According to tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG), in the 2-5 minutes that Teflon coated cookware coated is heating on a conventional hob, temperatures can exceed to the point that the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases. At extremely high temperatures these coatings can release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens. When exposed to fumes of heated non-stick pans the lungs of birds have been known to hemorrhage and fill up with fluid leading to suffocation , a condition called “Teflon Toxicosis”.

For humans an effect called “polymer fume fever” has been acknowledged. This is said to be a temporary influenza-like syndrome, however, the long term effects of this exposure remain unknown. Additionally, when pans with these coatings get scratched during cooking, small amounts of plastic and leached aluminum cling to the food and are then eaten.

In 2005 s study by the Environmental Working Group in collaboration with Commonweal found perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA and a chemical found in teflon and a known carcinogen) in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. John Hopkins Medical Centre did a similar test in 2006 where PFOA was present in the umbilical cord blood of 99% of the 300 infants tested.

You can avoid exposures to the fumes from Teflon and other non-stick cookware by phasing out your use of these products.

What are the alternatives?

Cast iron – known for its durability and even heat distribution. Maintenance wise it can be a pain as it rusts easily and needs to be seasoned (sealed) with oil and fat to give a non stick finish. Iron can also seep into your food whilst cooking. Some people cite this as a health benefit, however, the jury is out on this for me.

Enamel coated cast iron – for those who like the feel and heat distribution properties of cast iron but dread the seasoning process, ceramic enameled cookware from Le Creuset or World Cuisine are a good choice. These surfaces are very durable, better at browning foods than Teflon non-stick coatings, and are dishwasher safe.

Glass – I remember my Nana using glass pots. Glass is inert and is therefore probably the safest material around. The two major advantages of glass cookware is that you can see the food you’re cooking and they can be easily transferred between the hob, oven, refrigerator and freezer. Another big advantage of glass pans is that they clean easily and can be put in the dishwasher. There is no need to worry about seasoning, worry about scratches, rusting or other damage. Chipping and cracking can be a problem, but only with very rough usage.

Stainless steel is a mixture of several different metals, including nickel, chromium and molybdenum, all of which can trickle into foods. However, unless your stainless steel cookware is dinged and pitted, the amount of metals likely to get into your food is negligible. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces.

Hard anodized cookware – many health conscious cooks are turning to anodized aluminium cookware as a safer alternative. The electro-chemical anodizing process locks in the cookware’s base metal, aluminium, so that it can’t get into food, and makes for what many cooks consider an ideal non-stick and scratch-resistant cooking surface. If the surface becomes scratched your protection from the aluminium can not be guaranteed. There have been some studies that link absorption of aluminium to Alzheimer’s.

Dupont (makers of Teflon) are looking for a new material to substitute Teflon after being asked by the US federal government to eliminate any new emissions of the key Teflon chemical from its factories by 2010. My thoughts, beware of any new substitutes until proven safe.

Source: Natural News, EWG