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Non-stick cooking pots have become popular because of their low friction properties that make cooking much more convenient. The non-stick properties are attributed to the coating material commonly called Teflon®. Teflon® is a brand name introduced by DuPont for a synthesized chemical known as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (Berkeley Wellness, 2017). It was discovered accidentally by Roy J. Plunkett, a DuPont chemist in 1938 during his research on new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants (Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2015). Since then, PTFE coated cookware and bakeware hit the market and gain desirable response from the consumers. However, many consumers remain concerned about the adverse consequences of using Teflon® cookware. The toxicity of Teflon® will be discussed under literature review in the following section.

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Here is an interesting video prepared by Abadi (2015) introducing the cutting-edge material Teflon®.

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Introduction; Teflon. (Animated Science Project)

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A Science Infomercial introducing cutting-edge material Teflon. This project is completely animated, drawn and edited by me, with the exception of the inbuilt template of the intro in the editing software. This project is dedicated to Mr.Zaidan, an AMAZING science teacher~ (And this is also an assessment project so...

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The primary chemical in Teflon is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).  PTFE is a fluoropolymer made up of two very strong chemical bonds, carbon–carbon and carbon–fluorine. The chemical resistance properties and stability of PTFE are contributed by the fluorine atoms that form uniform and continuous coverings around the C-C bonds, thus yielding high bond strength (McKeen, 2013). The chemical structure of PTFE is shown in the figure below.

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PTFE has a melting point of 327ºC thus when heated to temperature above 350ºC (662ºF), it starts to degrade and will release fine particles and a variety of toxic gaseous compounds such as tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), hexafluoropropene (HFP), octafluorocyclobutane (OFCB), perfluoroisobutane (PFIB), carbonyl fluoride, carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), trifluoroacetic acid fluoride, perfluorobutane, silicon tetrafluoride (SiF₄) and hydrofluoric acid (HF) (Environmental Working Group, 2003; Waritz, 1975). Different chemicals will be released at certain elevated temperature as shown in figure below (Wellness Mama, 2017).

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Numerous studies in the past decades reported that inhalation of the released fumes from Teflon due to overheating could cause temporary coughing, fever and sore throat (Harris, 1951). These flu-like symptoms are referred to as polymer fume fever or “Teflon flu”. Moreover, as birds have efficient respiratory system, they are more susceptible to the PTFE fumes as compared to humans and such condition is called “Teflon toxicosis” (Wade, 2008). Environmental Working Group (2003) listed several cases of bird deaths due to exposure to PTFE fumes and the review shows that PTFE fumes can be lethal to birds even at normal cooking temperature. The lowest temperature at which bird death occurred due to Teflon toxicosis reported was 202°C (396°F) (Boucher, Ehmler & Bermudez, 2000). The other possible method of exposure to PTFE is through ingestion. People could be ingesting tiny pieces of PTFE flaked off from the pan but PTFE is inert in its solid form so it will pass through the digestive tract without harm (Harris, 1962; Yates, 2017).

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Rapid Temperature Increase on Teflon® Pans

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Rapid Temperature Increase on Teflon® Pans

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For the past fifty years, DuPont had claimed that their Teflon® coatings did not release toxic fumes through normal use and the coatings will only significantly degrade when temperature reaches above 350°C (662°F) (Wade, 2008).  However, few experiments conducted by Environmental Working Group (2003) showed that a generic, non-stick frying pan heated on a conventional electric stove with highest heat setting reached 391°C (736°F) in only 3 minutes and 20 seconds whereas a Teflon® pan reached 382°C (721°F) in just 5 minutes under the same test conditions. These temperatures are well above the normal cooking temperature and are also above the degradation temperature. This means that toxic fumes could be potentially released within an extremely short duration. The temperature versus time graph obtained from the test is shown in the figure below.

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Here is a video showing the rapid increase in temperature on a non-stick pan (Boland, 2011).

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A short video demonstrating the dangers of non-stick cookware

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Another major concern about non-stick coating material is the release of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) when the PTFE coated pot or pan reaches 680°C upon heating (Mercola, 2015). PFOA, also known as C8, is another man-made perfluorinated chemical that is used in the manufacturing of PTFE coatings. PFOA could potentially harm our body because it can remain in the environment and in the human body for a long time (American Cancer Society, n.d.). PFOA has been associated with various cancers including testicular and kidney, thyroid disease, infertility in women, organ damage and developmental and reproductive problems in lab animals (Berkeley Wellness, 2017; Mercola, 2015). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientific advisory panel ruled PFOA as a “likely human carcinogen” in 2006 (Yates, 2017). According to the American Cancer Society, the manufactured PTFE coatings contain minimal or no PFOA as the chemical is burned off during the manufacturing process (Berkeley Wellness, 2017). However, PFOA is found in small and measurable quantities in the serum samples of more than 95% of the U.S. population and PFOA concentrations were significantly higher in between year 1999 and year 2000 as compared to other years (Kato, Wong, Jia, Kuklenyik & Calafat, 2011). Kato et al. (2011) reported that the PFOA concentrations remained fairly consistent from year 2003 to year 2008 which was most likely contributed by the EPA’s efforts in reducing emissions of PFOA .

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EPA’s Efforts in Reducing Emissions of PFOA 

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EPA’s Efforts in Reducing Emissions of PFOA 

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In 2004, the EPA accused DuPont of failing to report risk assessment due to exposure to PFOA during 1981-2001 and subsequently, DuPont paid a $10.25 million settlement for violating federal environmental regulatory in 2005 (Harlan, 2017). In 2006, the EPA initiated a PFOA stewardship program and invited 8 major fluoropolymer and telomer manufacturing companies including DuPont to join this program (United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). The goals were to reduce factory emissions and product content levels of PFOA by 95% by year 2010, and to eliminate PFOA from emissions and product contents by the end of 2015 (United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). The program was a success as most of the companies, including DuPont and 3M achieved these goals. It was assured by Robert Wolke that there is no risk of cancer in those who use Teflon cookware as there is no PFOA in the final Teflon product (Yates, 2017). Nowadays, non-stick cookware has a “PFOA-free” label for boosting consumers’ confidence in buying and using the product.

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Although products with non-stick coatings were reaffirmed to be safe for use by The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005, as responsible consumers, we should always take precautions while using non-stick cookware (Cookware Manufacturers Association, 2006). For instance, do not overheat or preheat an empty Teflon® cooking pot and use low or medium heat setting for cooking given that the current recommended maximum safe use temperature is 260°C (Chemours™, n.d.). Besides, activate ventilation system while cooking on a PTFE coated cookware to minimize inhalation of released fumes. Moreover, keep birds out of the kitchen as they are susceptible to the fumes released by cooking on a non-stick cookware. Also, use wooden, silicone or plastic utensils on the pan to avoid PTFE coatings from chipping away and discard the non-stick cookware immediately once erosion occurs. Nevertheless, stainless steel and cast-iron cookware and stoneware are the safe alternatives if one is still concerned about the health risk of using PTFE coated cookware.

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Abadi, B. (2015). Introduction; Teflon. (Animated Science Project). Retrieved June 25, 2017 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KXzfJTiQms

American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Teflon and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA). Retrieved June 27, 2017 from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa.html

Berkeley Wellness. (2017). Should You Stick With Teflon? Retrieved June 28, 2017 from http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/should-you-stick-teflon

Boland, J. (2011). How safe is your non-stick cookware? Retrieved June 28, 2017 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6X8GKx3WtA

Boucher, M., Ehmler, T. J. & Bermudez, A. J. (2000). Polytetrafluoroethylene gas intoxication in broiler chickens. Avian Diseases, 44, 449-53.

Chemical Heritage Foundation. (2015). Roy J. Plunkett. Retrieved June 25, 2017 from https://www.chemheritage.org/historical-profile/roy-j-plunkett

Chemours™. (n.d.). Cookware Coated with Teflon™ Nonstick is Safe to Use. Retrieved June 29, 2017 from https://www.chemours.com/Teflon/en_US/products/safety/cookware_safety.html

Cookware Manufacturers Association. (2006). Non-Stick Cookware Safety. Retrieved June 28, 2017 from http://cookware.org/non-stick-cookware-safety-2/

Environmental Working Group. (2003). Canaries in the Kitchen: Teflon kills birds. Retrieved June 26, 2017 from http://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/teflon-kills-birds

Environmental Working Group. (2003). Canaries in the Kitchen: Teflon offgas studies. Retrieved June 25, 2017 from http://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/teflon-offgas-studies

Harlan, J. (2017). PFOA and Nonstick Cookware Concerns. Retrieved June 29, 2017 from https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-pfoa-908925

Harris, D. K. (1951). POLYMER-FUME FEVER. The Lancet, 258(6692), 1008-1011. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(51)93401-0

Harris, D. K. (1962). Toxicity of Polytetrafluoroethylene. British Medical Journal, 1146.

Kato, K., Wong, L.-Y., Jia, L. T., Kuklenyik, Z. & Calafat, A. M. (2011). Trends in Exposure to Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals in the U.S. Population: 1999−2008. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(19), 8037-8045. doi:10.1021/es1043613

McKeen, L. W. (2013). 11 - Fluorinated Coatings: Technology, History, and Applications A2 - Ebnesajjad, Sina Introduction to Fluoropolymers (pp. 231-276). Oxford: William Andrew Publishing.

Mercola, J. (2015). Hundreds of Scientists Issue Warning About Chemical Dangers of Non-Stick Cookware and Water-Repellant Items. Retrieved June 26, 2017 from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/06/03/non-stick-cookware-dangers.aspx

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Risk Management for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) under TSCA. Retrieved June 28, 2017 from https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfass#tab-3

Wade, L. (2008). The Dangers of Teflon/PTFE for Birds. Retrieved June 26, 2017 from http://buffalobirdnerd.com/clients/8963/documents/Teflon.pdf

Waritz, R. S. (1975). An industrial approach to evaluation of pyrolysis and combustion hazards. Environ Health Perspect, 11, 197–202.

Wellness Mama. (2017). Important Reasons to Ditch the Teflon. Retrieved June 26, 2017 from https://wellnessmama.com/77396/ditch-the-teflon/

Yates, A. (2017). Non-Stick Cookware 101: Is Teflon Safe? Retrieved June 25, 2017 from http://www.highya.com/articles-guides/non-stick-cookware-101-is-teflon-safe

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