This is something that's been bothering me for a while, but I can't
find much information about it. When (non-enameled) cast iron gets
seasoned, what exactly is happening chemically? What is that layer
you're depositing on the iron? It seems to me that you're essentially
burning oil and food particles onto the iron. Last time I checked,
burned, smoked oil is believed to be carcinogenic. The fumes from the
seasoning process certainly aren't very pleasant, and are presumably
carcinogenic. And yet, health authorities consistently recommend
cooking in cast iron as a way to increase dietary iron intake -- are
they simply overlooking the potential carcinogenic effects, or has it
been studied and found to be safe?

Anybody know of any hard data about this? Unfortunately, "My grandma
has been cooking in cast iron for 97 years and she's still alive and
kicking" doesn't count as hard data, sorry. Yes, people have been
cooking in cast iron for a long time, and the human species as a whole
continues to thrive. But then, lots of people get cancer, and we
don't usually know why.

I'm not trying to be alarmist and tell people not to use cast iron.
I'm just curious and somewhat concerned.

TIA,

Randall