Today Show, Janice Lieberman
Published July 13, 2005
MATT LAUER, co-host:
This morning on TODAY'S CONSUMER, if you cook with nonstick pots and pans, listen up. A scientific advisory panel working on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency is currently looking into the chemical compound used to make Teflon and other nonstick coatings. TODAY's consumer correspondent Janice Lieberman has more on a compound that may, may, be harmful.
Janice, good morning.
JANICE LIEBERMAN reporting:
Good morning. It's called PFOA, the chemical compound used in making nonstick products. It's found just about everywhere, including our own bodies. But some scientists worry it could be a health risk.
With three kids, Debbie Cook does a lot of cooking. She's been using nonstick pots and pans for over a decade, and is worried about recent reports surrounding the safety of that type of cookware.
Ms. DEBBIE COOK: It's very important to me that my children and family are healthy, and, you know, I definitely would think about not using it anymore.
LIEBERMAN: Debbie is concerned about the chemical compound PFOA, which is used to make the pans' nonstick coating. It's also used to make pizza boxes, Gortex jackets, and the coating on carpets.
Scientists have learned that when laboratory animals were exposed to PFOA in large amounts, brain tumors developed. And now trace amounts have shown up in our blood systems. Which begs the question: should we be cooking with nonstick cookware?
The EPA is currently looking to see if PFOA should be regulated. The agency doesn't know how this chemical is making it into our bloodstream. Independent scientists are studying nonstick pots and pans to see if they are a contributor. The EPA told us, "We don't have any indication that the public is being exposed to PFOA, however, if risks are discovered the EPA will take all necessary steps to protect the American public."
Du Pont, the maker of Teflon, which is used to coat many different brands of nonstick pots and pans, provided us with this statement: "Du Pont recognizes that the presence of PFOA in human blood raises questions that should be addressed, and continues to fully support the EPA risk assessment process."
Robert Rickard, a scientist at Du Pont, goes on to say there is no risk of exposure to PFOA because it's burned off during the manufacturing process.
Mr. ROBERT RICKARD: We do not believe this poses any cancer risk to the general population.
LIEBERMAN: Aside from the concern over PFOA, is there anything else we should be worried about? Chris Kimball, who heads America's Test Kitchen, the home of Cooks Illustrated magazine, says concerns have also been raised about fumes that can be released when these pans are heated to temperatures over 500 degrees. Something he says consumers may be doing without even knowing it.
Mr. CHRIS KIMBALL: The question is, at home, could you get one of these pans up to a high temperature? So I've taken a pan--this is a lightweight nonstick skillet, I put it over high heat with nothing in it, which is not recommended, just to see what would happen. It's been about two and a half minutes now, three minutes, it's at 600. If you get a phone call, you went out of the room, in under five minutes you can get this pan to the point where this nonstick coating is starting to convert into a gas, and you can start seeing wisps of smoke coming up, and that is not something you want to breathe.
LIEBERMAN: Let's get away from that.
Mr. KIMBALL: Yeah. I want to...
LIEBERMAN: My throat is burning from that.
Mr. KIMBALL: It's not--I've actually breathed it in a few times, and I felt a little lightheaded. Let's get this...
LIEBERMAN: OK, let's get that out of here.
Mr. KIMBALL: Out of here. Gone.
LIEBERMAN: Bye-bye.
Du Pont acknowledges that when pans reach temperatures higher than 500 degrees, the coating may begin to deteriorate. And at temperatures exceeding 600 degrees, the pan could significantly decompose and give off fumes, which I witnessed. And they can produce flu-like conditions called polymer fume fever. But they say these fumes are not the PFOA compound, that's something different.
LAUER: So, tips for people at home: never heat an empty pan.
LIEBERMAN: Right. Put some oil in, that'll--that'll bring the temperature down. Anything. Food.
LAUER: Cook--cook on low and medium heat.
LIEBERMAN: Right.
LAUER: Replace the pans when the nonstick coating wears. What's a good sign of wear?
LIEBERMAN: Well, you see that it's not sticking anymore. And also, there are some scratches; we don't know what happens, where the coating is going, get rid of it.
LAUER: All right. If you're cooking, turn on a fan or open the window and do not use metal tongs on these surfaces.
LIEBERMAN: Right, because it could--it could really scratch the surface.
LAUER: Food for thought here. No pun intended. But thank you.
LIEBERMAN: We'll follow this up.
LAUER: All right, Janice. Thanks very much.
Twenty-five after the hour. Still to come on TODAY, more of Ann's exclusive interview with Laura Bush. Plus, the voice of the "Harry Potter" books live on the plaza.
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