Recently I wrote about some of the dangers of plastics in modern kitchens and encouraged readers to ask an important question: Should you purge your plastics?

Along the same vein, I’d like for you to consider, (if you haven’t already), another component of your kitchen that may be causing you or your loved ones harm: non-stick cookware. While it is exceptionally convenient and cleans up quite nicely, I think you may want to look a little deeper and consider the long-term effects this particular convenience may have on your family.

Did you know that the synthetic chemical used in non-stick cookware – PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid – is actually classified as a “likely carcinogen”?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not so excited about working like a dog to shop for healthy, fresh foods only to cook them in a pan that adds a “likely carcinogen” to our meals each time I cook! (I’ve actually read that until heated, the PFOA is quite harmless…but once it is heated - watch out! That’s when the chemicals are released; both into the foods and into the air we breathe.) Especially since I’m raising a son whose system has proven to us that it cannot detoxify as well as his peers’, I feel I need to be very careful when it comes to questionable chemicals like PFOA.

So, what can we do? Phase out non-stick cookware all together. I got rid of all of mine. Non-PFOA options to consider: stainless steel, cast iron, ceramic titanium and porcelain enameled iron. We use stainless steel a lot in my kitchen but I’m also on the lookout for a nice cast iron skillet or two. Many of my friends rave about their Le Creuset (enameled cast iron) cookware, but I don’t personally have any.

Will this blog post make you think twice about the pots and pans currently in your kitchen cabinet? Did you even know that non-stick cookware could be dangerous…that it is LIKELY to cause cancer? I wonder what cooking options you currently use in lieu of non-stick cookware?

Leigh Attaway Wilcox is a Writer and Editor, Children's Book Author, Literacy Specialist and proud mom to a spunky, smart 7-year-old boy who happens to live with Asperger's Syndrome. In addition to blogging here for AutismSpot each week, Leigh writes for the Dallas Moms Blog about a variety of parenting and special needs topics. For more about Leigh, her writing and her family's journey with Autism, visit her website and blog.