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           INTRODUCTION   What is Fluoropolymers?

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           INTRODUCTION   What is Fluoropolymers?

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A fluoropolymer is a fluorocarbon-based polymer with multiple strong carbon-fluorine bonds. It is characterized by a high resistance to solvents, acids, and bases .

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Fluoropolymers have a lot of negative exposure over  perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) fears and other issues.

The main polymer in these coatings is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), often called by the tradename Teflon®.

It has a high melting point (315-340ºC, 599-644°F), making it ideal for most cooking applications.

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Non-overheated PTFEs such as Teflon are inert (won’t react with most other chemicals). Therefore, even if you eat PTFE particles, they should not interact with your body and should pass through you without harm.

Even Environmetal Working Group (EWG) admits that “Ingesting particles that flake off scratched non-stick cookware isn’t toxic because solid PTFE flakes are inert.”

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Coatings on carpets and clothing, in microwave popcorn bags and on fast-food wrappers.

Most waterproof or stain-repellent clothing is coated with them.

The fabric may be labeled with brands such as Teflon, Scotchgard, Stainmaster, Polartec or Gore-Tex, but these are only a handful of the brands that still contain these chemicals.

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The short answer is “probably yes” up to 400°F for birds and about 450-500°F for humans depending on ventilation and the specific PTFE.

That is, you can go above 400°F up to the manufacturer specification for maximum temperature if you don’t have pet birds nearby, though even if you have birds you might be able to go above 400°F with good enough ventilation.

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This video shows how fast a cooking pot exceed its safe cooking-limit-temperature.

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In this section,  the effects of Teflon towards living things and environment are discussed. Besides, this section will focus on the currently used solution to overcome the toxicity issues of Teflon.

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Washing Teﬂon-coated pans by hand or in a dishwasher with harsh detergents or spatula may accelerate the break down of coating process, and emit tiny particles and gases into the air

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1) The more often you use your pans at high temperatures, the quicker the coating will break down and emit tiny particles and gases into the air as Teﬂon is composed of several toxic chemicals that can be released from heated pans into the air and into food which are harmful to humans and deadly to pet birds.

2) When nonstick pans are overheated they release fumes that cause “Teflon flu”, which easily can kill birds.

Retief Ehlers, a veterinary surgeon in London, said: “Small birds such as budgies, finches, and cockatiels are particularly at risk.”

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1) Large amounts of trifluroacetic acid (TFA) released into the environment.

TFA enters the atmosphere when hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) break down and it exits in rainwater.

2) TFA brings harm to the plants, but major scientists concern about the degradation time of TFA.

"High concentrations of TFA in water can be mildly phytotoxic [toxic to plants] but, more importantly, it will take decades for TFA to degrade," notes Scott Mabury, a University of Toronto chemistry professor who supervised the study.

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This video shows the common mistakes done by the non-stick pan's users. These actions will damage the Teflon layer.

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1) Some countries banned the usage of fluorinated-type of polymer.

Germany, USA and Australia.

2) Used the readily available pots, pans and bake ware or not non-stick pan.

E.g: Cast iron and stainless steel for stove-top cooking.

3) There are several alternative for non-stick pans that available in market with label “green” or “non-stick”.

E.g: Pan coated with silicone-based polymer which claimed to be more durable than PTFE.

However, there are yet study established to prove the reliability of the product.

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1) Chemical Manipulation

Possible non-toxic or non-volatile isomers (and enantiomers) could potentially turn this useful but seemingly dangerous product into something safe.

A non-toxic processing aids besides PFOAs is called PFHxA.  PFHxA is a six carbon molecule as opposed to 8 in PFOA/Ss and has breakdown products that are supposedly much, much less toxic and don’t have the same persistence issues that PFOA and some of the C8s have.

2) Elimination

Reduction of use plans - The US Food and Drug Administration has a voluntary agreement with several companies to phase out PFOA production over the next few years.

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Monitor your usage of Teflon products and all other products that contain PFOA and PFOS in order to reduce long term harmful effects to living things and environment.

Additional researches need to be conducted to pinpoint the harmful effects of PFOAs on humans. However, there are various animal models that show adverse side effects when testing with PFOAs.

The mutagenic effects of DNA when exposed to PFOA supports the conclusion that exposure to these chemicals can be carcinogenic.

It is possible that animal models are not consistent with human toxicity levels, but time-trend research will suggest harmful side effects of Teflon use.

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Arena, S. (2013). Health & Fitness. Teflon might be Resistant, but are Humans Resistant to Teflon and a toxic diet? Retrieved from Cranston Patch website: https://patch.com/rhode-island/cranston/bp--teflon-might-be-resistant-but-are-humans-resistane460add9eb

Beth. Safer Alternatives to Teflon. Retrieved from Smart Green Media website: http://www.smartgreentips.com/safer-alternatives-to-teflon

Day, M. (2015, April 24). Teflon's Hidden Dangers. Retrieved from http://www.alive.com/health/teflons-hidden-dangers/

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Graham, S. (2001, July 19). Teflon Parts Could Cause the Environment Harm. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/teflon-parts-could-cause/

Langerman, N. (2008). Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board. Journal of Chemical Health and Safety, 15(6), 39-40.

May, G. (2015, June 2). Are we really being poisoned by non-stick pans? Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinkadvice/11643213/Are-we-really-being-poisoned-by-non-stick-pans.html

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EWG. (2008). Environmental Connection to Public Health. California Assembly approves ban on Teflon chemical in food packaging. Retrieved from Environmental Working Group website: http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2008/08/california-assembly-approves-ban-teflon-chemical-food-packaging

EWG. (2017). EWG's Healthy Home Tips. TIP 6 - SKIP THE NON-STICK TO AVOID THE DANGERS OF TEFLON. Retrieved from Environmental Working Group website: http://www.ewg.org/research/healthy-home-tips/tip-6-skip-non-stick-avoid-dangers-teflon

EWG’S Guide To Avoiding to PFCs. (2017). Retrieved from EWG.ORG: www.ewg.org/sites/default/files/EWG_pfcguide.pdf

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Hussien Alkaff (19496)

Mohamad Alif bin Roslan (19428)

Mohamad Nur Salam bin Mohd Yunus (19315)

Wan Intan Nadiah binti Borharuddin (18857)