A recent study has found a strong correlation between the chemicals used in non stick cookware, and in microwave popcorns and high blood cholesterol in children.

According to researchers from West Virginia University School of Medicine who studied 12,476 children and teens aged one to 18 years, the kids get exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) one of the components used to coat the non stick pots and pans, and make microwave popcorns, which raises the blood cholesterol.

The children picked for this project had already been exposed to this man-made chemical through contaminated drinking water. The study found that the average PFOA and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) concentration in their blood was higher than the accepted amounts. The study also found that children with higher PFOA and PFOS levels had higher total cholesterol which put them at a high risk for heart disease, and stroke.