Are we really being poisoned by non-stick pans?

For those with a love of fried eggs, pancakes and pan-fried steaks, the non-stick frying pan is an item of worship (right up there with the mighty spatula).

But US scientists have some bad news: non-stick pans could be detrimental to your health.

Academics from the Green Science Policy Institute in Berkeley, California have released a petition, known as The Madrid Statement, signed by over 226 scientists and professionals from 40 countries, which highlights the potential harm of PFAS chemicals, which are often used in the manufacture of non-stick pans, among many other items.

Poly-perfluoroalkyl substances (or PFASs) are man-made chemicals found in various items including household products, electronics parts, building equipment etc. A full list can be found on the FluoroCouncil's website.

•

Food-wise, we’re talking quite a few items. Takeaway containers are often treated to resist grease, oil, and moisture. Pizza boxes are the prime suspects but fast food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, and disposable paper plates can also be treated with highly fluorinated chemicals designed specifically to create durable coatings and render packaging stain resistant. Non-stick cookware and greaseproof paper is also on the list of potential PFASs carriers.

^{Takeaway pizza boxes are often treated to resist grease, oil, and moisture}

What are the dangers of PFASs?

Some of these highly fluorinated chemicals have been linked with various diseases and illnesses but Simona Balan, senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute, admits that “very few PFASs have been studied so far”.

Those that have, however, have revealed stark data. At the top of that list is C8 or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Data taken from over 69,000 people in West Virginia – an area that has endured PFOA emissions from a nearby work site since the 1950s – revealed links from PFOA to testicular and kidney cancer, liver malfunction, hormonal changes, thyroid disruption, high cholesterol, obesity, ulcerative colitis, lower birth weight and size. Although Balan is quick to point out that “C8 [PFOA] is not really used directly in man-made items, but is often found in them in significant levels as an impurity or a byproduct of manufacturing.”

A 2014 report commissioned by the European Food Safety Authority assessed numerous studies relating to the "oral toxicity of PFASs in humans". The report’s authors concluded that many "PFASs appear to correlate with cytotoxicity" (i.e. are toxic to cells) but the findings of each study are as varied as they are thorough and only take in the minimal number of PFASs subjected to such tests.

•

How are we exposed to PFASs?

Humans and other animals are exposed to PFASs by direct contact with any products containing them. They’re also – quoting from the Green Science Policy Institute’s website – rather eerily "in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat."

“It's hard to say exactly which source of exposure is biggest [direct contact with these products or environmental contamination due to manufacturing emissions and product end-of-life],” Balan says. “It depends from compound to compound, but as far as we know, for C8 and similar compounds it's about 50-50.”

•

What’s all this got to do with non-stick pans?

"Teflon still contains small but significant amounts of PFOA, which was used in its manufacturing,” Balan says, adding that exposure can occur when the pan is overheated or scratched.

Should you stop using your non-stick pans?

Don't panic - for most people, non-stick pans are one of the smallest sources of exposure to PFASs. Balan says that in a typical US home, exposure from carpets, upholstery and textiles or clothing carries a higher risk than non-stick cookware.

“I personally do not advocate for throwing away or giving away your non-stick pan,” says Balan. “That doesn't solve the problem: if you throw it away, it will end up in a landfill from where it will leach PFASs into the environment, or even worse, it will get burned, which will release even more toxins. If you already have a non-stick pan, just use it carefully. Don't overheat it (make sure the temperature stays well below 500F/260C), and be careful not to scratch it (same goes for rice cookers, or any other non-stick kitchen items).”

She also urges people not to buy any new non-stick pans as reducing consumer demand could prevent new emissions and exposures.

“Some non-stick pans market themselves as PFOA-free, but will contain other PFASs,” Balan warns. “If you want to purchase something marketed as PFOA-free, contact the manufacturer and ask if it is free of all PFASs and fluorinated chemicals and fluorine. [Instead] use cast iron, aluminum or glass.”

If you're buying new cookware, the group recommends bypassing nonstick pans in favor of stainless steel or cast iron, for example.

•

What does the future hold?

The good news first. Academic Dr. Donald Taves first detected PFASs in human blood in 1976 and over the years, as more data has been accrued, many worldwide commercial and industrial manufacturers have phased out the use of C8 or PFOA in production.

The bad news? ‘Short-chain’ PFASs have replaced them (which apparently don’t persist in the environment as long but still have potential for health effects). Meanwhile, C8 or PFOA is still heavily used in China and other parts of the world.

“PFASs have been a cause of concern for decades – the first internal industry reports of their toxicity date back to the 70s,” Balan concludes. “It's just that only now have they been successfully brought to the attention of the media.”