I have a set of 3 Bra Premiere non-stick frying pans that I’ve used for a while. The coating on them says “Teflon Innovations without PFOA”. Recently I’ve noticed that on the most used pan, the 26cm one, the Teflon coating has started to peel off.
I know that Teflon coatings can release harmful fumes and chemicals if overheated, but what about if the coating is physically peeling? Is it still safe to cook with them? Or should I stop using especially the 26cm one? I don’t want to keep exposing my family to anything dangerous unknowingly. Any advice if these types of pans are still safe to cook with if the nonstick surface is peeling would be appreciated!
When they’ve studied this I don’t think they’ve seen results showing that it leaches something. Doesn’t mean we couldn’t find out that it does, but as per our current understanding it seems scientifically speaking to be nasty but not dangerous.
Kind of depends on if that pan has ever been over heated. 250 degrees C (482 f).
The monomer that results is in fact quite toxic.
I’m unconvinced by the one study- we all know how industry pays for favorable studies, and it would need to be long term. I’m also far made concerned with aluminum poisoning than I am thr ptfe.
If you overheat, you could get fumes that make make you feel unwell. But you’ll have to properly go over the limit and breathe in a bunch for that
When PTFE is heated above 450 °C the pyrolysis products are different and inhalation may cause acute lung injury.[2] Symptoms are flu-like (chills, headaches and fevers) with chest tightness and mild cough. Onset occurs about 4 to 8 hours after exposure to the pyrolysis products of PTFE.[3] A high white blood cell count may be seen and chest x-ray findings are usually minimal.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer_fume_fever
Also, there are the mentioned studies of cancer from the town 3m dumped a shitload into the water, so I’m unconvinced by the one study- we all know how industry pays for favorable studies.
It’s not just one study, there’s been a bunch. But you’re confusing the use in cookware (the case here) and stuff like in industrial setting or as a byproduct of the manufacturing. Teflon manufacturing used to involve a chemical that was pretty harmful but it wasn’t the cookware that was the issue, it was the manufacturing and those working in and around the plants. Cookware was fine.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical formerly used in the manufacture of PTFE products such as non-stick coated cookware, can be carcinogenic for people who are exposed to it (see Ecotoxicity).[66] Concerning levels of PFOA have been found in the blood of people who work in or live near factories where the chemical is used, and in people regularly exposed to PFOA-containing products such as some ski waxes and stain-resistant fabric coatings, but non-stick cookware was not found to be a major source of exposure, as the PFOA is burned off during the manufacturing process and not present in the finished product.[64] Non-stick coated cookware has not been manufactured using PFOA since 2013,[67] and PFOA is no longer being made in the United States.[66]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene#Safety
