Are Nonstick Pans Safe?: A Review of Synthetic Teflon Coatings
- Science Holic
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Author: Simone Maimon
Editors: Elizabeth Li, Faye Lin
Artist: Emily Tai
Whether you’re cooking pancakes, scrambling eggs, or stir-frying meats or vegetables, the classic non-stick pan is seemingly the best option. Your pancakes will easily flip and slide onto a plate, the eggs won’t stick to the bottom and burn, and other dishes can be mixed easily. This nonstick pan likely contains the non-stick coating, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), more commonly known as Teflon. 80% of nonstick pans are coated with Teflon, even if advertised as “non-toxic” or lacking PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). This chemical is a staple in most homes, so it must have been thoroughly proven to be safe…right?
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Companies claim that Teflon is safe because it is inert—chemically and biologically. This means it doesn’t readily react with other chemicals or anything in the body. This claim is generally accepted by the scientific community, but it is misleading; being inert doesn’t equate to being safe. One study showed that when PTFE is heated to 486 °C (906 °F), it creates extremely toxic ultrafine fumes. The scientists claimed this could be for two reasons. One: airborne PTFE molecules can have free radicals on their exterior. Free radicals are atoms or molecules which have unpaired electrons, which makes them extremely reactive. They cause DNA damage, protein malfunction, and can even be cancerous.
Two: Teflon can work as a carrier for other reactive gases. Later studies revealed that PTFE, when heated to temperatures as low as 360 °C (680 °F) , released many toxic gases. The average Teflon pan on the stove for eight minutes will get to around 390 °C after eight minutes. Some of these emitted gases included animal carcinogens like tetrafluoroethylene and polyfluorooctanoic acid, and even a gas lethal to humans at low doses, monofluoroacetic acid. Other gasses emitted, such as HFP, may explain why Teflon workers are more likely to develop respiratory illnesses, including chest pain, shortness of breath, and coughs.
Additionally, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), is commonly used in the synthesis of Teflon. PFOA has a half-life of many years, which means it takes a long time to flush out of the body if ingested or inhaled. While PFOA is meant to be completely removed from the pan in the fabrication process, some studies have shown several different brands of nonstick cookware release PFOA at normal cooking temperatures. This is why some companies are switching PFOA for GenX, a compound that is more quickly excreted by the body.
Teflon doesn’t just introduce health concerns, but environmental ones as well. Teflon is a type of polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS). These are also known as “forever chemicals” because they take a long time to degrade once they are synthesized and can easily leech into nature. According to DuPoint scientists, most PFAS substances have ended up in our environment. For example, in Rockford, Michigan, the residents learned their well water was contaminated with PFAS from Wolverine Worldwide tannery, a shoe company. PFAS was found in a 25-mile radius around the source. PFASs are everywhere, not just in pans or shoes—even fast food companies incorporate PFAS into their packaging.
Even though the vast majority of nonstick pans use a Teflon coating, there are still ways to avoid breathing in the toxic fumes. Alternatives made of glass, cast iron, or ceramic are safe and completely PTFE-free. Or, if you are using a Teflon pan, try to keep the heat low. Additionally, be careful of misleading advertising campaigns—just because something’s free of one substance doesn’t mean it's fully safe to use. Hopefully, scientists will create a non-toxic alternative to PTFE, and consumers won’t need to be so cautious about the goods that they buy.
Citations:
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Sajid, M., & Saeed, M. (2017). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in indoor air and
dust: A review on occurrence and human exposure. Environmental Science and Pollution
Research, 24(6), 4996–5014. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0095-y
Sun, J., Wang, J., Wang, Y., Yang, L., Huang, Y., Dong, W., Zhang, Q., & Zhang, J. (2024).
Global occurrence, sources and health risks of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFASs) in indoor dust: A review. Science of The Total Environment, 920, 170321.
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