Resources
It is the priority of the Cookware Sustainability Alliance to provide advocacy and education about consumer safety, sustainability, and the materials used in cookware, such as fluoropolymers like polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) non-stick coatings.
The Facts
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Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of compounds composed of fluorinated carbons. However, the physical and chemical properties of the individual chemicals within this large group of compounds vary widely. Their use, how they behave in the environment, and their potential risk to human health vary widely as well.
Non-stick cookware contains a specific subfamily of PFAS called fluoropolymers. The fluoropolymers used by our industry do not have the same characteristics of nonpolymeric PFAS of concern, which should be the focus of environmental and public health policy. Fluoropolymers are extremely large and stable compounds.
Today, fluoropolymers used in cookware that come into contact with food are not a concern for human health or the environment for the following reasons:
They have a decades-long history of safe and essential use, including in the healthcare industry where fluoropolymer coatings are used on medical implantation devices such as pacemakers and catheters.
They will not end up in drinking water because they are not water-soluble.
They do not bio-accumulate in humans or in aquatic food webs.
They have not been shown to be toxic to humans.
Fluoropolymers like polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are highly stable and are not shown to degrade under normal conditions of use into their monomeric component chemicals.
They are no longer manufactured with fluorosurfactants like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a primary PFAS of concern.
Science and Peer-Reviewed Studies
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Authorized Uses of PFAS in Food Contact Applications
Cookware and Bakeware Alliance
PFAS Education Part 1:
Cookware, PFAS, and PTFE
Cookware and Bakeware Alliance
PFAS Education Part 3:
A Closer Look at PFAS and Cookware & Bakeware
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The Society of Toxicology and Chemistry
Cookware and Bakeware Alliance
PFAS Education Part 2:
Fluoropolymers and Human Health
A critical review of the application of polymer of low concern and regulatory criteria to fluoropolymers
The Society of Toxicology and Chemistry
Application of polymer of low concern regulatory criteria to fluoropolymers II: Fluoroplastics and fluoroelastomers
New Chamber Analysis Reveals Potential Risks of Widespread Bans on Essential Chemistries
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Bundestag discusses CDU proposal on PFAS
PFAS ban: German politicians reject it
Press and Information Office of the Federal Government (BPA)
Chemistry summit on September 27, 2023
Further Reading
Does Teflon(TM) cause cancer?
Source: Cancercenter.com
You may not know how to pronounce polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), but you may appreciate it when your eggs or pancakes slide easily out of your frying pan in the morning. PTFE is a polymer comprised of carbon and fluorine. It’s remarkably resilient and incredibly resistant to heat, and virtually nothing sticks to it. You know it as TeflonTM.
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