Is non-stick cookware safe? What changed, and what hasn’t

Is PFOA still used to make non-stick pans?

Not by the major makers. PFOA was a processing aid for fluoropolymers, the materials behind non-stick surfaces on cookware. Source 6

In EPA’s stewardship program, eight major companies in the PFAS industry committed to work toward eliminating PFOA from their products by 2015, and all say they met that goal. EPA notes that companies outside the program may still make, import or use it. Source 3

Even in 2003, EPA said finished products weren’t expected to contain PFOA. Source 6 The phase-out still mattered: in 2023, IARC classed PFOA itself as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). Source 4

Is the coating itself still a PFAS?

Usually, yes: the coating itself is still a PFAS. Most non-stick coatings are PTFE, sold under brand names such as Teflon™, Source 1 Source 5 and FDA lists non-stick coatings on pots and pans among its authorized uses of PFAS. Source 2

FDA says the coating is applied at very high temperatures, which tightly binds it to the pan, and that studies show negligible amounts of PFAS in it can migrate to food. Source 2 So ‘PFOA-free’ doesn’t mean ‘PFAS-free’.

Is Teflon safe if it isn’t scratched?

Generally yes, with care. Poison Control puts it plainly: “In general, nonstick cookware is safe if you follow basic precautions.” Source 1

Those precautions: cook on low to medium heat, don’t preheat an empty pan, keep the kitchen ventilated, use wooden, plastic or silicone utensils, and clean with a soft sponge, not steel wool. Source 1

Check pans for scratches, peeling or chipping, and replace damaged ones; damaged cookware can give off more fumes. Source 1 A 2022 lab study also estimated that thousands to millions of tiny Teflon particles might be released from scratched pots in a mock cooking test. That’s an estimate from one lab method, not a measured amount in food. Source 5

What is ‘Teflon flu’?

It’s polymer fume fever, from breathing fumes off overheated non-stick: chills, fever, tiredness, headache or body aches that usually clear within 1 to 2 days. Source 1

The coating starts to break down above about 500 °F, and preheating an empty pan can get it extremely hot. US poison centers had only a few hundred reported cases in 2023, though it’s likely underreported. Severe cases are rare. Source 1

Is non-stick cookware safe around pet birds?

Not when it overheats. Poison Control says birds are extremely sensitive to these fumes, which can be fatal to pet birds. Source 1

If you keep birds, keep them out of the kitchen and keep the home well ventilated, Source 1 or use uncoated pans.

What would we use instead?

An uncoated pan, such as cast iron, for anything high-heat. Poison Control says high-heat cooking and broiling should be done in other cookware, such as cast iron, and lists cast iron and stainless steel among the alternatives. Source 1 There’s no non-stick coating to scratch or overheat.

Cast iron is heavy; it and carbon steel need seasoning. Stainless needs none and suits tomato and other acidic dishes. Ceramic ‘non-stick’ is still a coating, not bare metal.