I really, really appreciate that you framed this issue as a *systemic* and *regulatory* problem being perpetuated by companies, rather than some kind of individual consumption issue. Too much of the conversation around pollution and public health has been framed as an issue of personal choice. (This is of course intentional, shifting blame away from companies and to the individual)
No it’s not a regulatory issue. Regulations will always be behind the ball and they have worse consequences. Companies are getting away with harming people and they should be held liable. They’re escaping liability by wielding political power. We need less political power. Not more
@@tann_man no, it is a regulatory issue. we need MORE regulation on the chemicals being used in any product. EDIT: for clarification, we need more government regulation to ensure big companies don't gain too much power in general. Liberalizing the means of production will decrease innovation and will just make people use worse chemicals. i hate liberals istg
Food Journalism has evolved so much since I was watching the Food Network as a kid, this is really great content and we're lucky to have resources like this available to us.
this is a really important development and I'm glad you've highlighted it in your comment. Food Network was never food journalism, it was infotainment and was basically an elaborate vehicle for advertising things like food tourism and the "celebrity chef" endorsements industry. the food+culture parts of RUclips, of which Adam Ragusea is a prominent participant, is the kind of journalism, reporting, and learning resource that we've always wanted and needed.
As much as I love Adam's recipes, I ALSO love when he lets his journalistic side shine. I simply wasn't aware of the ubiquity of PFAS, and I'm glad to hear more about it from Adam.
need to watch Dark Waters 2019 then, they been discharging these kind of stuff for decades. Resistance is futile however, as most human on earth already have various amount of these chemical inside already.
@@humorss Resistance is not futile, as those of us who are currently dealing with the problem can fight to ensure that future generations do not have to suffer as we did.
Environmental Engineer here, my capstone had heavy involvement in PFAS & Human Exposure. Adam does a wonderful job simplifying the tragedy of the systemic problem of PFAS, and why you should be concerned. It's a difficult thing to explain. It's a shame that the EPA hasn't standardized testing methods for waste water and ground water, as it's made testing from a corporate standpoint annoying.
good job college boy. Your freemasonic capstone eh? people like you dont understand the world or its genuine institutions at all. At least we have bright eyed , self assured college boys like you to help the average joes. Id be willing to bet that in a holistic consideration, youre pretty average yourself too, college boy.
@@milesstover3724 Apologies, my original comment was not meant to be degrading in any way, but Freemasonic capstone??? My capstone was studying how PFAS latent firefighting foam spreading to adjacent lakes results in degraded ecological health... I am working in industry as an environmental engineer w/ my EIT, and I do monthly testing for PFAS in our water system & Effluent. I am responsible for what goes out to the environment from my plant, so I think I've got a pretty good grasp of how they function. Sure I don't understand everything about the world, but I reckon I know fuckton more about permitting, the environment & PFAS than you do.
Breediot Joel: You are wrong, having a child gives you purpose and joy. Their a blessing from Gawd. Preventionist: Thanks Joel you cleared that up… LMFAO ROTF Why is it about giving YOU purpose and Joy. What is truly in it for the child? Children are also humans and not just objects like toys. The unborn have no problems until they are raped into existence by creepy, disturbed, lonely, loser, drug addict/alcoholic, coward, poor, child hating, narcissist, selfish, broke from all points of views, low IQ, sadist, psychopathic, depressed, anxious, mentally ill, delusional, evil, hateful, purposeless megalomaniacal breediots. The public indoctrination camps don't teach you how to think, they teach you WHAT to think. Breeders are so blind to how evil they are. Procreation is worse than murder. It is the first step for the possibility of murder to occur after all! Where do breediots get the right to impose unnecessary risk, suffering and death, without consent? This question is a “check mate” for every breeding dipshit. Because they must expose themselves to be sadomasochists in order to honestly answer any part of it. Ability doesn’t equal right. Life isn’t necessary. And consent matters. Breeders have no rational or ethical/moral response to any of this. Pro life = pro-suffering and pro-death. It’s all or nothing. The only thing a parent can guarantee their child, is that they’ll be exploited from all points of views, suffer and die, pointlessly. If one considers themselves empathetic, it is this fact alone that they must refuse to recognize because they subconsciously know it completely destroys any feelings of entitlement towards procreation.
Hey Adam, I teach a course at the college level about science literacy and just went through some examples of science communication. This video was a master-class on all of the important elements of good faith sci-comm: clear explanations, pointing to the data, seeking expert opinion, being transparent about nuance, and putting the issue into broader social and economic context. Thoroughly impressed, please keep up the great work.
I thought of all of Adam's science videos, this one is actually a bit weak. It's still pretty good but it's unclear to me what scenarios the referenced studies were about, i.e. is it only if you live near a PFAS factory or is it anyone cause we're all exposed? Also, the video implies that the there are negative health effects associated with using PFAS products that could enter your body (floss, pans, fast food, etc) and no evidence is presented that it's safe or negligible. Even the expert in the video doesn't use non-stick cookware but Adam concludes (despite presenting evidence to the contrary) that PFAS isn't overly concerning on a personal level and even goes as far as to make it part of the title. I realize he's trying to make a broader point about improving PFAS regulations but I don't get why he goes out of his way to imply it's safe when he even says that ingesting tiny bits could cause health problems. I don't think it's actually the case because he's earned my trust but this video feels as if the danger is downplayed in a way that someone might do if one of their sponsors was a non-stick cookware brand. Maybe he thinks PFAS is so ubiquitous that there's no point in avoiding the pans on an individual level. Maybe he's trying to avoid causing everyone to toss out their PFAS pans, which would contribute to the landfill problem. Overall, the video is somewhat unclear and a bit of a mixed message.
@@paulgemperlein626 He has an older video on nonstick pans that I think addresses several of your concerns here, so maybe that's part of why he focused on different aspects in this video.
Thanks for respecting our intelligence Adam. You often present issues and highlight that they ARE complex issues. No easy soundbite, no feel good individual activism when a bigger one is needed. Thanks for the research and info you put out.
I had a pet rescue cockatiel for about 10 years, part of keeping a pet bird is avoiding things like Teflon bc birds are far more sensitive to these chemicals. A dose that has minimal effects on a human or other mammal can kill a bird. On a similar note there have been problems with Teflon coated light bulbs killing chickens. The bulbs were marketed as shatter resistant and for outdoor use so people were putting them in chicken coops.
My Dad had a bird for a long time. One morning, he was heating a pan to cook pancakes for us. Not crazy temps, we didn't forget about the pan or anything. The bird dropped dead two rooms away. It was just a few minutes. Adam suggested you need "crazy" temperatures to break down Teflon into toxic chemicals, but it actually happens at 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 C), which is easy to reach on a home stove by accident. Teflon is toxic and nonstick ceramic is much better to cook and clean on anyways if you want nonstick.
The chemistry lab I work in is actually working on this issue, and I just attended a nanoscience conference talking about it a few weeks ago. Cool stuff Adam, love to see this.
My city is currently having a crisis around PFAS. Seems the government wasn’t that informed about the factory’s doing and now so many years later are prohibiting the locals from eating their own farmed vegetables and eggs. I’m very happy to see a video that actually explains what this stuff is and what it does. Thank you
Antwerp by any chance? The vegetable issue rings a bell. We had the opportunity to get a blood test because we live within 500 meters of the Scheldt, but I didn't take the chance since we just moved into the appartement in the catchman area. We dont drink tap water. Who knows if it makes a difference.
@@icedcat4021 yes. I forget the brand name but a bottled water company has a deal with a state to just use their tapwater and add minerals and sell it as bottled water.
@@icedcat4021 it often is, but it's not quite tap water from near a chemical plant, most bottled waters will be tested to much higher standards of contamination
@@icedcat4021 probably but 1) i don't live in America so it's much cheaper here 2) I drink sparkling water which doesn't come from the tap obviously and 3) my home city has serious contamination issues from a major pfas plant so there's specifically a reason to not drink our tap water. Maybe the bottled stuff is just as bad, but it seems unlikely
Hey Adam, I want to let you know how much I appreciate how you highlight lesser-known but still brilliant professors at smaller public universities (not that Michigan really counts here since it’s fairly well-known as one of the best research institutions in the world). I feel that media tends to focus on the high-profile private schools a bit too much, and it’s always nice to see someone from your local university in Georgia who probably doesn’t get much shine from anybody aside from their colleagues.
When I finally learned about PFAs I had already switched to cast iron, carbon steel, and stainless as my workhorses but I didn't realize how ubiquitous they are beyond Teflon. I video I saw said they had to go to pre WW2 blood samples to find anyone without pfas in their system.
Hey Adam, chemist here. I just wanted to say that I was a much bigger fan of you including the "drawn" chemical figures in your videos as opposed to the 3D models created in Avogadro (or whatever software you are using). That said, I find much more enjoyment in creating a 3D Model on my PC, and this is just one opinion of many. Do whatever makes you happy
For organic chemicals I’m team 2-D drawings too, especially since that’s how it’s been traditionally taught in high school / college classroom settings. When it comes to inorganic or hybrid crystalline materials like Metal Organic Frameworks, then 3D models made or avagadro or based on x-Ray diffraction data translate really well
The 3D image is just the standard one from the PFOA Wikipedia article, so it’s whatever software is standard there. Looks like Avagadro based on the image metadata.
I switched my nonstick to carbon steel and it takes a little more finesse than nonstick, but getting something slightly stuck occasionally is worth the minor inconvenience for me to avoid contributing to this issue. Thanks for discussing this topic, I think it's very important to be aware that these products carry some risk particularly around the manufacturing of them.
@@humorss If you have birds they could drop dead from what you describe. So just because it wouldn't do the same to us doesn't mean we shouldn't think it's quite bad for us as well.
As a chef I always used to cook on steel pans, but at home over the years I moved to high end PTFE pans. Frustrated at their lack of longevity, I moved back to heavy wrought iron carbon. - it takesa bit more care and seasoning, but is guaranteed for multigenerational lifespan. And I enjoy using them.
Same here, and you can really get in there with a nice thin metal spatula to scrape off the deliciously browned food, unlike with the non-stick where you have to use a weak plastic one.
Thank you for actually framing the PFAS issue more completely than "oh makes our pans less sticky" like John Oliver did. As much as there is a regulatory issue, there is also the issue of finding a reasonable replacement for, to use your example, stopping aerosolization of chromium, or making non-stick floss. Nothing becomes so pervasive in our society without being incredibly useful and improving a lot of lives in the process.
Same reason that it's been so hard to ditch fossil fuels. They're just too good at what they do - the energy density of petroleum-based fuels are insane. FWIW I do think it would be better in the long run if both PFAS and fossil fuels were eventually phased out, but I can see why they were initially phased in.
I think occasionally we get caught up too much in "replacements". I do agree in the case of stuff like floss, but chrome plating is something that very few things actually need. In the case Adam showed it was literally cosmetic. I have 0 issues with just doing away with cosmetic chromium plating entirely.
Exactly. We can't just ban it all. There is good reason it exists! Maybe some applications aren't necessary, but there would be clear downsides of it being banned.
For a lot of stuff, we can just go back to using cooking oil, wax, or just cleaning more. Most PFAS products include it because it makes things more convenient, not because there wasn't a solution to the problem before. You will also find that, although we have a lot of technology that was supposed to make life better and more convenient, we don't actually work less and have more free time.
I wish every important issue was presented to me this way. Digestible, entertaining, and convincing. Bravo Adam, this is an excellent video that doesn't feel pushy but is still extremely meaningful. I never would've known about PFAS if you didn't make this video
Another industry that is hugely dependent of PFAS materials is the whole plastics extrusion industry (one that I work in). I know there is now a huge push to move away from these sort of forever chemicals, not just PFAS and similar chemicals.
ah, yes model builders always need to clean those mold release agents off of plastic parts. else no paint will stick, crazy. and people just dump those liquid down the drain.
@@sarahwatts7152 sounds more like ultra strong nonstick spray for the metal molds plastic gets popped out of, same problem as cooking just more intense sticking=
@@JGnLAU8OAWF6 put it inside a container and bury it with layers of concrete. They know what to do but only if you have laws to regulate them. Otherwise they just dump it down the drain and let the residents nearby deal with it. And these regulations are what they consider "business killing" and are constantly at risk of being removed by elected officials.
Not only some of the best food journalism, just straight some of the best journalism. Thanks for all the incredibly interesting, thorough, and well thought out videos, food or not.
I am an Environmental Engineering student! I want to go into water resources (for now) and the removal and regulation of these chemicals is likely to be a large part of my career. I am so glad you made this video! It balances all the important things to know and is also easy to understand. I love to see the public be interested in these issues!!
I started my first job as a water resources EIT in July, and I'm already working on some PFAS projects! It's a scary and exciting time for this field of work :)
As a Grand Rapids Michigan citizen I appreciate you talking about this to a larger audience. I have only ever heard pfas discussed on my local NPR station. Big fan Adam thanks for all you do!
my partner made us chuck our non-stick cookware a while ago and now we use stainless and carbon steel only. both can fry eggs as well as non-stick if you know what you're doing, and they last a lifetime. great video, always love the measured approach and 10/10 on the call to action at the end.
You can use ceramic, non-stick cookware too! If it's quality, there won't be any PFAS. Consumer Reports showed Red Copper to not contain any of the specific compounds for which they analyzed.
@@michaelmoran9020I guess it also implies not replacing the worn out teflon pans. From my experience, even when using only plastic spatulas, they gets scratched up quite fast
I am a long term viewer and currently working toward my PhD with a focus on PFAS in our waste! Love the video and glad you are putting light on this subject. You clearly did your research and I think this is an amazing way to introduce people to topic.
Recently read an article where someone discovered the farmland they had purchased was fertilized with sludge (supposed to be just human sewage and would seem to make sense for use) which turned out to be from a system in which PFAS had been dumped by a manufacturer. The PFAS accumulated to levels which ruined the farmland for growing organic crops. PFAS was found in the produce. So heartbreaking and made me really mad.
The environmental and health effects of Teflon are the topic of my end-of-semester paper as a Food Science student. Thank you Adam, this upload saved my ass.
I've only just started watching this video but I want to say thank you for talking about this! I work in testing drinking water for toxic chemicals and have been trained specifically on testing for PFAS compounds, among the wide range of other compounds I have been trained on, and this is one of those things that needs more airtime than it is currently getting.
The fact that we live in a culture that has already begun to recognize that this is a problem and is taking steps to address it bit by bit is actually really heartening to me. It might be no where near being solved, but at least people are trying.
I hope it was worth it, against Extinction... Otherwise, maybe this planet should be reconstituted entirely. ... If a second chance was even possible...
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 We won’t become extinct. Just more prone to various illnesses and such - illnesses that frankly, even at their worst, will not cause the kinds of widespread death and disfigurement once caused by diseases like smallpox and polio and even common bacterial infections. They won’t be as bad as famine either, which used to be widespread. Please, PLEASE do not take the “We are all doomed!” position. It’s just a cynical excuse for doing nothing. Humans are not going to go extinct, and we owe it to thousands of generations yet to come to ACT, to limit irreversible changes we make to the environment (including the use of “forever chemicals” like PFAS, as well as preventing extinctions and permanent habitat destruction). Cynical negativity may feel smugly superior, but it won’t solve a damned thing.
@@davestagner My view is from the End of Existence. Not whatever pitiful disease that any species would find. If humanity found their Creators... Nevermind... You mortals won't exist in my time. Another dead cosmic iteration if things go poorly again. (My concerns are beyond the cosmic flux. If mankind will not be there in time, then I will do this on my own. Your kin will simply be erased as if they never existed. I have done this before, but this time around, I have given mercy enough... Extinction is my Voice. May this iteration prove me wrong in the end or oblivion will take this cosmos as it has done before.)
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 Ok, well, if you’re speaking as a GOD, then go have fun doing god stuff with the other gods, and leave us foolish mortals alone so we can get to the hard work of sorting out our own problems, for our own legacy. We already cause ourselves enough problems, we don’t need to be worrying about what the stupid gods think too. (That said, I’m wondering why a god bothers to comment on RUclips videos…)
As someone who lived in the Grand Rapids area when the news was rolling out, it was very scary to go through, particularly for new families and people moving to the area. I had a coworker who had bought his dream home, just finished his ideal grill/deck area, and his wife was pregnant with twins when he got the letter explaining his water was unsafe to drink and was being switched to the "free water delivery service". No clue when or if he finally got back onto a safe tap water system
I'm glad to see this topic getting more attention! Here in Maine this has been an issue is several dairy farms that used to spread sludge (wastewater treatment plant solids). These farms can have soil and groundwater contamination which is then passed through the cows into the milk, causing many of these dairy's to have to close. There have even been deer in the areas with contamination that have tested high for PFAS so there are advisories from the state about consumption of deer from near these areas.
Ecologist in Maine. We have seen level of PFA family chemicals at extremely high levels in wildlife, including deer. The chemical load reached the point where a toxin (non-consumption) advisory was issued for deer meat in parts of the state. This is a significant issue and while I agree with Adam about this not being vote-with-you-wallet issue due to the scale, industry profitability, and hidden risk (for example, McDonald's and other food retailer may not know if they are buying a PFAS coated product), we can still limit our individual exposure to it and advocate for class regulation. Once again, this comes back to the precautionary principal which the US has failed to enact and instead people need to prove they are being killed by a chemical before there is even the possibility of substantive change. The other thing is that states like Maine or Michigan which have a high exposure to PFAS are often having to foot the bill, address the remediation, clean up groundwater contamination, et cetera. Meanwhile, the companies producing these chemicals continue to churn them out and pay little to nothing.
Fun fact: you could get by using beeswax to make most of waterproofing for food. Works like charm on leather and paper. Waxing unbleached cloth, preferably linen, as cotton is not so good for environment, is also possible to make completely friendly wrappings.
@@tinayoga8844 I thought they had pretty much figured out it was Round Up? Which also causes cancer in humans ( like extremely high rates in farmers ) as well. I don't think it is the "why?" but more of a "how do we stop companies from destroying the planet?"
I really love and appreciate the scope of topics you pick for the food science episodes!! A regular viewer of food content on youtube might never on their own look into PFAS but because you supply us with amazing food recipe videos you already have a crowd here ready to watch the food science episodes as well! Keep up the good work
I've always cooked on cast iron mostly, but kept a teflon pan for eggs. I switched a while back to a small carbon steel pan. There was definitely a learning curve to do over easy in it, but I've got the hang of it now.
I used to cook gray iron in a casting shop. There are metals that are inert, metals that are mostly non-toxic, and lots of metals that will totally wreck a human body if they are in cook ware. Whenever I see a teflon coated pan and there's scratches and exposed steel from the teflon coming off like it always does, I wonder if the manufacturers use cheaper alloys, assuming that it would be safely sealed inside the teflon. Are we getting arsenic, lead, or mercury from teflon pans that wouldn't normally be in cookware?
I'm sure that would depend on the company that makes said pans, and probably some other factors like quality of said cheap alloys At least that's my average joe understanding on the subject
Thank you for bringing attention to this issue! There is a factory in my town which has knowingly contaminated the groundwater with PFAS and the government has yet to act, even though this has been publicly known since 2016
Geologist here, consultant on remediation of contaminated sites in Brazil. Very few people worrying about it around here outside people working in the environmental consultancy segment. We don't even have enough labs to deal with parts per trilion screening levels!
Good video from someone who does PFAS risk assessment full time. Firefighting foams are an important part of the story. It was also a known issue from early 2000s but didn’t get serious attention until DuPont litigation.
Really interesting video article Adam - I appreciate that you go above and beyond and will give the same level of focus to environmental issues as well as the process of making beer and spirits! (i mean that unironically). I've always been a fan of 'how things work' videos and books, and whilst this particular example is a little morbid, it's certainly an important topic of discussion. It seems the most important scientific discoveries are usually stumbled upon by accident. Here in Australia, we've banned single-use plastic shopping bags, and pretty much all disposable packaging made out of plastic including straws.
Thank you for highlighting this, its such a big topic I was surprised you only got 15mins into it. I'm sure you had done alot more research and more to give on this. If you wanted to do a part 2 it'll be most welcomed! Interested in how one can filter these substances out and is it viable to collect and "dispose" of these? I know Dyson does the florhyldmide filter, and specialist filters can also filter these out, bit after that what happens...
I honestly never really thought I'd see a video on PFAS after I had to write an assignment on Dupont and how their PFAS usage affected local communities and the company's reputation and future actions, in my business class in college. One of the only assignments I ever enjoyed writing lol
I would love a video about Hard Anodized Aluminum cookware. They seem to be a good alternative for regular nonstick pans and last a lot longer, but I've seen conflicting info about if they still use additional coatings of PFAS or similar chemicals.
@henrath, do you mean ceramic coated? "Hard anodized aluminum cookware" could also just be PTFE based cookware. EVERY non-stick pan that is not ceramic coated is a PTFE(teflon) based(or identical chemical). I would not use Ceramic instead of a Teflon "non-stick" pan. I would buy cast iron or carbon steel if you still want some less stick elements, but they're not equal to Teflon pans in terms of ease of use.
Bit wild to watch this video when I used to LIVE in Wyandotte barely a mile from BASF. And there's Adam filming in my old hometown and I know exactly where the discharge point is at. Wild. Thank you for this Adam
I started moving away from these on an individual level when I learned of indigenous people in the Amazon being tested and finding PFAS in their bloodstreams. If the stuff is able to contaminate people with literally no contact, how much more for people who live in and with it daily.
thank you for making this video, i used to get into youtube rabbitholes a lot and one of them was about this very issue. i have been better with my anxiety but this did used to get me very worried. knowing that you dont worry about pfas makes me feel a bit better, sorta..
I thought this was the video you made on nonstick pans in 2019ish until I realized you were in the new kitchen. I appreciate you continuing to do research and putting out updates to older videos.
My dad works for the EPA - he was working on the new PFAS and PFOA regulations for years. Imagine my surprise seeing it pop up in your video! I sent the vid his way.
Thank you, I'm really glad you did an episode on this one. One of the most brutal offenders with chemicals like this was and still is DuPont. There's a movie everyone should watch called THE DEVIL WE KNOW .
This problem is what motivated me to learn to work with my stainless steel pots and pans more. While I don't have a complete set, I do have enough to get by. Other than stuff like eggs and pancakes where the no-stick nature of teflon really shines, I found I like how things turn out better in the stainless steel pots and pans I own. Likely down to the thermal ballast they tend to have fused to their bottoms.
The best pans I found were Mueller nonstick stone pans. They are free of Teflon, PFOA, APEO, PFOS, PFAS, PFBS, Lead, and Cadmium. Only downside is they are not machine washable. A 16 piece set only costs $80 on amazon.
A very simple way to put across the explanation of PFAS. Only after Adam's explanation, I m awaken from the all the danger of PFAS beyond the pan that is used to cook my meals. For a change, I m going to use S/Steel pan for my eggs.
this is such a great topic! I remember reading those investigative pieces about the dupont lawsuits back in the day and having the feeling that we're just not paying attention to how big an issue this is
As an environmental engineering I am glad you made this video. PFAS can also work as an endocrine disruptor and have a profound impact on all sorts of wildlife.
Organic Chemist here. Turns out that you can actually design PFAS in a way that allows you to use their unique properties and also make them biodegradable. I just finished my master thesis working on the development of new PFAS that actually degrade in the environment, and this was an industry cooperation so we might be able to use those as a replacement soon. Once again, I am in awe about how you approach topics based on scientific evidence (especially as a non-scientist). Your literature research skills are sick, you even had some papers that I used myself.
No its not possible, you just made that up, and you are no chemist either. The whole point why PFAS is used because it doesnt degrade. Lets say it degraded in 3 months. Well there goes 98% of the industry which makes cooking pans, because nobody is buying a non-stick pan with a coating thats gone in 3 months even if you dont cook with it.
@@rykehuss3435 what about food playing, that could wear away in a week and nobody would care. You're taking a very hardline stance against this topic you don't know anything about, his papers I mean, not the chemicals.
I’m glad you made this video. I remember an old one you did explaining how just abusing the non stick pans isn’t a big deal and after learning more about these chemicals I always thought back to the that sentiment and it bothered me. I am learning to cook all of my food with stainless and am not sure what to do with my two non stick pans now because I don’t want to throw them away.
Nicely done. I am a nursing instructor here in Northern Michigan. In our course, Community and Public Health for the BSN, we have been talking about PFAS, man-made disasters and vulnerable populations. I will use this video for an essay question 🙂
University student here, I'm currently taking a course on environmental science, and we just covered hazardous chemicals in consumer products two weeks ago. There's... a lot. Sunscreen contains chemicals that build up in marine life and act as hormone mimics. A lot of fragrances have health implications if they enter your body. Common chemicals used to make creams/gels can are also harmful. A good starting point to look up is "The dirty dozen" chemicals in consumer products.
Actually, I'm just going to rant about my class here. Pretty much every lecture has been a huge eye-opener. We covered the agricultural revolution, the use and misuse of fertilizer and pesticides (look up algal blooms and eutrification as one consequence)
we covered the water cycle and various types of water pollution - storm surges, increasing frequency of natural disaster due to climate change, and so much more.
even though environmental Science isn't related to my major (I took it because I needed a bird course haha) I'm so glad I'm taking it. Just a really useful thing to be aware of
it's so frustrating growing up and realizing half the things you thought were normal and healthy (or at least not bad for you like microwave popcorn and certain red dyes) are actually terrible for you. we grew up next to many refineries and never knew how nasty they were especially in a place like Salt Lake City Utah where pollution stays because it's a fish bowl effect from the mountains
I just donated my non-sticks to a friend in need (yes they knew and accepted the PFAS risks). I’m wanting to move away from PFAS because it can have detrimental effects on my wife’s endometriosis - source “Heal Endo” and everywhere else too 💁♂️ We are really struggling now with eggs 😅 Gotta keep working on my cast iron seasoning I guess!
A stainless steel pan and lifter with generous amounts of olive oil works pretty nicely for eggs. If something gets stuck, you can always scrape it loose with the lifter, and the stiff lifter doubles as a way to cut things in the pan, so you don't need to dirty a knife.
I've been aware of this issue for a few years. When I kitted out my kitchen after graduating school I decided to go with GreenPan's ceramic non-stick coating instead of teflon pans. I have not been able to find any papers talking about the safety of these coatings...but I'd really love to
Thanks for this episode, I really appreciate these types of health and lifestyle videos! Some recipes around these could be great also! Aka “Eggs without a non-stick skillet” episode would be lovely
PFAS is an ingredient in firefighting foam used to extinguish burning gasoline, jet fuel, and other flammable chemicals that can float on top of water. This is a very significant source of groundwater contamination.
in Belgium, a year ago we got nationwide attention towards a particular PFOS dumping scandal. Awareness has grown, but we shouldn't be the only country to do so.
What about pans that claim to be Teflon free, like the Ninja Foodi NeverStick? I'm buying a few of those pans soon because my friend has been using them for 4 years now and they show no wear whatsoever. Eggs don't stick in them, they're magic.
They, and other hard anodized pans, would be better than cheap nonstick pans since they do last a lot longer, but it still might have some sort of PFAS or similar chemical.
cant imagine "teflon free" to be much more than a marketing BS, as Adam mentioned in the video, whenever a specific chemical compound is banned one way to similar compound is bound to take its place... but, if the pans last a long time, that means less waste to be thrown away soon
Personal suggestion: use full metal cookware and learn to use oil along the way, you can workout an hour for that extra scoop, but there is no way to get many chemical out of your system.
top down regulation is always behind the ball and always does FAR more harm than good. The solution is to hold companies accountable in court for the harm the produce (whether intentional or negligent)
You can't hold them to account in a court of law unless government regulation makes these things illegal in the first place. Governments make the laws, courts uphold them. If dumping this shit into a river isn't illegal, the court can't do a goddamn thing. That's how the legal system works.
@@JustOneAsbesto >You can't hold them to account in a court of law, unless government regulation makes these things illegal in the first place. Yeah you can. It would just be slandered as authoritarian so no liberal state will ever do it. If you look at China or Saudi Arabia, they summarily execute the leadership of a corporation and replace them with a trusted selection of people that would put the country first.
@@boliosbread Fair, I guess I should have said you can't do that in a country with nice things like the rule of law, and separation of the executive vs the judiciary. I doubt OP was talking about like, North Korea, though.
Funny how like 3 hours ago my uni sent me a mail that Saint-Gobain will host a webinar for us, then I checked them and they are responsible for PFAS contamination in New Hampshire's water Yeah no, I'm not taking their offer
14:15 - I think it's a good philosophy to think of almost everything we use as dispensable. It makes it far easier to give up something that we discover is "bad" and makes it easier to enjoy life in general without becoming reliant on too much material junk.
I think something that should also be mentioned is that some of the chemicals produced during the manufacturing of PTFE like PFOA, its replacement GenX, and other similar byproducts are toxic as well. While most of them are burned off in the manufacture of non-stick pans, they've been detected coming off from the pan as a gas, even at normal cooking temperatures. I'd imagine even more of those byproducts would be present in PTFE-coated materials that aren't heated during manufacture, like stain-resistant fabrics and food packaging. On a somewhat related note, you should make a video on other non-stick cooking materials like ceramic and stoneware. I've been using a rice cooker with a ceramic pot for a while now, and it's really impressive how well it works.
I really, really appreciate that you framed this issue as a *systemic* and *regulatory* problem being perpetuated by companies, rather than some kind of individual consumption issue. Too much of the conversation around pollution and public health has been framed as an issue of personal choice. (This is of course intentional, shifting blame away from companies and to the individual)
Yeah, he's really great for that
incoming "don't tread on me" diatribes in 3... 2... 1...
My thoughts exactly 💯
No it’s not a regulatory issue. Regulations will always be behind the ball and they have worse consequences.
Companies are getting away with harming people and they should be held liable. They’re escaping liability by wielding political power. We need less political power. Not more
@@tann_man no, it is a regulatory issue. we need MORE regulation on the chemicals being used in any product.
EDIT: for clarification, we need more government regulation to ensure big companies don't gain too much power in general. Liberalizing the means of production will decrease innovation and will just make people use worse chemicals. i hate liberals istg
Food Journalism has evolved so much since I was watching the Food Network as a kid, this is really great content and we're lucky to have resources like this available to us.
this is a really important development and I'm glad you've highlighted it in your comment. Food Network was never food journalism, it was infotainment and was basically an elaborate vehicle for advertising things like food tourism and the "celebrity chef" endorsements industry. the food+culture parts of RUclips, of which Adam Ragusea is a prominent participant, is the kind of journalism, reporting, and learning resource that we've always wanted and needed.
I agree! I grew up watching FN and that led me to bring a food scientist. I'm grateful for people like Adam sharing food science with the public!
And available for free as well!
Food Network is highly commercialized entertainment, not food journalism or education.
content like this: a guy promoting junk cookware that leeches poison into your food as soon as it gets little micro scratches.
As much as I love Adam's recipes, I ALSO love when he lets his journalistic side shine. I simply wasn't aware of the ubiquity of PFAS, and I'm glad to hear more about it from Adam.
need to watch Dark Waters 2019 then, they been discharging these kind of stuff for decades. Resistance is futile however, as most human on earth already have various amount of these chemical inside already.
@@humorss Resistance is not futile, as those of us who are currently dealing with the problem can fight to ensure that future generations do not have to suffer as we did.
@@stockicide true, we can always make things better.
@@stockicide maybe one day the morons will decide to go back to using stainless steel and cast iron?
Environmental Engineer here, my capstone had heavy involvement in PFAS & Human Exposure. Adam does a wonderful job simplifying the tragedy of the systemic problem of PFAS, and why you should be concerned. It's a difficult thing to explain.
It's a shame that the EPA hasn't standardized testing methods for waste water and ground water, as it's made testing from a corporate standpoint annoying.
The EPA has started standardizing soils and ground water with procedures like 1633. Took them long enough.
good job college boy. Your freemasonic capstone eh? people like you dont understand the world or its genuine institutions at all. At least we have bright eyed , self assured college boys like you to help the average joes. Id be willing to bet that in a holistic consideration, youre pretty average yourself too, college boy.
@@milesstover3724
Apologies, my original comment was not meant to be degrading in any way, but Freemasonic capstone??? My capstone was studying how PFAS latent firefighting foam spreading to adjacent lakes results in degraded ecological health...
I am working in industry as an environmental engineer w/ my EIT, and I do monthly testing for PFAS in our water system & Effluent. I am responsible for what goes out to the environment from my plant, so I think I've got a pretty good grasp of how they function.
Sure I don't understand everything about the world, but I reckon I know fuckton more about permitting, the environment & PFAS than you do.
Breediot Joel: You are wrong, having a child gives you purpose and joy. Their a blessing from Gawd.
Preventionist: Thanks Joel you cleared that up… LMFAO ROTF
Why is it about giving YOU purpose and Joy. What is truly in it for the child? Children are also humans and not just objects like toys.
The unborn have no problems until they are raped into existence by creepy, disturbed, lonely, loser, drug addict/alcoholic, coward, poor, child hating, narcissist, selfish, broke from all points of views, low IQ, sadist, psychopathic, depressed, anxious, mentally ill, delusional, evil, hateful, purposeless megalomaniacal breediots.
The public indoctrination camps don't teach you how to think, they teach you WHAT to think.
Breeders are so blind to how evil they are. Procreation is worse than murder. It is the first step for the possibility of murder to occur after all!
Where do breediots get the right to impose unnecessary risk, suffering and death, without consent?
This question is a “check mate” for every breeding dipshit. Because they must expose themselves to be sadomasochists in order to honestly answer any part of it. Ability doesn’t equal right. Life isn’t necessary. And consent matters. Breeders have no rational or ethical/moral response to any of this. Pro life = pro-suffering and pro-death. It’s all or nothing. The only thing a parent can guarantee their child, is that they’ll be exploited from all points of views, suffer and die, pointlessly. If one considers themselves empathetic, it is this fact alone that they must refuse to recognize because they subconsciously know it completely destroys any feelings of entitlement towards procreation.
This is not simply a "shame". The EPA, FDA, FAA are all bought by the corporations, the oligarchy. This is literally a fascist state by definition.
Hey Adam, I teach a course at the college level about science literacy and just went through some examples of science communication. This video was a master-class on all of the important elements of good faith sci-comm: clear explanations, pointing to the data, seeking expert opinion, being transparent about nuance, and putting the issue into broader social and economic context.
Thoroughly impressed, please keep up the great work.
I thought of all of Adam's science videos, this one is actually a bit weak. It's still pretty good but it's unclear to me what scenarios the referenced studies were about, i.e. is it only if you live near a PFAS factory or is it anyone cause we're all exposed? Also, the video implies that the there are negative health effects associated with using PFAS products that could enter your body (floss, pans, fast food, etc) and no evidence is presented that it's safe or negligible. Even the expert in the video doesn't use non-stick cookware but Adam concludes (despite presenting evidence to the contrary) that PFAS isn't overly concerning on a personal level and even goes as far as to make it part of the title. I realize he's trying to make a broader point about improving PFAS regulations but I don't get why he goes out of his way to imply it's safe when he even says that ingesting tiny bits could cause health problems. I don't think it's actually the case because he's earned my trust but this video feels as if the danger is downplayed in a way that someone might do if one of their sponsors was a non-stick cookware brand. Maybe he thinks PFAS is so ubiquitous that there's no point in avoiding the pans on an individual level. Maybe he's trying to avoid causing everyone to toss out their PFAS pans, which would contribute to the landfill problem. Overall, the video is somewhat unclear and a bit of a mixed message.
He was like literally college journalism teacher before his youtube exploded :)
@@paulgemperlein626 He has an older video on nonstick pans that I think addresses several of your concerns here, so maybe that's part of why he focused on different aspects in this video.
@@paulgemperlein626very accurate comment from you I feel like the video was weak
Thanks for respecting our intelligence Adam. You often present issues and highlight that they ARE complex issues. No easy soundbite, no feel good individual activism when a bigger one is needed. Thanks for the research and info you put out.
I had a pet rescue cockatiel for about 10 years, part of keeping a pet bird is avoiding things like Teflon bc birds are far more sensitive to these chemicals. A dose that has minimal effects on a human or other mammal can kill a bird. On a similar note there have been problems with Teflon coated light bulbs killing chickens. The bulbs were marketed as shatter resistant and for outdoor use so people were putting them in chicken coops.
Canary in the coal mine.
I have a relative with a bird I hate. I'm getting them lots of pans.
@@nomdeguerre8464 bro 💀...
My Dad had a bird for a long time. One morning, he was heating a pan to cook pancakes for us. Not crazy temps, we didn't forget about the pan or anything. The bird dropped dead two rooms away. It was just a few minutes.
Adam suggested you need "crazy" temperatures to break down Teflon into toxic chemicals, but it actually happens at 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 C), which is easy to reach on a home stove by accident. Teflon is toxic and nonstick ceramic is much better to cook and clean on anyways if you want nonstick.
I was about to comment about how insanely dangerous teflon is for birds, so thank you for taking the words right out of my mouth
The chemistry lab I work in is actually working on this issue, and I just attended a nanoscience conference talking about it a few weeks ago. Cool stuff Adam, love to see this.
My city is currently having a crisis around PFAS. Seems the government wasn’t that informed about the factory’s doing and now so many years later are prohibiting the locals from eating their own farmed vegetables and eggs. I’m very happy to see a video that actually explains what this stuff is and what it does. Thank you
Antwerp by any chance? The vegetable issue rings a bell. We had the opportunity to get a blood test because we live within 500 meters of the Scheldt, but I didn't take the chance since we just moved into the appartement in the catchman area. We dont drink tap water. Who knows if it makes a difference.
@@liamtahaney713 isn't a lot of bottled water just tap water with some added minerals?
@@icedcat4021 yes. I forget the brand name but a bottled water company has a deal with a state to just use their tapwater and add minerals and sell it as bottled water.
@@icedcat4021 it often is, but it's not quite tap water from near a chemical plant, most bottled waters will be tested to much higher standards of contamination
@@icedcat4021 probably but 1) i don't live in America so it's much cheaper here 2) I drink sparkling water which doesn't come from the tap obviously and 3) my home city has serious contamination issues from a major pfas plant so there's specifically a reason to not drink our tap water. Maybe the bottled stuff is just as bad, but it seems unlikely
Hey Adam, I want to let you know how much I appreciate how you highlight lesser-known but still brilliant professors at smaller public universities (not that Michigan really counts here since it’s fairly well-known as one of the best research institutions in the world). I feel that media tends to focus on the high-profile private schools a bit too much, and it’s always nice to see someone from your local university in Georgia who probably doesn’t get much shine from anybody aside from their colleagues.
Yep, I wish Adam's model was replicated more often. Talk to your local professors and researchers!
Agreed, Adam speaks to the best experts on the subject, not the most notable by name
When I finally learned about PFAs I had already switched to cast iron, carbon steel, and stainless as my workhorses but I didn't realize how ubiquitous they are beyond Teflon. I video I saw said they had to go to pre WW2 blood samples to find anyone without pfas in their system.
Hey Adam, chemist here.
I just wanted to say that I was a much bigger fan of you including the "drawn" chemical figures in your videos as opposed to the 3D models created in Avogadro (or whatever software you are using).
That said, I find much more enjoyment in creating a 3D Model on my PC, and this is just one opinion of many. Do whatever makes you happy
For organic chemicals I’m team 2-D drawings too, especially since that’s how it’s been traditionally taught in high school / college classroom settings. When it comes to inorganic or hybrid crystalline materials like Metal Organic Frameworks, then 3D models made or avagadro or based on x-Ray diffraction data translate really well
@@Geo-Tune I don't even know how it's possible to show a crystal structure in 2D. Big fan of using 3D models. So yep, I fully agree
Hey Adam, if we had to draw them in undergrad, you gotta draw them to make that sweet sweet RUclips coin
The 3D image is just the standard one from the PFOA Wikipedia article, so it’s whatever software is standard there. Looks like Avagadro based on the image metadata.
I switched my nonstick to carbon steel and it takes a little more finesse than nonstick, but getting something slightly stuck occasionally is worth the minor inconvenience for me to avoid contributing to this issue. Thanks for discussing this topic, I think it's very important to be aware that these products carry some risk particularly around the manufacturing of them.
the worse you get with overheating iron or steel cookware is burning off your seasoning. not filling the house with very toxic fume and a trashed pan.
@@humorss If you have birds they could drop dead from what you describe. So just because it wouldn't do the same to us doesn't mean we shouldn't think it's quite bad for us as well.
@@TheBucketOfTruth I overheated one teflon pan a decade ago, did made me a little dizzy, the body don't like it regardless of long term damage.
As a chef I always used to cook on steel pans, but at home over the years I moved to high end PTFE pans. Frustrated at their lack of longevity, I moved back to heavy wrought iron carbon. - it takesa bit more care and seasoning, but is guaranteed for multigenerational lifespan. And I enjoy using them.
Same here, and you can really get in there with a nice thin metal spatula to scrape off the deliciously browned food, unlike with the non-stick where you have to use a weak plastic one.
Thank you for actually framing the PFAS issue more completely than "oh makes our pans less sticky" like John Oliver did. As much as there is a regulatory issue, there is also the issue of finding a reasonable replacement for, to use your example, stopping aerosolization of chromium, or making non-stick floss.
Nothing becomes so pervasive in our society without being incredibly useful and improving a lot of lives in the process.
everything good is bad
Same reason that it's been so hard to ditch fossil fuels. They're just too good at what they do - the energy density of petroleum-based fuels are insane.
FWIW I do think it would be better in the long run if both PFAS and fossil fuels were eventually phased out, but I can see why they were initially phased in.
I think occasionally we get caught up too much in "replacements". I do agree in the case of stuff like floss, but chrome plating is something that very few things actually need. In the case Adam showed it was literally cosmetic. I have 0 issues with just doing away with cosmetic chromium plating entirely.
Exactly. We can't just ban it all. There is good reason it exists! Maybe some applications aren't necessary, but there would be clear downsides of it being banned.
For a lot of stuff, we can just go back to using cooking oil, wax, or just cleaning more. Most PFAS products include it because it makes things more convenient, not because there wasn't a solution to the problem before.
You will also find that, although we have a lot of technology that was supposed to make life better and more convenient, we don't actually work less and have more free time.
I wish every important issue was presented to me this way. Digestible, entertaining, and convincing. Bravo Adam, this is an excellent video that doesn't feel pushy but is still extremely meaningful. I never would've known about PFAS if you didn't make this video
Another industry that is hugely dependent of PFAS materials is the whole plastics extrusion industry (one that I work in). I know there is now a huge push to move away from these sort of forever chemicals, not just PFAS and similar chemicals.
ah, yes model builders always need to clean those mold release agents off of plastic parts. else no paint will stick, crazy. and people just dump those liquid down the drain.
Out of curiosity - Are you working on making plastic out of non-petroleum products or more making petroleum products more biodegradable?
@@sarahwatts7152 sounds more like ultra strong nonstick spray for the metal molds plastic gets popped out of, same problem as cooking just more intense sticking=
@@humorss what else can you do besides dumping it down the drain?
@@JGnLAU8OAWF6 put it inside a container and bury it with layers of concrete. They know what to do but only if you have laws to regulate them. Otherwise they just dump it down the drain and let the residents nearby deal with it.
And these regulations are what they consider "business killing" and are constantly at risk of being removed by elected officials.
Not only some of the best food journalism, just straight some of the best journalism. Thanks for all the incredibly interesting, thorough, and well thought out videos, food or not.
I am an Environmental Engineering student! I want to go into water resources (for now) and the removal and regulation of these chemicals is likely to be a large part of my career. I am so glad you made this video! It balances all the important things to know and is also easy to understand. I love to see the public be interested in these issues!!
I started my first job as a water resources EIT in July, and I'm already working on some PFAS projects! It's a scary and exciting time for this field of work :)
Charli Renea: "The TRUTH about Ceramic Cookware" by Future Proof's channel.
As a Grand Rapids Michigan citizen I appreciate you talking about this to a larger audience. I have only ever heard pfas discussed on my local NPR station. Big fan Adam thanks for all you do!
my partner made us chuck our non-stick cookware a while ago and now we use stainless and carbon steel only. both can fry eggs as well as non-stick if you know what you're doing, and they last a lifetime. great video, always love the measured approach and 10/10 on the call to action at the end.
You can use ceramic, non-stick cookware too! If it's quality, there won't be any PFAS. Consumer Reports showed Red Copper to not contain any of the specific compounds for which they analyzed.
How is throwing out what you already have helping with anything?
@@michaelmoran9020I guess it also implies not replacing the worn out teflon pans. From my experience, even when using only plastic spatulas, they gets scratched up quite fast
I am a long term viewer and currently working toward my PhD with a focus on PFAS in our waste! Love the video and glad you are putting light on this subject. You clearly did your research and I think this is an amazing way to introduce people to topic.
Recently read an article where someone discovered the farmland they had purchased was fertilized with sludge (supposed to be just human sewage and would seem to make sense for use) which turned out to be from a system in which PFAS had been dumped by a manufacturer. The PFAS accumulated to levels which ruined the farmland for growing organic crops. PFAS was found in the produce. So heartbreaking and made me really mad.
The environmental and health effects of Teflon are the topic of my end-of-semester paper as a Food Science student. Thank you Adam, this upload saved my ass.
I work in the haz waste industry, so seeing the problems of PFAS talked about is great since it brings attention to them to your average Joe.
Hey Adam, I wanna say that your channel is one of the best on RUclips because of this type of videos, thank you for keeping us informed.
I've only just started watching this video but I want to say thank you for talking about this! I work in testing drinking water for toxic chemicals and have been trained specifically on testing for PFAS compounds, among the wide range of other compounds I have been trained on, and this is one of those things that needs more airtime than it is currently getting.
Thank you for talking about this very serious issue Adam, and thank you for all your hard and continued work Dr. Park!
The fact that we live in a culture that has already begun to recognize that this is a problem and is taking steps to address it bit by bit is actually really heartening to me. It might be no where near being solved, but at least people are trying.
I hope it was worth it, against Extinction... Otherwise, maybe this planet should be reconstituted entirely.
... If a second chance was even possible...
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 We won’t become extinct. Just more prone to various illnesses and such - illnesses that frankly, even at their worst, will not cause the kinds of widespread death and disfigurement once caused by diseases like smallpox and polio and even common bacterial infections. They won’t be as bad as famine either, which used to be widespread.
Please, PLEASE do not take the “We are all doomed!” position. It’s just a cynical excuse for doing nothing. Humans are not going to go extinct, and we owe it to thousands of generations yet to come to ACT, to limit irreversible changes we make to the environment (including the use of “forever chemicals” like PFAS, as well as preventing extinctions and permanent habitat destruction). Cynical negativity may feel smugly superior, but it won’t solve a damned thing.
@@davestagner
My view is from the End of Existence. Not whatever pitiful disease that any species would find.
If humanity found their Creators...
Nevermind... You mortals won't exist in my time. Another dead cosmic iteration if things go poorly again.
(My concerns are beyond the cosmic flux. If mankind will not be there in time, then I will do this on my own. Your kin will simply be erased as if they never existed. I have done this before, but this time around, I have given mercy enough... Extinction is my Voice. May this iteration prove me wrong in the end or oblivion will take this cosmos as it has done before.)
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 Ok, well, if you’re speaking as a GOD, then go have fun doing god stuff with the other gods, and leave us foolish mortals alone so we can get to the hard work of sorting out our own problems, for our own legacy. We already cause ourselves enough problems, we don’t need to be worrying about what the stupid gods think too. (That said, I’m wondering why a god bothers to comment on RUclips videos…)
@@davestagner
I have my reasons...
Not that it matters...
Given this iteration...
As someone who lived in the Grand Rapids area when the news was rolling out, it was very scary to go through, particularly for new families and people moving to the area. I had a coworker who had bought his dream home, just finished his ideal grill/deck area, and his wife was pregnant with twins when he got the letter explaining his water was unsafe to drink and was being switched to the "free water delivery service". No clue when or if he finally got back onto a safe tap water system
Hey, I just wanted to say this might be your best non-food video. Great work!
I'm glad to see this topic getting more attention! Here in Maine this has been an issue is several dairy farms that used to spread sludge (wastewater treatment plant solids). These farms can have soil and groundwater contamination which is then passed through the cows into the milk, causing many of these dairy's to have to close. There have even been deer in the areas with contamination that have tested high for PFAS so there are advisories from the state about consumption of deer from near these areas.
Ecologist in Maine. We have seen level of PFA family chemicals at extremely high levels in wildlife, including deer. The chemical load reached the point where a toxin (non-consumption) advisory was issued for deer meat in parts of the state. This is a significant issue and while I agree with Adam about this not being vote-with-you-wallet issue due to the scale, industry profitability, and hidden risk (for example, McDonald's and other food retailer may not know if they are buying a PFAS coated product), we can still limit our individual exposure to it and advocate for class regulation. Once again, this comes back to the precautionary principal which the US has failed to enact and instead people need to prove they are being killed by a chemical before there is even the possibility of substantive change.
The other thing is that states like Maine or Michigan which have a high exposure to PFAS are often having to foot the bill, address the remediation, clean up groundwater contamination, et cetera. Meanwhile, the companies producing these chemicals continue to churn them out and pay little to nothing.
Fun fact: you could get by using beeswax to make most of waterproofing for food. Works like charm on leather and paper. Waxing unbleached cloth, preferably linen, as cotton is not so good for environment, is also possible to make completely friendly wrappings.
Great. Then all we have to do is figure out how to stop the decline in the bee populations.
@@tinayoga8844 I thought they had pretty much figured out it was Round Up? Which also causes cancer in humans ( like extremely high rates in farmers ) as well. I don't think it is the "why?" but more of a "how do we stop companies from destroying the planet?"
I really love and appreciate the scope of topics you pick for the food science episodes!! A regular viewer of food content on youtube might never on their own look into PFAS but because you supply us with amazing food recipe videos you already have a crowd here ready to watch the food science episodes as well! Keep up the good work
This is absolutely top tier content. Thank you for doing a digestible deep dive on an issue I’ve been vaguely aware of but not grasped fully.
I've always cooked on cast iron mostly, but kept a teflon pan for eggs. I switched a while back to a small carbon steel pan. There was definitely a learning curve to do over easy in it, but I've got the hang of it now.
I used to cook gray iron in a casting shop. There are metals that are inert, metals that are mostly non-toxic, and lots of metals that will totally wreck a human body if they are in cook ware. Whenever I see a teflon coated pan and there's scratches and exposed steel from the teflon coming off like it always does, I wonder if the manufacturers use cheaper alloys, assuming that it would be safely sealed inside the teflon. Are we getting arsenic, lead, or mercury from teflon pans that wouldn't normally be in cookware?
I'm sure that would depend on the company that makes said pans, and probably some other factors like quality of said cheap alloys
At least that's my average joe understanding on the subject
Thank you for bringing attention to this issue! There is a factory in my town which has knowingly contaminated the groundwater with PFAS and the government has yet to act, even though this has been publicly known since 2016
Geologist here, consultant on remediation of contaminated sites in Brazil.
Very few people worrying about it around here outside people working in the environmental consultancy segment.
We don't even have enough labs to deal with parts per trilion screening levels!
Good video from someone who does PFAS risk assessment full time. Firefighting foams are an important part of the story. It was also a known issue from early 2000s but didn’t get serious attention until DuPont litigation.
You're videos have evolved and I appreciate alll the hard work and research into these. Thanks!
Really interesting video article Adam - I appreciate that you go above and beyond and will give the same level of focus to environmental issues as well as the process of making beer and spirits! (i mean that unironically). I've always been a fan of 'how things work' videos and books, and whilst this particular example is a little morbid, it's certainly an important topic of discussion. It seems the most important scientific discoveries are usually stumbled upon by accident. Here in Australia, we've banned single-use plastic shopping bags, and pretty much all disposable packaging made out of plastic including straws.
Thank you for highlighting this, its such a big topic I was surprised you only got 15mins into it. I'm sure you had done alot more research and more to give on this. If you wanted to do a part 2 it'll be most welcomed!
Interested in how one can filter these substances out and is it viable to collect and "dispose" of these?
I know Dyson does the florhyldmide filter, and specialist filters can also filter these out, bit after that what happens...
I honestly never really thought I'd see a video on PFAS after I had to write an assignment on Dupont and how their PFAS usage affected local communities and the company's reputation and future actions, in my business class in college. One of the only assignments I ever enjoyed writing lol
I would love a video about Hard Anodized Aluminum cookware. They seem to be a good alternative for regular nonstick pans and last a lot longer, but I've seen conflicting info about if they still use additional coatings of PFAS or similar chemicals.
I've been curious about ceramic coatings too please
@henrath, do you mean ceramic coated? "Hard anodized aluminum cookware" could also just be PTFE based cookware. EVERY non-stick pan that is not ceramic coated is a PTFE(teflon) based(or identical chemical).
I would not use Ceramic instead of a Teflon "non-stick" pan. I would buy cast iron or carbon steel if you still want some less stick elements, but they're not equal to Teflon pans in terms of ease of use.
Bit wild to watch this video when I used to LIVE in Wyandotte barely a mile from BASF. And there's Adam filming in my old hometown and I know exactly where the discharge point is at. Wild. Thank you for this Adam
I started moving away from these on an individual level when I learned of indigenous people in the Amazon being tested and finding PFAS in their bloodstreams. If the stuff is able to contaminate people with literally no contact, how much more for people who live in and with it daily.
You're cute as hell
thank you for making this video, i used to get into youtube rabbitholes a lot and one of them was about this very issue. i have been better with my anxiety but this did used to get me very worried. knowing that you dont worry about pfas makes me feel a bit better, sorta..
"Why I season my food with PFAS, NOT my Pan"
The legend has returned
Fancy seeing you here again!
My uncle fard
👀
👃🏻
👄
👉👈
I've been waiting for this moment
Ayy you're alive
I thought this was the video you made on nonstick pans in 2019ish until I realized you were in the new kitchen. I appreciate you continuing to do research and putting out updates to older videos.
Teflon is delicious
Throw in some micro plastics and your laughin 😛
I sizzle some every time I put anything in my pan
My dad works for the EPA - he was working on the new PFAS and PFOA regulations for years. Imagine my surprise seeing it pop up in your video! I sent the vid his way.
Thank you, I'm really glad you did an episode on this one. One of the most brutal offenders with chemicals like this was and still is DuPont. There's a movie everyone should watch called THE DEVIL WE KNOW .
This problem is what motivated me to learn to work with my stainless steel pots and pans more. While I don't have a complete set, I do have enough to get by. Other than stuff like eggs and pancakes where the no-stick nature of teflon really shines, I found I like how things turn out better in the stainless steel pots and pans I own. Likely down to the thermal ballast they tend to have fused to their bottoms.
The best pans I found were Mueller nonstick stone pans. They are free of Teflon, PFOA, APEO, PFOS, PFAS, PFBS, Lead, and Cadmium. Only downside is they are not machine washable. A 16 piece set only costs $80 on amazon.
A very simple way to put across the explanation of PFAS. Only after Adam's explanation, I m awaken from the all the danger of PFAS beyond the pan that is used to cook my meals. For a change, I m going to use S/Steel pan for my eggs.
We did it with CFCs, literally every country signed the Montreal Protocol. We can do it again, we need public outrage and corporate accountability
Wow, your journalism background really shows through in the best way here.
this is such a great topic! I remember reading those investigative pieces about the dupont lawsuits back in the day and having the feeling that we're just not paying attention to how big an issue this is
As an environmental engineering I am glad you made this video.
PFAS can also work as an endocrine disruptor and have a profound impact on all sorts of wildlife.
Fricken love your content dude. Thanks for the high effort you put into your vids. 👍
Dammit Adam, this is why I love you and this channel. Best random recommendation RUclips has made to me.
Organic Chemist here. Turns out that you can actually design PFAS in a way that allows you to use their unique properties and also make them biodegradable. I just finished my master thesis working on the development of new PFAS that actually degrade in the environment, and this was an industry cooperation so we might be able to use those as a replacement soon.
Once again, I am in awe about how you approach topics based on scientific evidence (especially as a non-scientist). Your literature research skills are sick, you even had some papers that I used myself.
Do you have any papers you would recommend to read up on these?
You really leave a comment like that without references?
No its not possible, you just made that up, and you are no chemist either. The whole point why PFAS is used because it doesnt degrade. Lets say it degraded in 3 months. Well there goes 98% of the industry which makes cooking pans, because nobody is buying a non-stick pan with a coating thats gone in 3 months even if you dont cook with it.
@@xTheHarpoonx Yes he is because he made it all up and is not a chemist either, just some troll farming likes
@@rykehuss3435 what about food playing, that could wear away in a week and nobody would care. You're taking a very hardline stance against this topic you don't know anything about, his papers I mean, not the chemicals.
I’m glad you made this video. I remember an old one you did explaining how just abusing the non stick pans isn’t a big deal and after learning more about these chemicals I always thought back to the that sentiment and it bothered me. I am learning to cook all of my food with stainless and am not sure what to do with my two non stick pans now because I don’t want to throw them away.
Adam, I have a question: Do ceramic non-stick pans contain any chemicals in the PFAS family?
Nicely done. I am a nursing instructor here in Northern Michigan. In our course, Community and Public Health for the BSN, we have been talking about PFAS, man-made disasters and vulnerable populations. I will use this video for an essay question 🙂
Man, there's really no escape from this dystopia we've fabricated huh
Things will work out. It'll just take a lot of work.
We are our own worst enemies
"The future ain't what it used to be." - Yogi Berra.
"It ain't over 'til it's over." - Also Yogi Berra.
as a start, you can vote with your wallet and not buy products that have PFAS contamination issues in their manufacturing.
Bro these are plastic chemicals, this isn't some war between natinos or something
I love when you shed light on topics like this. Thanks grandpa!
University student here, I'm currently taking a course on environmental science, and we just covered hazardous chemicals in consumer products two weeks ago. There's... a lot. Sunscreen contains chemicals that build up in marine life and act as hormone mimics. A lot of fragrances have health implications if they enter your body. Common chemicals used to make creams/gels can are also harmful.
A good starting point to look up is "The dirty dozen" chemicals in consumer products.
Actually, I'm just going to rant about my class here.
Pretty much every lecture has been a huge eye-opener. We covered the agricultural revolution, the use and misuse of fertilizer and pesticides (look up algal blooms and eutrification as one consequence)
we covered the water cycle and various types of water pollution - storm surges, increasing frequency of natural disaster due to climate change, and so much more.
even though environmental Science isn't related to my major (I took it because I needed a bird course haha) I'm so glad I'm taking it. Just a really useful thing to be aware of
it's so frustrating growing up and realizing half the things you thought were normal and healthy (or at least not bad for you like microwave popcorn and certain red dyes) are actually terrible for you. we grew up next to many refineries and never knew how nasty they were especially in a place like Salt Lake City Utah where pollution stays because it's a fish bowl effect from the mountains
I just donated my non-sticks to a friend in need (yes they knew and accepted the PFAS risks). I’m wanting to move away from PFAS because it can have detrimental effects on my wife’s endometriosis - source “Heal Endo” and everywhere else too 💁♂️
We are really struggling now with eggs 😅 Gotta keep working on my cast iron seasoning I guess!
or use stainless steel?
A stainless steel pan and lifter with generous amounts of olive oil works pretty nicely for eggs. If something gets stuck, you can always scrape it loose with the lifter, and the stiff lifter doubles as a way to cut things in the pan, so you don't need to dirty a knife.
I've been aware of this issue for a few years. When I kitted out my kitchen after graduating school I decided to go with GreenPan's ceramic non-stick coating instead of teflon pans. I have not been able to find any papers talking about the safety of these coatings...but I'd really love to
GreenPan was involved in a class action lawsuit about false advertising because they do actually use toxins in their coatings.
This says a lot about our society
I always appreciate the meaningful titles on your channel in the age of click bait
We are so fucked and it's our own doing.
Best conclusion you can make in such a topic. Thanks Adam.
We are literally poisoning ourselves 😅
Cheers from San Diego California
We've been poisoning ourselves since we cooked with yak dung, and chimneys hadn't been invented yet.
Combine that with microplastics, we’re all gonna get cancer
Those triceps be lookin SUCCULENT, Adam! Keep up the good work!
Show of hands-- how many thought "missed a spot" when he buttered the pan?
✋🏻
Thanks for this episode, I really appreciate these types of health and lifestyle videos!
Some recipes around these could be great also! Aka “Eggs without a non-stick skillet” episode would be lovely
love the vids adam
PFAS is an ingredient in firefighting foam used to extinguish burning gasoline, jet fuel, and other flammable chemicals that can float on top of water. This is a very significant source of groundwater contamination.
I'd like to see a video on 'WTF are Preservatives' and how much of a health concern they really are.
Really good work on this one, Ragusea. I appreciated this knowledge despite (or perhaps because of) the gravity of the problem.
That's why I season my lungs with Teflon while recycling non stick pans
in Belgium, a year ago we got nationwide attention towards a particular PFOS dumping scandal. Awareness has grown, but we shouldn't be the only country to do so.
What about pans that claim to be Teflon free, like the Ninja Foodi NeverStick? I'm buying a few of those pans soon because my friend has been using them for 4 years now and they show no wear whatsoever. Eggs don't stick in them, they're magic.
They, and other hard anodized pans, would be better than cheap nonstick pans since they do last a lot longer, but it still might have some sort of PFAS or similar chemical.
cant imagine "teflon free" to be much more than a marketing BS, as Adam mentioned in the video, whenever a specific chemical compound is banned one way to similar compound is bound to take its place...
but, if the pans last a long time, that means less waste to be thrown away soon
They use PTFE, which is still a PFAS chemical.
@@ConnorJohnGriffin PTFE is Teflon. It's the same chemical. Teflon is a brand name, like Kleenex is a brand name for facial tissues.
A pans review would be a great video for an Adam. You should pitch it to him on reddit
There's been a few breakthroughs recently in PFAS disposable. With new options to break them down into non hazardous options.
have you looked at the granite pans? low heat they seem so great to cook with...
Dude, I’ve never seen this channel before. This was a REALLY well done video.
I'd recommend dropping a sub. A lot of vids not only on food, but the science of foods. I've learned a whole bunch of new things since I've been here.
Personal suggestion: use full metal cookware and learn to use oil along the way, you can workout an hour for that extra scoop, but there is no way to get many chemical out of your system.
cast iron ftw
I did the audio for a 3-day conference on PFAS and while most of it went completely over my head I knew Adam was gonna make a video about it some day
My Ninja pan bent like clay when it fell off my counter. Wth?
sounds annealed
@@namm0x326 It was room temp though. It just slipped off the drying rack.
I'm also working on a PFAS video - there is hope, but they are really persistent
top down regulation is always behind the ball and always does FAR more harm than good. The solution is to hold companies accountable in court for the harm the produce (whether intentional or negligent)
You can't hold them to account in a court of law unless government regulation makes these things illegal in the first place.
Governments make the laws, courts uphold them. If dumping this shit into a river isn't illegal, the court can't do a goddamn thing. That's how the legal system works.
thos is just gibberish there's plenty of top down regulation that looks into the future
@@JustOneAsbesto >You can't hold them to account in a court of law, unless government regulation makes these things illegal in the first place.
Yeah you can. It would just be slandered as authoritarian so no liberal state will ever do it. If you look at China or Saudi Arabia, they summarily execute the leadership of a corporation and replace them with a trusted selection of people that would put the country first.
@@boliosbread Fair, I guess I should have said you can't do that in a country with nice things like the rule of law, and separation of the executive vs the judiciary. I doubt OP was talking about like, North Korea, though.
@@JustOneAsbesto Consumer protection laws already exist.
Thank you for following up on the non-stick topic, very informative.
Funny how like 3 hours ago my uni sent me a mail that Saint-Gobain will host a webinar for us, then I checked them and they are responsible for PFAS contamination in New Hampshire's water
Yeah no, I'm not taking their offer
14:15 - I think it's a good philosophy to think of almost everything we use as dispensable. It makes it far easier to give up something that we discover is "bad" and makes it easier to enjoy life in general without becoming reliant on too much material junk.
Sur-FACT-ant
This is the only way I've heard it pronounced. Not sure if Adam heard the pronunciation he's using or just has only ever read the word.
I think something that should also be mentioned is that some of the chemicals produced during the manufacturing of PTFE like PFOA, its replacement GenX, and other similar byproducts are toxic as well. While most of them are burned off in the manufacture of non-stick pans, they've been detected coming off from the pan as a gas, even at normal cooking temperatures. I'd imagine even more of those byproducts would be present in PTFE-coated materials that aren't heated during manufacture, like stain-resistant fabrics and food packaging.
On a somewhat related note, you should make a video on other non-stick cooking materials like ceramic and stoneware. I've been using a rice cooker with a ceramic pot for a while now, and it's really impressive how well it works.
I hate it that IKEA’s nonstick pans use that, they tend to usually be more responsible about what they use.