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Subscribe!Is Teflon Safe?
Don't worry - it won't hurt you
This entire article was largely prompted by a sensationalist piece that I read on the internet, telling everyone how bad Teflon is and about all of the health risks it allegedly poses.
A bit of history
Ok, Teflon is actually just a trade name, from Dupont the chemical company that owns the formula. What we are really talking about is:
Poly-Tetra-Flouro-Ethylene (PTFE)
It is quite simply the slipperiest substance known to man.
Like so many things, it was invented by accident. In this case by a chemist called Ray Plunkett, who was trying to do something completely different and ended up with the polymer PTFE in 1938.
Sine then it has been used for all sorts of things, including electronics, aeronautics, clothing, industrial machinery, on the space shuttle, in atomic bombs, and of course for non-stick cookware.
So, is it safe?
The fact is that Teflon is not only the slipperiest thing know to man, but also one of the most inert substances that we’ve come up with. In a stable state it is completely non-toxic, any possible problems only arise when you heat it to temperatures over 260°c.
At these temperatures, Teflon starts to break down, and this can lead to the release of some potentially dangerous chemical fumes. These fumes are toxic to birds, and could induce some flu like symptoms in humans. Most people don’t get their cookware anywhere near 260°c at home, so this isn’t going to be a huge problem.
If you do need to cook at very high temperatures, then there is really no need to use non-stick pans, as any metal pan becomes naturally non-stick when it reaches high enough temperatures anyway.
Is Teflon a carcinogen?
There have also been some concerns about whether or not Teflon contributes to cancer.
The reality is that PTFE itself is not a carcinogen, but that one of the chemical compounds that is used during its manufacture, called POFA, may be.
This is really only worth even thinking about if you work in a factory making Teflon, not if you are using it to cook with. Statistics show that you are more likely to find traces of POFA in your carpet than you are in your frying pan.
Entries (RSS)
April 28th, 2009 at 2:05 am
John РGlad to see the very accurate information you have posted on your blog about Teflon. I’m actually a representative of DuPont, and am always glad to see comments like this out there about Teflon, considering how much inaccurate information there is. Teflon should not be overheated and there should always be food in the pan when heating it. It is also a good idea to keep birds out of the kitchen, as they have very sensitive respiratory systems. Thanks for sharing this information.
I‚Äôd be glad to share some recipe booklets or other information for you’re blog if you are interested. Let me know. Cheers, Ross.
April 30th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Thanks Ross,
I have a couple of questions about Teflon that you might be able to help me with, I’ll get in touch with you.
John
June 14th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Thanks for the great cooking information .
September 24th, 2009 at 5:39 am
I am so glad to have read this article. I went to a seminar last night and there they explained the DANGERS of having teflon pans. I am now glad to see that it is well safe and I will continue to use my non-stick pans. Thanks!
September 26th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Hi Xochilt – I’m really glad that you found the information useful.
I hate scare mongering when there is really no reason. The simple fact is that in domestic usage Teflon pans are perfectly safe.
They might conceivably be bad for any pet birds if you overheat them, but then why on earth would you have birds in your kitchen?
March 29th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Hello John,
Matt here from Rice Cooker Guide.
I am in the process of getting some feedback about the safety concerns on Teflon since most rice cookers use this substance for the non stick bowls. In doing so, I have stumbled across your post.
I have found the read to be helpful, and will link to this page from my site as a result. Thanks for the information and for putting it in to an honest perspective!
Regards,
-Matt
September 9th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
So a George Foreman grill heats up to a little over 400 degrees. Based off of your information I shouldn’t cook food on one. Is this correct? If so, how come they are allowed to sell them to the public?
September 13th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
I’d guess that the 400¬∞ you are talking about is in Fahrenheit, which converts to about 205¬∞ Celsius.
If it was 400°C then it would just burn the outside of whatever you put in it long before the middle cooked.
The numbers I gave are in degrees C, so your grill is still about 55° below the point where there is any chance of danger.
September 13th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Doh! I should have taken a closer look at your blog. I’ve been checking your blog for the past few days for an answer. Thanks for responding…even if it was a dumb question!
November 24th, 2010 at 5:41 am
Always wise to put in sources; when you make statements about something. If you google, you will find far more evidence linking the dangers of using Teflon vs those against. A bare frying pan heated can reach 280* C in about 5 minutes; which is 20* higher than the safety standards of using Teflon.
Though rare perhaps – still a possibility; and perhaps sufficient cause to give Teflon a miss.
May 25th, 2011 at 1:26 am
Hello, I have read your blog and have one more question. Is there aluminium in PTFE? I need to know as my boy has aluminium poisoning (caused would you believe it seems from the Swiss Sigg alum. water bottle – which he used for 4 years – we had about 10 of them). As a result we have him on a alum. free diet and his body is getting rid of the toxin naturally over months – the doctor is so far happy with progress – but he is still 5 times the max amount (was 15 times!).(his health deteriorated to a shocking standard and it made him not able to talk – that is all changing within months of stopping using this drink bottle would you believe – a miracle cure). I am using Bread makers – and all the bread pans are aluminium – but then coated in this PTFE (it is a double edge sword as I have him on a healthy diet without preservatives and finally he is eating german grain bread home made – but in the bread machine). Your comments would be greatly appreciated – thank you kindly.
May 25th, 2011 at 11:14 am
PTFE (Teflon) itself doesn’t contain any aluminium, it is made up of carbon and flourine atoms, and so you should be fine there.
The problem is that, like with your bread maker, the base material under the teflon is virtually always aluminium. This means that as long as there are no scratches at all, there is no way for the food to come into contact with the aluminium, but if it does get scratched then obviously it can.
Wash the pans without using a scourer, don’t use metal utensils in them, and check for scratches and you should be fine.
Hope that helps.
October 25th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Today I have bought a new Teflon frying-pan , and my friend told me it was a waste of money and a danger for my health …
So, what shall I do ?
Sincerely,
Tanya
November 10th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Tatyana – It is not a danger to your health, as long as you don’t heat it above 260°C, you should also use wood or plastic utensils and not metal ones as they scratch the surface and you could get flakes of teflon in your food.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:08 am
Teflon and its generic counterparts have been found in cord blood samples taken from newborns nationwide. That can’t be good.
There was, if memory serves, a voluntary agreement by DuPont with the FDA to phase out PTFE by 2015. I don’t see that happening or even any news coverage to follow up. To the contrary, PTFE continues to find new uses. In recent years, it has even begun to turn up in bathroom cleaning products!
I believe it was Dateline or 20/20 that demonstrated several years back that bacon frying in a pan can release these byproducts into the food because it can, in fact, reach dangerous temperatures. Bird owners, too, find that they can’t keep birds in proximity to Teflon during cooking. If the product wasn’t releasing toxins until 500 degrees or greater, there would be no bird deaths. But there have been. And that means that not every context for human health is safe, either.
With the exception of people who are unusually health conscious, most people I know who own Teflon-coated cookware use it after it begins to scratch. I know MDs who think nothing of it. The problem is that once a substance is common people will push the safety limits. Not unlike the over-use of Tylenol to the point where liver damage can occur in combination with other drugs or alcohol. People think “A little bit didn’t hurt so a lot won’t either.”
I don’t know what sensationalist article you read on the Internet pertaining to the dangers of nonstick coatings, but they aren’t exactly exaggerated. I am not saying that everyone should abandoned properly cared for nonstick products, but I do believe its use should be scaled back and the demand for cleaner, organic solutions should be recognized as a selling point, not unlike the removal of BPA from plastic is now appearing on product packaging as a selling point.
An informed consumer is a consumer that will drive new market innovations. Where there is a buyer there is a market to be tapped. There’s no reason not to fulfill that demand just to keep an old product on the market.
January 8th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Interesting discussion, but I sense a disconnect. Clearly, there are times when frying foods the temperature will exceed recognized safety levels even with the safest of cooking practices. With safe alternatives readily available why would we want to keep this product on the market?
January 28th, 2012 at 9:36 am
260 degrees c is 500 degrees f. oven burners on high can get around 600 degrees f which is high enough to break down the teflon compound, therefore the pofa can be released. it is a potentially dangerous chemical. if it’s so safe, then why is it being outlawed for cookware? exactly.
February 7th, 2012 at 6:13 am
Every Teflon pan I ever owned has been scratched up from use. Wear and tear. The Teflon deteriorates,flakes off, and gets into the food…you get the picture. And, I would imagine different people would have varying sensitivities to compounds such as Teflon. I know on many, many occassions I have burned something in my old Teflon pans – got the temperature above 600 degrees, and scratched the non-stick surface until it wasnt so non-stick anymore. And, though Dupont may have patented their recipe “Teflon,” how many inferior knock-off versions of the non-stick wonder are being peddled in dollar stores across the country? I know my numerous scratched-up non-stick pans have caused me to ingest many milligrams or maybe even grams of the “Teflon” and various non-stick versions thereof. This has caused me to switch to stainless steel cookware since Dupont does not recommend eating Teflon.