The dangers of Teflon?
Jun 30, 2005 at 10:27 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12

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My brother recently started bothering me about how the news is saying that teflon causes cancer. I poo-poo'd the idea however I ran a search on the internet and it seems that it may be an issue. Not sure if I'm going to bother worrying about heating up teflon sleeved wires with my soldering iron so I wanted to get everyone elses take and see if this is a legitimate concern or more worry-you-over-nothing news.

A couple of links I googled:
http://tuberose.com/Teflon.html
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/healt...ks_downplayed/
 
Jun 30, 2005 at 10:44 PM Post #2 of 12
This was a big story on tv a couple years ago the big company that invented it (I cant remember...thinking it was monsanto) hid that from the people in the plant that made it and they all have cancer now.....well not all of them, but a lot do.

i chose not to cook with teflon....high heat will release noxious fumes.

however.....I think everything causes cancer now....so who cares!

B
 
Jun 30, 2005 at 10:55 PM Post #3 of 12
This has been discussed to death in the various chemistry forums. Birth defects in employees are caused by reagents used during production, not the final product, which is actually safe to at least 300*C. The only way that can happen is if you leave an empty pan for a long period on the stovetop, or actually heat oil to boiling (and I mean after all the water content boils off), but oil scorches before that and already becomes carcinogenic, so you shouldn't be doing that; deep frying doesn't approach oil boiling temperature, it's the water in the stuff you're frying that's doing the boiling. And, no home cooking oven will exceed that temperature (unless in cleaning cycle).

This is just the latest scaremongering. Remember that stuff a while back about aluminum pots and pans leaching when cooking acidic foods and causing brain damage like Alzheimers? Turns out such amounts of aluminum are perfectly safe and there's no link to brain damage. This is just more of the same from the usual paranoiacs.

I don't use Teflon for cooking, not because of any danger (there is none), but because I have nice French copper cookware.
biggrin.gif


The soldering iron does exceed safe temperatures, however, so use a fume hood or do it outside or by an open window. You really shouldn't be trying to burn the teflon off either, use sandpaper to scrape it off.
 
Jul 1, 2005 at 12:33 AM Post #4 of 12
For the ammount we come into contact with in cables I really doubt there's any issue at all here. And like has been said I can't walk out of my house without worrying about skin cancer from the sun, lung cancer from car exhusts, weaponized viruses from terrorists, and George Bush.
 
Jul 1, 2005 at 1:08 AM Post #5 of 12
I guess I'll have to start advising people not to eat their amp's wiring.
 
Jul 1, 2005 at 1:32 AM Post #8 of 12
I was reading about teflon the other day, and just to show off im gonna tell you my newfound knowledge:

Tetrafluoroethelyne is teflons proper scientific name :p

[edit]: I spelt it wrong :p Fixed now.

Rob.
 
Jul 1, 2005 at 1:37 AM Post #9 of 12
teflon when heated hot enough produces phosgene gas.
Which is decidedly hazardous even in relatively small quantities.
A soldering iron cannot reach these temperatures.
 
Jul 1, 2005 at 2:14 AM Post #11 of 12
Any decent wire stripper should do. I forget the name of the tool, but the spring action kind that closes a diamond around the wire when you squeeze it. Those work really well.
 
Jul 1, 2005 at 2:27 AM Post #12 of 12
I guess someone who is lacking a wire stripper might try and melt the teflon, however since it doesn't exibit much if any shrink back I don't think it would work very well. The only time it would get hot during normal use is when you're dropping hot solder on the bare wire it's wrapped around.
 

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