Is Nonstick Cookware Safe for Humans and Pets?

[its_me_susan]

Hi all! I have a Feb host REALLY excited about the cookware, but very concerned about the whole teflon safety thing. Will you all remind me of all the safety facts you've/we've collected?

Susan

 

[DebbieJ]

Our (and all nonstock) pans are safe as long as you don't over heat them.

And our pans are not teflon.

 

[Rebeccascabinet]

In the spring paperwork there is a section on the cookware. That should be able to give you some more info.

 

[Chefgirl2]

Teflon is a name brand that Dupont makes. Dupont does not make the toxic combinations that the knock off coatings on cheap cookware.

I asked about it at the product room at conference one year and they told me that nothing Pampered Chef sells has that toxic combination.

More recently, I had a lady with exotic birds and using safe cookware was important to her. I called PC to double check and they sent me a link to Duponts website for more info.

Hope that helps.

 

[chefann]

I have birds, so safety is an issue in my house as well.

ALL nonstick cookware contains chemicals that can be toxic when inhaled. Birds have more sensitive respiratory systems, so they are more sensitive to the fumes. BUT nonstick cookware is perfectly safe if you don't overheat it. One thing that helps is to NEVER preheat a pan empty - put a little oil or water in the bottom. The liquid will absorb the "extra" heat (and if it's oil, it will start to smoke if the whole thing gets too hot). You should also never use nonstick pans over High heat, just medium-high or lower.

 

[Sk8Mom209]

Also, are the toxic coatings, the one's sprayed on? Our nonstick is bonded into the pans and not sprayed on, which is why we will never have "peppered" eggs that we did not pepper!

 

[its_me_susan]

I have birds, so safety is an issue in my house as well.

ALL nonstick cookware contains chemicals that can be toxic when inhaled. Birds have more sensitive respiratory systems, so they are more sensitive to the fumes. BUT nonstick cookware is perfectly safe if you don't overheat it. One thing that helps is to NEVER preheat a pan empty - put a little oil or water in the bottom. The liquid will absorb the "extra" heat (and if it's oil, it will start to smoke if the whole thing gets too hot). You should also never use nonstick pans over High heat, just medium-high or lower.

What about when we preheat the grill pan to sear the salmon?

By the way, thank you all for refreshing my memory. Does anyone have the Dupont website handy?

 

[Ginger428]

Here you go Susan....

Cookware-DuPont Teflon Coating

Thank you for your inquiry regarding Teflon®. DuPont places the safety of employees, customers, and the public above all we do. This has been our first priority in business for over 200 years. All DuPont products are proven safe before they are sold. Cookware made with Teflon® non-stick
coatings are totally safe for everyday consumer and commercial use. Below are important facts that you should know about Teflon® and cookware.

Teflon® non-stick cookware does not contain PFOA. (perfluorooctanoic acid) A published, peer-reviewed study (April 2005) in Environmental Science & Technology found no PFOA in Teflon® cookware. No PFOA was detected even when the cookware was scratched with a knife. Tests using approved FDA methods also show that non-stick coatings used for cookware sold under the Teflon® brand do not contain PFOA. The Danish Technical Institute and China Academy of Inspection and Quarantine tested Teflon® cookware and did not detect PFOA.

Teflon® is a brand name, not a chemical. Teflon® is a brand name and a registered trademark of DuPont. Teflon® is not PFOA. The improper use of the Teflon® brand as a synonym for PFOA is not only inaccurate and misleading to consumers but also constitutes a trademark violation. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), also known as C-8, is an essential processing aid used to make fluoropolymers – high performance plastics manufactured by a number of companies. PFOA and Teflon® are entirely different – one is a processing aid, the other is a product brand. It is also inaccurate to describe PFOA as an ingredient in Teflon® cookware.

U.S. regulatory agencies have studied non-stick coatings and approved their use in consumer products.
The Food and Drug Administration has found non-stick coatings acceptable for conventional kitchen use. Also, in 2003 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission rejected a petition to require a label warning for non-stick coatings. Health regulatory agencies across the globe have approved the use of Teflon® cookware.

Heating Teflon® cookware to high temperatures does not release PFOA or cause it to be emitted in fumes. Because there is no PFOA in Teflon® non-stick cookware, there is no emission of PFOA. In fact, high temperatures in the manufacturing process destroy PFOA, which is why, although PFOA is used as a processing aid to make the coating, PFOA is not found in the final cookware product.

There are no documented cases of serious or long-term human health effects caused by exposure to fumes from heating cookware coated with Teflon® to high temperatures. Over the 40 years non-stick cookware has been in widespread use, there is only one published case of a minor, short-lasting health effect linked to overheating non-stick cookware. Cookware with Teflon® non-stick coatings has a recommended maximum use temperature of 500F or 260C; typical cooking temperatures are much lower. Significant decomposition of the coating will occur only when temperatures exceed about 660F or 349C – well above the smoke point for cooking oil, fats or butter. Therefore, it is unlikely that decomposition temperatures for non-stick cookware would be reached without burning food to an inedible state. However, these high temperatures can be reached if dry or empty cookware is neglected on a hot burner or in an oven – a safety hazard that should be avoided with all cookware. No cookware should ever be left unattended.




Teflon® non-stick can help reduce dangers in the kitchen. According to Karen Benedek, a leading advisor to government and appliance manufacturers on cooking safety, “In over 70 percent of range top fires, it’s the oil, fat, grease or food itself that ignites. The less fat, the smaller the fire. Because non-stick cookware requires less fat for cooking, it can help reduce dangers in the kitchen.”

Particles from Teflon® cookware are not harmful to consumers. Particles from Teflon® branded cookware are not harmful, even if ingested. Confidence in the safety and performance of DuPont non-stick coatings is based on more than 40 years of laboratory testing and use in home and commercial kitchens.

Birds should not be kept in the kitchen. Fumes emitted from burned foods cooked in any type of pan can affect pet birds. Severely overheated non-stick cookware also can affect pet birds. However, the temperatures required to burn foods are significantly lower than those at which decomposition of non-stick coatings occur. Because they have highly sensitive respiratory systems, birds are more at risk from burning butters and oils, aerosol sprays and cleaning solvents. “Since food can be inadvertently burned in any type of pot or pan, it is important to keep birds out of the kitchen while cooking, and away from any other area of the house where birds are at risk of breathing in fumes,” according
to Dr. Karen Rosenthal, DVM MS, an Avian Veterinarian and Director of Special Species Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Not all non-stick coatings are branded Teflon®. Teflon® branded non-stick coatings are made solely by DuPont. Teflon® is a registered trademark. Not all non-stick coatings are branded Teflon®.
Moreover, a stringent certification program ensures that non-stick coatings by DuPont are used only in suitable applications.

EPA and its Scientific Advisory Board are studying PFOA, not Teflon®. EPA and its Scientific Advisory Board are working to determine the health risks associated with exposure to PFOA through its presence in the environment. They are not examining the safety of consumer products sold
under the Teflon® brand. EPA’s position: “EPA does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any consumer or industrial related products.” Teflon® non-stick cookware does not contain PFOA.

Human health research on PFOA conducted to date has shown no known health effects. Based on an evaluation of human health and toxicology studies, DuPont concludes that PFOA exposure does not pose a cancer risk or any health risk to the general public. There is no significant potential for exposure to PFOA from using products made with DuPont materials; hence, there is no
risk to consumers.

Please contact us again if you need further assistance. We appreciate your feedback and value you as a customer.

Sincerely,

DuPont Teflon® Brand Inquiry Center
Wilmington, Delaware USA
http://www.teflon.com
[email protected]
866-205-1664
302-774-1177

 

[rebeccastt]

I had NO IDEA that birds were sensitive to cookware fumes! Maybe that's what happened to Petey.....

 

[chefann]

Birds are sensitive to ANY fumes. That's why miners used to have canaries in the mines. The birds would die from toxic gasses when they were still undetectable by the people, and be a sign for the miners to get out.

One of my birds will fly into the kitchen when DH is in there. She sits on his shoulder and "helps." Her other favorite spot is on top of the fridge, picking on cereal boxes.

 

[cat]

Birds are sensitive to ANY fumes. That's why miners used to have canaries in the mines. The birds would die from toxic gasses when they were still undetectable by the people, and be a sign for the miners to get out.

Wow, that's interesting! I never knew that....