Nonstick Coating Safety
April 28, 2008
The safety of nonstick, Teflon coated pans is a topic that I’ve mentioned recently and I decided it was worth looking into.
My cookbooks offered a little information, but nothing extensive. Mark Bittman voices his worries in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, explaining that he only uses nonstick for eggs or sauteing, and even then his cast iron works nearly as well. Harold McGee explains that Teflon and its copies are long chains or carbon atoms with fluorine sticking up, interspersed along the chain.
From my quick research, I have learned that there are two issues with nonstick coating. The first issue regards the fumes given off by overheating. The sources agree that fumes arise when the temperature reaches 500 degrees Fahrenheit and the coating begins to seriously degrade at 660 degrees. These fumes can produce flu-like symptoms, although DuPont (the creator of Teflon) touts that there has been only one case of reported side affects from the overheating of Teflon. One study conducted in 1959 concluded that the fumes from cooking oils and fats when overheated are more harmful than those from nonstick coatings.
Oils and butter will usually burn at a temperature below 500 degrees Fahrenheit, so as long as you have a little bit in the pan, you can ensure that you are not overheating it to an unhealthy temperature. Another recommendation is to not heat a dry pan for long. Empty pans can easily reach temperatures above 500 degrees Fahrenheit, so leave some sort of food or oil in the pan to make sure it does not get that hot. DuPont even recommends to only use your nonstick pans at or below medium heat.
Also, a chips or flakes from a scratched pan should not be harmful. They will pass right through your system.
The second safety issues concerns PFOA, a chemical used in the production of nonstick coatings. Although unpublished (as far as I can tell), the EPA believes it is a carcinogen. This is probably nothing to worry about, as most of the concerns came from the companies releasing the chemical after production, which is being halted. DuPont says there should not be any measurable amount of PFOA on nonstick pans after the manufacturing process is complete.
So, to use nonstick pans or not? The health concerns seem to be pretty minor. Just be sure not to leave an empty nonstick pan on the burner. Of course, if you choose not to use them just in case there are problems we don’t know about, I think that is pretty reasonable too. Do whatever you are comfortable with, but at this point there are not known serious side effects of nonstick coatings.
Sources:
Posted in 
content rss
April 29th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Very informative post. I’ve heard people complain about non-stick pans, but nobody has cited a reliable source. So is that all in our heads? Hehehe
May 5th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Overheated Teflon-coated pans are dangerous. Owners of pet birds will want to get new cookware because the fumes are almost immediately fatal to birds. I figure that can’t be a good sign for people either.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Thanks for such an informative post, Andy!
I’ve been phasing out teflon in my own kitchen, partially because I love to use steel wool! My favorite pans are ones that can go easily from stovetop to oven or broiler–so that, of course, makes anything with teflon a bad choice.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Leslie: I forgot to mention the pet bird thing! That is a great point though.
Mrs. W: That is a great reason to skip the teflon - you can put any of your pans in the oven when you need to.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:33 am
[...] point out that the stainless steel and aluminum can come with nonstick coatings, which I discussed here. Having a nonstick pan is probably a good idea for things like eggs, but it is not absolutely [...]
August 4th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
leaving aside the issue of whether non-stick release harmful chemicals or not (why should I trust Dupont?), the manufacturer recommends to use medium heat. Which means you can get real nice crisp chicken skin or nice brown pork chop or cook a steak. You can’t stir fry properly either. And as Mrs. W pointed you can’t just stick in a hot oven or under the broiler.
Cast iron it is for me. Not to mentioned that seasoned cast-iron hardly requires oil.
Andy - congratulations on teaching yourself how to cook. Enjoy the process. It’s fun!
August 4th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
oops. I meant to say you cannot get real nice crisp chicken skin etc….
Also - in an emergency cast-iron can become quite a lethal weapon. Anybody read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe?