Non-Stick Pan Report
Nonstick pans are OK in new tests
Consumer Reports - June 2007
A QUESTION OF EMISSIONS When we heated nonstick pans, we found very low levels of a potentially harmful chemical. Researchers have long known that very high temperatures can break down the coating in nonstick pans, creating fumes that can kill pet birds and possibly causing flulike symptoms in people. Whether other emissions are a problem even at moderate temperatures has been an open question. Our tests yielded largely reassuring results.
Lab studies suggest that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in making nonstick coating, can cause cancer and birth defects in animals, and might pose a risk in humans. PFOA stays in the body for years and in the environment indefinitely. Working with a lab that specializes in PFOA, we bought nonstick pans from seven makers and repeatedly heated and washed some pans to simulate one, three, and six months of use. We then heated new and aged pans to 400° F, a cooking temperature well below the makers' recommended maximum of 500° F, and measured PFOA in the air above the pans.
We found very little PFOA in the tested air samples. The highest level was about 100 times lower than levels that animal studies suggest are of concern for ongoing exposure to PFOA. With the aged pans, emissions were barely measurable.
CR's take. Experts we consulted from government, industry, and environmental groups agree that the amounts of PFOA emitted by nonstick cookware probably don't contribute much to your total PFOA exposure (the manufacture, use, and disposal of an array of products, including waterproof fabrics and electronic parts, can release PFOA into the environment). And research by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests it's very unlikely that significant amounts of PFOA migrate from pans into food. Still, it's sensible to take a few precautions with nonstick cookware. Use ventilation when cooking, don't put empty pans over very high heat, and toss pans that have started to flake. Flaking can cause uneven heating that might accelerate emissions.
CTV NEWSNET AFTERNOON 4 (CTV-N1), NATIONAL, 04 Jun 2007,
THERE'S BEEN TALK ABOUT THE HEALTH RISKS OF COOKING WITH NONSTICK POTS AND PANS BUT ACCORDING TO CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE THERE IS NO RISK AS LONG AS YOU DON'T CRANK THE HEAT UP TOO HIGH. THE MAGAZINE TESTED A VARIETY OF COOKWARE FOR EMISSIONS OF PFOA. THIS IS THE CHEMICAL THAT KEEPS FOOD FROM STICKING. BUT THE TESTS FOUND THAT EMISSIONS WERE MINIMAL.
Non-stick cookware largely safe, study suggests
CBC News - June 4, 1007
Cooking with non-stick pots and pans likely won't pose a health hazard so long as chefs resist the urge to crank the heat up to extremely high temperatures, researchers with Consumer Reports suggest in a new study.
The New York-based magazine set out to test the safety of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a synthetic chemical used to make non-stick coating. Earlier studies had suggested that high temperatures could cause the coating to release fumes that could trigger flu-like symptoms in humans.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also said the synthetic chemical has been found to cause cancer in rats.
Consumer Reports tested non-stick pans from various manufacturers to test the safety of new and used pans at heats of 204 C (400 F) and found that PFOA emissions were minimal.
"The highest level was about 100 times lower than levels that animal studies suggest are of concern for ongoing exposure to PFOA," the magazine reports in its June issue. "With the aged pans, emissions were barely measurable."
Health Canada has said that non-stick coatings are safe to use at temperatures under 350 C (662 F). But, the federal agency said that with higher heats, irritating or poisonous fumes may be released.
Consumer Reports also warned that consumers should still ensure that their cooking area is well-ventilated.
It also recommends that older pans and pots where the coating has started to flake should be thrown out.
In January 2006, eight U.S. companies agreed to a proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cut the amount of PFOA in the cookware by 95 per cent by 2010. They also agreed to cut the PFOA emitted during the manufacturing of the products by the same amount.
The companies set a 2015 deadline to eliminate the emission and use of PFOA entirely.
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