Q & A Today's Mailbag

Teflon Fears

USA Today, Staff
Published June 25, 2006

Q: Exactly what harmful gas does a Teflon pan release when it is heated on the stove? I have read it releases a carcinogen ... enough to kill birds in the same room. Also, does all non-stick cookware release this carcinogen? -- Rhonda Sherwood, Darien, Conn. A: The substance is perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, a synthetic chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon. Related chemicals are used in all similar cookware and in non-stain clothing and carpets, says Lauren Sucher of the Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C. Advisers to the Environmental Protection Agency have declared PFOA a "likely carcinogen," and the EPA has asked companies to stop using it by 2015. Fumes from overheated pans reportedly have killed birds. But it's not clear there's a human hazard, and the EPA says there's no reason to stop using the pans. Teflon maker Dupont says that its pans are safe and that "significant decomposition of the coating" occurs only at temperatures much too high for cooking, about 660 degrees. Some consumer advocates say an empty pan left on a burner can get that hot, though, and they urge cooks to use other kinds. But their biggest concern is the overall level of such chemicals in the environment.