4 ms·

The article doesn't mention (other than a brief nod to the brand) the other massive use of PTFE, none sticks surfaces originally under the Teflon brand, most co

The article doesn't mention (other than a brief nod to the brand) the other massive use of PTFE, none sticks surfaces originally under the Teflon brand, most commonly found on cookware. It truly is a "magic" material. Teflon and other PTFE based none stick surfaces are now really quite controversial due to the toxic gasses they can give off of you heat them too high. And the manufacturing processes is potentially linked to a higher risk of cancer for workers. The industry is now moving away from PTFE to other materials for none stick surfaces, however although they proclaim these are "safe", they have been studied far less. I believe some evidence is indicative of them also having serious issues.

Overtonwindow 4y ago
Actually, Teflon on pans and cooking. Where is quite bad. It flakes off quite easily and you just ingest it. Go with ceramic, it’s much better for you. This is just one search result, there are many This is just one search result, there are many: https://www.foxnews.com/health/non-stick-pans-could-release-millions-microplastic-particles-possible-health-concern-study-says https://www.foxnews.com/health/non-stick-pans-could-release-...
- ThePowerOfFuet 4y ago
  Your links would probably be taken more seriously here if they weren't to foxnews.com. Personally I didn't even click on it just because of that, which is a shame because you made me interested up until then.
  - jiggawatts 4y ago
    Teflon is harmless if ingested. The whole point of it is that it is chemically inert.
    - IsTom 4y ago
      Not saying that teflon is bad when ingested, but asbestos and glass are also chemically inert and it doesn't make them ok to ingest.
      - pitaj 4y ago
        Silicates like glass and asbestos are hard and cause physical damage, but PTFE is a soft polymer.
        labawi 4y ago
        Small chemically inert substances can gunk up your cells and tissues even if they are soft.
        jiggawatts 4y ago
        The don't make into your cells and tissues, because they're not digestible. Anything bigger than a "small molecule" doesn't make it through the membranes into your bloodstream. Even individual proteins are too big, let alone a chunk of your frying pan big enough to see.
        labawi 4y ago
        When talking about a small polymer, I was mainly commenting on microscopic flakes and lakes laced with "chemically inert" molecules that have devastating physiological effects. Either way, what you claim is simply not true by any reasoning [1], though I do agree eating teflon flakes in moderate amounts should not pose much concern. [1] https://phys.org/news/2020-08-micro-nanoplastics-human-tissues.html https://phys.org/news/2020-08-micro-nanoplastics-human-tissu...
      - refurb 4y ago
        Asbestos is not chemically inert. That's why it causes cancer.
        4y ago
- refurb 4y ago
  I mean, we use PTFE as medical implants, which have undergone FDA testing. It's an incredibly inert substance. I'm thinking if it's OK to implant a piece of PFTE in your body for decades, it's probably not a big issue to ingest a flake that is eventually pooped out.
fire 4y ago
Yeah, Adam Ragusea has a decent video[0] covering PFAS coating safety and production concerns; I hadn't realized how bad the factory side of things were prior to this - I only knew that overheating a teflon coated pan will destroy the coating, release toxic gas, and... kill any pet birds in your apartment :( 0: https://youtu.be/vZ1KmVmpC8o https://youtu.be/vZ1KmVmpC8o
- fire 4y ago
  my cliff notes for teflon non-stick: · Don't use high heat, ever; you will destroy the coating and release toxic gas · Don't leave the pan to get too hot over medium/low heat either; if a teflon pan ever smokes, you have officially fucked up. · Don't use hard/sharp utensils against the pan; you will scrape off the coating · Don't clean the pan with abrasive scrubbers; you will scrape off the coating · Do use soft plastic, silicone, or wood utensils; these shouldn't damage the coating · Do wipe the pan after use, while the remnants of cooking are still hot ( honestly this is just a general tip; I always wipe out my carbon steel pan after use as well ) · Do use a soft cloth or sponge and warm / hot water to clean the pan when hand washing; just like seasoned pans, you shouldn't need to clean them with actual soap all that often, but a light once over every so often will not hurt at all and helps mitigate dust/general grime. · Do soak the pan if you have somehow managed to carbonize food onto the pan; attempting to pry off stuck burned food can pull off parts of the coating. Personally though I'd recommend a stainless or carbon steel ( cast iron if you don't mind the weight ) and seasoning it, or basically anything with a ceramic coating ( all cliff notes apply to ceramic as well, but due to general coating damage concerns rather than ptfe's production of toxic gas and generation of microplastic granules )
- baxtr 4y ago
  PFTE is different from PFAS.
  - DoingIsLearning 4y ago
    This is wrong, PTFE is a PFAS. PFAS is a family of Per or poly fluoroalkyl substances. Basically it's a group of substances that have very long ass Carbon and Flour chains.
ls15 4y ago
> The industry is now moving away from PTFE to other materials for none stick surfaces, however although they proclaim these are "safe", they have been studied far less. I believe some evidence is indicative of them also having serious issues. I've been moving away from PTFE in favour of cast iron cookware. Besides many other great properties, it is non-stick if used correctly. https://old.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/z4vdyd/some_slidey_eggs_for_your_reddit_scrolling_stay/ https://old.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/z4vdyd/some_slide...

Overtonwindow 4y ago

Actually, Teflon on pans and cooking. Where is quite bad. It flakes off quite easily and you just ingest it. Go with ceramic, it’s much better for you. This is just one search result, there are many This is just one search result, there are many: https://www.foxnews.com/health/non-stick-pans-could-release-millions-microplastic-particles-possible-health-concern-study-says https://www.foxnews.com/health/non-stick-pans-could-release-...

ThePowerOfFuet 4y ago
Your links would probably be taken more seriously here if they weren't to foxnews.com. Personally I didn't even click on it just because of that, which is a shame because you made me interested up until then.
- jiggawatts 4y ago
  Teflon is harmless if ingested. The whole point of it is that it is chemically inert.
  - IsTom 4y ago
    Not saying that teflon is bad when ingested, but asbestos and glass are also chemically inert and it doesn't make them ok to ingest.
    - pitaj 4y ago
      Silicates like glass and asbestos are hard and cause physical damage, but PTFE is a soft polymer.
      - labawi 4y ago
        Small chemically inert substances can gunk up your cells and tissues even if they are soft.
        jiggawatts 4y ago
        The don't make into your cells and tissues, because they're not digestible. Anything bigger than a "small molecule" doesn't make it through the membranes into your bloodstream. Even individual proteins are too big, let alone a chunk of your frying pan big enough to see.
        labawi 4y ago
        When talking about a small polymer, I was mainly commenting on microscopic flakes and lakes laced with "chemically inert" molecules that have devastating physiological effects. Either way, what you claim is simply not true by any reasoning [1], though I do agree eating teflon flakes in moderate amounts should not pose much concern. [1] https://phys.org/news/2020-08-micro-nanoplastics-human-tissues.html https://phys.org/news/2020-08-micro-nanoplastics-human-tissu...
    - refurb 4y ago
      Asbestos is not chemically inert. That's why it causes cancer.
      - 4y ago
refurb 4y ago
I mean, we use PTFE as medical implants, which have undergone FDA testing. It's an incredibly inert substance. I'm thinking if it's OK to implant a piece of PFTE in your body for decades, it's probably not a big issue to ingest a flake that is eventually pooped out.

fire 4y ago

Yeah, Adam Ragusea has a decent video[0] covering PFAS coating safety and production concerns; I hadn't realized how bad the factory side of things were prior to this - I only knew that overheating a teflon coated pan will destroy the coating, release toxic gas, and... kill any pet birds in your apartment :( 0: https://youtu.be/vZ1KmVmpC8o https://youtu.be/vZ1KmVmpC8o

fire 4y ago
my cliff notes for teflon non-stick: · Don't use high heat, ever; you will destroy the coating and release toxic gas · Don't leave the pan to get too hot over medium/low heat either; if a teflon pan ever smokes, you have officially fucked up. · Don't use hard/sharp utensils against the pan; you will scrape off the coating · Don't clean the pan with abrasive scrubbers; you will scrape off the coating · Do use soft plastic, silicone, or wood utensils; these shouldn't damage the coating · Do wipe the pan after use, while the remnants of cooking are still hot ( honestly this is just a general tip; I always wipe out my carbon steel pan after use as well ) · Do use a soft cloth or sponge and warm / hot water to clean the pan when hand washing; just like seasoned pans, you shouldn't need to clean them with actual soap all that often, but a light once over every so often will not hurt at all and helps mitigate dust/general grime. · Do soak the pan if you have somehow managed to carbonize food onto the pan; attempting to pry off stuck burned food can pull off parts of the coating. Personally though I'd recommend a stainless or carbon steel ( cast iron if you don't mind the weight ) and seasoning it, or basically anything with a ceramic coating ( all cliff notes apply to ceramic as well, but due to general coating damage concerns rather than ptfe's production of toxic gas and generation of microplastic granules )
baxtr 4y ago
PFTE is different from PFAS.
- DoingIsLearning 4y ago
  This is wrong, PTFE is a PFAS. PFAS is a family of Per or poly fluoroalkyl substances. Basically it's a group of substances that have very long ass Carbon and Flour chains.

ls15 4y ago

> The industry is now moving away from PTFE to other materials for none stick surfaces, however although they proclaim these are "safe", they have been studied far less. I believe some evidence is indicative of them also having serious issues. I've been moving away from PTFE in favour of cast iron cookware. Besides many other great properties, it is non-stick if used correctly. https://old.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/z4vdyd/some_slidey_eggs_for_your_reddit_scrolling_stay/ https://old.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/z4vdyd/some_slide...