People have been warned off using non-stick pans (Image: Getty)
Doctors have warned that a common kitchen item could be doing more harm to their health than good because it contains so-called “forever chemicals” that are linked to cancer.
Forever chemicals, known by the technical term PFAS, are a group of more than 10,000 man-made chemicals that are non-degradable and never leave the human body once ingested.
Such synthetic chemicals are commonly found in fast food packaging, non-stick cookware, cosmetics and some textiles such as waterproof clothing.
However, studies over the past few years claimed PFAS have been linked to, or cause, illnesses such as , and even .
Now some health professionals claim that the humble non-stick pan, a staple of kitchens up and down the country, are harmful to people’s health because of the non-stick coating.
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One study found that a single scratch on a non-stick pan released 9,100 chemicals (Image: Getty)
Non-stick pans are coated with Teflon to prevent food from sticking to the pan, thereby making them easy to clean. However, that did not stop some health experts warning people against using them.
Dr Eric Berg, a ketogenic nutritionist based in the US state of Virginia, posted a video in which he outlined his reason for people to ditch non-stick frying pans.
He said: “They have what’s called ‘forever chemicals’ which are called PFAS. And unfortunately, these forever chemicals stay in our body forever while they slowly poison us. They affect our endocrine system, our brains, our immune system.
“Don’t ask me why they’re generally recognised as safe because they’re not safe.”
: [HEALTH]
Dr Berg was not alone in voicing concerns about using non-stick frying pans. Dr Yvonne Burkart, a toxicologist from San Diego, California, argued studies showed that a single scratch on a non-stick pan releases as much as 9,000 forever chemicals.
When questioned by The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett in a recent episode, she replied: “If you’ve ever had a non-stick piece of cookware, it scratches very easily. And some of these scratches are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye.
“Studies have found that a surface scratch can release [approximately] 9,000 particles from that non-stick coating into your food.”
Dr Burkart added that forever chemicals are also linked to “several types of cancers”, “thyroid disorders” and can even cause complications in pregnancy.
“We then have increased risk of miscarriage, pre-term labour, pre-term birth, pre-eclampsia (which is high blood pressure during pregnancy) – that could be deadly,” she warned.
Dr Yvonne Burkart on the toxic chemicas from non stick pans??????@Steven Bartlett
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into PFAS in non-stick cookware, by Australian researchers in 2022, found that a single scratch on a non-stick pan released 9,100 forever chemicals. They also claimed that cracked non-stick cookware released as much as 2.3 million microplastics and nanoplastics.
, conducted last July by scientists from Qassim University in Saudi Arabia, revealed that the Teflon coating wore off non-stick pans when the temperature reached 240C and toxic gas started to form at 280C.
For those wanting safer alternatives to non-stick pans, the website Healthline suggests the following:
- Stainless steel – such products are durable, scratch-resistant and dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean
- Cast-iron cookware – usually non-stick when seasoned properly, can last a long time and can withstand temperatures well above those considered safe for non-stick pots and pans
- Stoneware – used for thousands of years, it heats evenly, scratch-resistant and can be heated to very high temperatures.
- Ceramic cookware – lauded for its non-stick properties, but the coating can be easily scratched
- Silicone cookware – better suited to baking as it does not stand up well to direct heat
American chemical company Chemours, which makes Teflon, said on its website: “We take very seriously our obligation to manage the PFAS compounds in our manufacturing processes in a responsible manner and our commitment to eliminate at least 99% of PFAS air and water emissions from our manufacturing processes by 2030.
“Chemours is leading the industry as the first company in chemical manufacturing to make this public commitment.”