Dark Waters

We are truly swimming in dark waters and we are still led to believe that it is not true. Lies or conspiracy theory?

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. As a matter of 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 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. 

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 the guinea pigs of the ever-growing conglomerates that generate so much money that we will never get but a minuscule fraction of that money in our entire lives and all of our 'riches' combined could never match this. 
So what was happening?
I have 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 having 'paid' government officials to walk away from their responsibility and environmental disaster that their products PFOA and PFOS (indestructible fluoride-containing compounds, which are known to be bio-accumulable 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) are still representing today. 
The problem with these companies 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 lose their seat of power, while the power of big companies continues to grow and grow. 
It took more than 50 years for Dupont to be exposed and pay the victims some sort of compensation — some 650 Million dollars. A drop of blood in the ocean of dead people. Dupont made in 2000 something like 1 Billion in revenue each year, solely from the sell of non-stick pans. 
But PFOAs are found in a multitude of household and consumer products. To make my point a bit more 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 type 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 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 of the polar bear.

Nearly a decade ago, the European Union has 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, which contain PFOA and PFOS will still remain in use, a practice known to dramatically contaminate our water system. With the California and Australian bush fires 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 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 to 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 are the solution?
Buy my book when it is out and be empowered with valuable knowledge and make 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 again cannot be innocent.
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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... Of course not. Highly-affordable food outlets use the cheapest of food utensils and nonstick pans, and thus you may be more exposed if you were eating in a high-end restaurant. Although, having worked and eaten in Michelin-starred restaurants, I can tell you that nonstick pans are used extensively. 
You are also told not to use metal utensils with nonstick pans, but are you sure the restaurant is doing so. As a private chef I have been horrified to the state of many of the nonstick pans the majority of households still use every day. Tiny fractions of nonstick coating can lodge inside the lining of the stomach and cause a multitude of condition, including stomach ulcers and cancers.   
Surely, I have binned more nonstick pans that anyone on earth and I will continue to do so.
​What about you?