Are Teflon Pans Safe?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not classified PFOA as a carcinogen. However,  studies on lab animals have some suggestive evidence of its carcinogenicity. These pieces of evidence are not sufficient to assess its cancer-causing potential in humans. Studies are underway to get any definitive evidence in this regard.

World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified PFOA as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” This classification has been done based on studies on lab animals and limited evidence about its potential to cause testicular and kidney cancer in humans.

1. Avoid heating a Teflon pan to temperatures 500 °F or higher.
2. Such high temperatures are typically not attained during cooking, but this may accidentally happen if you leave empty pans on heat for a long time by mistake. 
3. Avoid using nonstick pans for cooking that may need very high temperatures, such as broiling.
4. At temperatures higher than 500 °F, Teflon pans can emit harmful smoke that can cause flu-like symptoms in humans. This may present as headache, body ache, chills, fever, and chest discomfort. It can harm birds and possibly other animals coming in contact with the smoke.
5. Ensure that your kitchen is well-ventilated with a good exhaust system to not get exposed to such harmful gases even by accident.
6. Use Teflon-compatible spoons and spatula, such as wooden or silicone spoons. 
7. Avoid using cleaning materials that may scratch your Teflon cookware. This will ensure that your cookware lasts long.

Teflon is the trade name for the products made with the synthetic chemical called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Teflon cookware is commonly called nonstick cookware and is used to make pans, pots, and griddles to cook using minimal oil or butter.

Discovered in the late 1930s by the American chemist Roy Plunkett, the applications of Teflon are not limited to cookware. It is used to make several other commercial goods.

Some of the applications of Teflon include:

• Medical appliances
• Laboratory appliances
• Waterproof fabric
• Anti-friction and noncorrosive devices used in automobiles and aircraft

There is no health risk suggested so far regarding the use of scratched or chipped-off coating on Teflon cookware. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or other harmful chemicals are not present in this cookware, so ingesting these chipped-off particles is not proven to harm you.

Although Teflon cookware is regarded as safe, if you wish to try other safe alternatives to Teflon you may choose cookware made up of:

• Cast iron
• Ceramic
• Stainless steel
• Carbon steel
• Enameled cast iron