramid, a widely used pesticide in South America, which is yet to have a time limit of use and perfluorooctyl iodide as it is still allowed in the making of some pharmaceuticals (its exemption should expire by 2036).
To date, many landfill sites around the globe are filled with millions of tonnes of PFOS and PFOA-containing materials, which are slowly but steadily polluting the environment and our drinking water. The long-term risk on human health from the current exposure to these substances is yet unknown, but some key elements are very clear: PFOA and PFOS can incorporate the cell membranes and also the mitochondrial membrane thus affecting their function by mimicking cholesterol action."
So what is the solution?
My book will shortly be released and it will be the key to empowering you with invaluable knowledge and making conscious choices to stop filling the bottomless wallet of these companies. The power is actually in your hands. If you do not buy toxic products, a company will not waste money producing them. Period.
Cook from scratch and bin your nonstick pans right now!!! Do it now!!!
It was long known that gases from heated nonstick, and Teflon pans killed birds so why would you still use these? Anolon, another type of nonstick material contains PTFE short for polytetrafluoroethylene. Even though the company officially claims that "PTFE non-stick coatings have been in the market for over 7 decades with a superb record of consumer safety" there are still using fluoride-containing chemicals, which makes it as dangerous as the 'monsters' Dupont has created.
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You are told to never expose nonstick pans to high heat. Fine. You may be careful at home but what about if you eat in a restaurant or a food outlet? Do you think they lower the heat just because you're their best client? Of course not. Most food outlets use the cheapest of food utensils and nonstick pans, and thus you may be exposed to these dangerous compounds; even if you are eating in a high-end restaurant. Having worked and eaten in Michelin-starred restaurants, I can tell you that nonstick pans are used extensively and on full heat.
One of the biggest problems is that tiny fractions of nonstick coating can end up in your food as you cook, you ingest these and they can lodge themselves inside the lining of the stomach and cause a multitude of conditions, including stomach ulcers and cancers.
You are also told not to use metal utensils with nonstick pans, but are you sure the restaurant is doing so?
Do you fill your sink with dirty dishes, knives and forks, which scratch the fragile non-stick coating?
As a private chef I have been (and I am still) horrified by the state of many of the nonstick pans the majority of super-wealthy households use every day.
Working for a royal palace, I replaced all nonstick pans in my first week. The pans were nothing but health hazards. The former executive chef never used — or asked members of the brigade — to use safe (non-scratching) utensils. Ever!!!
Probably, I have binned more nonstick pans than anyone on earth and I will unashamedly continue to do so.
What about you?