Could Nonstick Cookware Soon Be Illegal in Your State?
The first, he says, is the environmental waste and pollution that manufacturers of products containing PFAS make. “We all have the monomers—the building blocks of polymers like Teflon—inside us from the manufacturing phase,” Jarnot says, adding that the waste ends up in water and soil, which eventually makes its way to the humans. “So there’s a strong argument against PFAS in general. Because they stay put in the body, and they can accumulate over time when they’re in our environment.”
In cookware specifically, that potential risk increases because the products are used with high heats. “That’s probably the highest heat environment that a material like Teflon is exposed to. So when you have a pacemaker implanted, it’s at body temperature. If you’re searing fish or steak in a fry pan, it’s being exposed to much higher heat,” he says. Chemical reactions occur faster in hot environments, and, “You could have decomposition of the polymer giving rise to some really nasty airborne PFAS. And there is probably some internalization of these decomposing products at high temperature.”
What happens when PFAS accumulate in the body?
According to the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to PFAS could be harmful to human health. “Scientists at EPA, in other federal agencies, and in academia and industry are continuing to conduct and review the growing body of research about PFAS. However, health effects associated with exposure to PFAS are difficult to specify for many reasons,” the agency says. For that reason, more research is required to determine the exact risks.
As Jarnot explains, toxicologists often say that it’s the dose that makes the poison. “So here you have something that’s not metabolizing and that is accumulating in your body, creating aggregate exposure. In that case, every bit you add to your exposure cup counts.”
Both cast-iron and ceramic pans are popular alternatives to PTFE-coated pans.
Photo: Rebeca Mello/Getty Images
Should consumers throw out nonstick pans?
Even in states where nonstick pans are legal, some consumers may consider discarding theirs because of potential risk. “As a toxicologist, I still use Teflon pans,” Jarnot admits. “But you should never heat them without something in it, and should avoid very high heat.”
That said, eliminating nonstick pans could be an easy way to minimize exposure to PFAS. “You’re getting exposure in almost all drinks—water, wine, beer, soda—because it’s in the water these drinks are made from. But you need water, you need food. So one of the places you could easily omit exposure is in cookware,” Jarnot adds.
What other states have banned nonstick pans?
Multiple states have passed or are considering legislation about polytetrafluoroethylene in their territories. California, for example, passed a law that states cookware with intentionally added PFAS must be disclosed on product labels; however, it hasn’t passed a full ban. Others, like Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island have passed laws that go into effect over the next few years and ban products with intentionally added PFAS. Minnesota passed a law banning PFAS in a number of consumer goods, including cookware, which went into effect in January of this year.
