Nonstick cookware not cancer source

Dear Dr. Roach: I recently was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and my wife is now getting treatment for breast cancer. Would cooking on a nonstick skillet have caused the cancers? — B.R.

We want to have as much control over our fate as possible. However, most cases of cancer occur without a specific risk (smoking cigarettes is the biggest exception to this).

Cancer happens, among other reasons, when there is an error in replicating DNA, when we are hit by natural radiation or when something in our environment damages our DNA.

There certainly are behaviors we can do to reduce cancer risk, but there is no way to entirely prevent cancer from occurring. In the case of nonstick cookware, there is no increased risk. Workers who make nonstick coatings for pans or clothing are potentially at risk due to a chemical used in manufacturing called PFOA, but there is none of this (probably) carcinogenic chemical in the final product. Overheating a nonstick-coated pan can cause irritating, but not cancercausing, chemical fumes.

Dear Dr. Roach: My husband, 77, recently had major surgery and was asked if he had ever smoked. He answered that when he was 9, he smoked a cigarette. He is now in the computer as an ex-smoker, and the nurse told us she is “required by law” to provide him with information on quitting.

When physicians ask, “Have you ever smoked?” do they really want to hear about one cigarette smoked 70 years ago? Is this meaningful information? — S.S.

There are important reasons to know a person’s smoking history, especially if one is about to undergo surgery. Current smokers should know that quitting well before surgery can reduce risks of surgical complications. The anesthesiologist can be extra-vigilant for breathing issues. Some of these points are valid for ex-smokers, too.