Should You Throw Out Your Teflon Pans?
TIME TO THROW OUT YOUR TEFLON PANS?
There’s no doubting the ease of cooking with non-stick pans but given there are persistent concerns raised about their safety it’s worth understanding the risks.
A MODERN WONDER
Teflon was invented by global chemical giant DuPont in the 1930’s but ran into trouble when it was discovered that perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, which was used to make teflon was found to be a carcinogen (cancer causing substance). Way back in 2004 residents that lived in the water catchment of Du Pont’s West Virginia plant were paid damages of $300 million to settle a class action so the dangers have been long known.
GOOD RIDDANCE TO PFOA’S
Further studies into the effect of PFOA’s on animals found it caused cancer, liver damage, growth defects, immune-system damage and death. Consequently, under pressure from the EPA DuPont and other companies agreed to phase out the use of PFOA’s in the making of non-stick cookware from 2015.
However, DuPont maintained that whilst PFOA’s were released in the manufacture of Teflon, use of the finished product by consumers did not result in release of PFOA’s so was considered safe. Nevertheless, PFOA’s have been phased out due to their environmental impact and most leading manufacturers now label their non-stick cookware as PFOA free. But that’s not the end of the story.
CAN’T STAND THE HEAT
All non-stick cookware if heated above 230 degrees Celsius starts to break down and release toxic gases which cause what is known as polymer fume fever or ‘Teflon flu’. Symptoms include temporary intense fever, shivering, sore throat and coughing. Birds are especially susceptible to exposure to polymer fumes with several cases of birds being killed when owners have left non-stick pans on the stove to overheat. Whist the effects of Teflon flu are considered to be temporary in humans, no studies have investigated the long-term effects of repeated exposure.
SO, SHOULD I THROW OUT MY NON-STICK PANS?
If you are careful to not let the pan overheat then Teflon is safe in theory. However most home cooking is done in the range between 150 to 300 degrees Celsius. A quick scrambled egg might be ok, but searing and stir frying is not recommended. If the surface of your pan is scratched or chipped, you should definitely get rid of it as when the surface is damaged it’s more likely to leach toxic compounds.
In my household we’ve decided that, despite the convenience, non-stick pans are not worth the risk. Given there are more alternatives on the market now from ceramic, stainless steel and cast iron I would suggest replacing non-stick where possible and if they have become scratched or damaged in any way, don’t hesitate to let them go.
If you are disposing of old cookware, remember they can’t go in your household recycling bin but if they are 80% or more metal you can drop them off for free at Mitchell or Mugga Lane resource management centres.
