, Staff
Published April 24, 2006
In the 1990s, when I told my husband that fumes from overheated nonstick pans had been known to kill pet birds, he said not to worry, as we had no bird. He did, however, get a bit concerned a decade later, when perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a component of nonstick coatings and "a likely human carcinogen," according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was found in the blood of 95 percent of Americans, including pregnant women. PFOA has also been found in marine mammals and polar bears. And all nonstick cookware, whether the brand be Teflon, T-fal, Silverstone, Calphalon, Scanpan or All Clad, is made with PFOA.
How did this chemical get from pots and pans into our blood? Emissions from Teflon manufacturing plants are probably the major source of widespread exposure to humans and wildlife. But like the unfortunate birds, some of us no doubt inhale fumes that offgass when nonstick pots and pans are scorched. At about 680 degrees F., the coatings release up to six toxic gases. This month, a class-action lawsuit filed against DuPont, the maker of Teflon, alleges that the company failed to disclose studies showing that some toxins emerged at 464 degrees. As a point of reference, deep fat frying temperatures average 375 degrees and wok cooking can sizzle stir fries at 450 degrees. A preheated pan on high heat can reach over 600 degrees in 2-5 minutes, according to the Environmental Working Group. It doesn't seem all that difficult to attain toxic thresholds, given the many times my husband has scorched our Teflon pans, producing unintentionally blackened fish.
The chemical's pervasiveness has aroused EPA's concern. Early this year, in an agreement brokered by the agency, DuPont and seven other U.S. manufacturers pledged to reduce manufacturing emissions and "trace amounts" in finished products of PFOA by 95 percent by 2010, and to eliminate the chemical by 2015.
In the interim, though, I worry. The thought of manufacturing emissions continuing to pollute our atmosphere for four more years is discomfiting. As consumers, we can reduce our exposures by more quickly phasing out PFOA coatings from our homes. We can start by replacing nonstick cookware with safer options such as stainless steel and cast iron, which can be seasoned to resist sticking. However, Teflon-type coatings are also widely used in fabric treatments for everything from upholstery and bedding to apparel--wherever you want to repel greasy stains, dirt, water and rain. Happily, a wide variety of products using untreated fabrics are also available (for more information and product links, see Resources, below).
Yet another reason to reduce fast food consumption: A lot of the packaging, including microwave popcorn bags, French fry and pizza boxes, also contain perfluorocarbons to keep grease from leaking through the container. No longer can I take innocent pleasure at the sight of takeout pizzas keeping warm in their boxes atop the cast-iron stove of our local pizzeria. And now I have another reason, in addition to the danger of fire, to warn my son and his friends against reheating pizza in the box. Instead, we transfer them to stainless steel cookie sheets. The same goes for organic frozen pizzas and pizza doughs; and someday I may even make my own pizza dough from scratch, and splurge on a pizza stone.
At last my frugal husband has allowed me to phase out Teflon from our kitchen. And after two years--the average lifetime of a nonstick coating before it degenerates--he has decided that he likes to cook fish in stainless steel just as well.
