This is from a Popular Science article...
Why you should throw away your non-stick pan the second it cracks
One surface crack on a PTFE-coated pan releases about 9,100 plastic particles.
Non-stick cookware is often a kitchen favorite because food doesn’t stick to its surface—making it easy to whip up dinner without a huge cleaning hassle. The kitchen essential has grown in popularity since scientists created the first non-stick cooking pan in 1954, but the COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge. The market demand for non-stick cookware reached 206.1 million units worldwide in 2020 and is expected to increase even more due to the growing preference for it.
The non-stick coating is made of a synthetic fluoropolymer called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), more commonly known under the brand name Teflon. A 2022 report from the non-profit organization Ecology Center shows that 79 percent of non-stick cooking pans and 20 percent of non-stick baking pans were coated with PTFE.
In a new Science of The Total Environment study, the authors simulated the cooking process with different non-stick pots and pans using turners made of different materials, like steel or wood. They found that non-stick cookware mainly coated with Teflon may release about 9100 plastic particles during the cooking process if it has a surface crack. Should something break the coating, around 2,300,000 microplastics and nanoplastics may be released and potentially find their way into food.
These cracks are a problem because PTFE falls under per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals that don’t break down in the environment, contaminate soil and water and build up in the bodies of living creatures. Once millions of PFAS plastic particles are released, they will circulate in the ecosystem for a long time, which explains why they are commonly dubbed “forever chemicals.” Its widespread occurrence in the environment may increase human exposure to PFAS, potentially leading to health impacts like altered metabolism, increased risk of being overweight or obese, and reduced ability to fight infections.
The authors quantified the release of plastic particles from non-stick cookware by scanning the surfaces of different non-stick pots to generate data. The data was then converted to an image using three algorithms to visualize the microplastics and nanoplastics directly, says Cheng Fang, senior research fellow in the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER) at the University of Newcastle in Australia, who was involved in the study.
“PFAS are a class of chemicals that are characterized by extremely long environmental persistence,” says Graham Peaslee, professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame who was not involved in the study. “The smaller PFAS don’t break down from exposure to sunlight, microorganisms, or anything else routinely, which means they can last for hundreds of years or longer in the environment once created.”
To avoid contaminating food or the environment with plastic particles from PTFE cookware, at-home chefs must use soft turners or non-sharp utensils that don’t scratch the surface during the cooking and cleaning process. Should there be any scratches on the cookware, replacement is recommended, says Fang.
Still, cracked surfaces aren’t the only thing to consider when cooking with Teflon. The coating can also release toxic chemicals into the air when it reaches extreme temperatures. There are several cases of individuals experiencing temporary, flu-like symptoms from polymer fume fever—as a result.
Peaslee says re-evaluating the necessity of Teflon-coated cookware may reduce our exposure to PFAS. He adds that it may have been marketed as a great new technology in the 1950s, but cast iron always worked just as well. Fluoropolymers are concerning for environmental and human health because they emit PFAS during production, processing, use, and end-of-life treatment. There are reasonable alternatives that will do less harm to the environment and not support the fluoropolymer industry, like ceramics or stainless steel, says Peaslee.
Although much is yet to be known about the impacts of microplastic pollution on the environment, reducing the use of plastics and improving the recycling process should be paramount, says Fang.
“In our daily lives, we have lots of plastic items surrounding us,” he adds. “Most of them can gradually release microplastics and nanoplastics in their lifetimes, as tested and confirmed in this study.”
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I got rid of all our old Teflon pots and pans and bought a ceramic set. So far so good. The ceramic is slick as snot.
26 comments:
It is a long time since we have had non stick pans. For which I am grateful.
I have a couple of non-stick pans and have only ever use wooden or plastic utensils in them, they are both quite old and the saucepan has a few scratches but no actual cracks, I only use it for custards and puddings and for chocolate fudge. The frypan has lost most of its coating in spite of using only plastic utensils and being used only for pancakes and scrambled eggs.
I could replace them with ceramic, but it's pricey. I could use cast iron, but it's very heavy and I'm quite old. Stainless steel would work well, but not on an electric hotplate where the heat can't be quickly adjusted. I have baked enamelware for the oven, so that's okay. I could give up cooking and live on salads but that's no fun :(
Sue - I've had too many for too long but they're gone now.
River - I got a 20 piece ceramic set online at Macy's for $180. (Cheaper than Amazon with free shipping.)
Non-stick cookware items are rather like nuclear anything: there's no safe way of disposal.
I'm with River. We just installed a new electric induction cooktop, and had to replace most of our old pots and pans, including all of the older non-stick ones. I liked non-stick pans for eggs, but will learn to live with the steel ones.
Yeah, I've seen people use non-stick pans until they're practically bald.
My pots are 40+ years old and keep chugging on. The cast iron frying pan is starting to get too heavy, and food sticks to the stainless steel one most of the times I use it.
CC - I'm going to give them to a bunch of guys that recycle metal.
Bill - Just one ceramic skillet will sort of fix the egg problem. You'll be chasing the egg all over the skillet.
Deb - Who knows what medical problem people have because of PTFE. I'm blaming my extra weight on it.
Kathy - Just get one big ceramic frying pan. I got one from Dierbergs before I bought the set I have. When I do toasted cheese I'm chasing the sandwich all over the place trying to under it.
Thanks Mike. This finally convinced hubby to give up the monstrosity he uses! Much obliged
We have ceramic pots and pans and an induction stove. Cooking with those ceramic pans is just heaven! NOTHING sticks, as Ling as you warm up the pan first. And they really look great tooQ
Cloudia - For as old as we all are we probably just extended our life span by two weeks!
CW - Nothing sticks and everything slides around like crazy. It's like a game trying to get under stuff. I guess that's why on TV you see them pick the pan up and tip it to slide stuff out.
Yeah, I keep that stuff far beyond initial crackage. I really should just stop buying it.
Take care, Mike.
We have a Cuisanart, which has been awesome. They are excellent on the stove, and in the oven.
Robyn - Ceramic is the new nonstick. Any bets on how long it will take to find out what's wrong with it?
Cast iron for me. I never wash with soap and stuff doesn't stick.
Susan - Stainless steel is great also.
Lady - Cast iron sounded like too much work. How do you clean cast iron?
Very hot water and some elbow grease - no soap. Then you put a light coat of vegetable oil on it once in a while to keep it seasoned. And it is a handy weapon if need be.
Lady - Handy weapon is an understatement.
Kathy; use two spatulas for toasted cheese sandwiches. One to hold the sandwich in place, one to slip under it for flipping.
I use old Cast Iron Pans. It's a workout to cook with them since they weigh as much as a Boat Anchor ⚓...but they last forever.
Dawn...the Bohemian
Dawn - I think my parents used to have cast iron. I don't know what happened to them.
I count my regular use of cast iron skillets as my strength training when I can't get to the gym (such as now while Hunky Husband has COVID-19). Every few years I put them into the electric self-cleaning oven for a cleaning cycle, and re-season them. Otherwise, gunk builds up on the outsides.
😉
I'll take it!
CC - I think I have one cast iron pot that I never used.
Cloudia - Absolutely.
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