Teflon doesn’t have any enviro-allies these days, since news broke about the nonstick material’s potential health risks. Why not? Environmental Working Group warns consumers that Teflon offgases toxic particulates at 446°F according to DuPont studies — and it only gets worse from there:
At 680°F Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses. At temperatures that DuPont scientists claim are reached on stovetop drip pans (1000°F), non-stick coatings break down to a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB, and a chemical analog of the WWII nerve gas phosgene.
Scarily, a university food professor found that a Teflon pan reached 721°F on a conventional, electric stovetop burner in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds! Since this toxic news made headlines, Dupont’s agreed to pay a $10.25 million settlement to the U.S. EPA and to virtually eliminate perfluorinated chemicals — the stuff used to make Teflon — by 2015 (via grist).
Teflon’s downfall, of course, meant a whole new bunch of nonstick pots and pans came clanging into the green kitchen marketplace, all claiming that they were as unsticky as Teflon but without the nasty enviro-health effects. One of the most talked-about option’s GreenPan, which uses a nonstick coating called Thermolon that’s totally free of perfluorooctanoic acid.
But is Thermolon safe? The jury’s still out. Plenty’s Jessica A. Knoblauch says GreenPan’s claims pan out — with caveats. The upside, according to her, is that GreenPan does indeed avoid a lot of the nastiness of Teflon pans. The downside, however, is that GreenPan makes use of nanotechnology, which could pose safety and health risks.
[Update, 8/9/10: Thermolon's makers now say that GreenPan does NOT use nanotechnology. "The use of the term 'nanotechnology' during the launch of Thermolon was a result of a rather over-enthusiastic customers copy writer," according to Mark Hosgood, Thermolon's Communications Officer. "Apparently, it was just thrown in because it sounded high tech." You decide if a company that sends out false information because it sounds nifty is one whose products you'd like to cook with.]
The keyword here is “could” — as in no one really knows yet because Thermolon’s such a brand spanking new product — and not all the info about it has been made available by the company making it. Environmental Working Group’s scientist Rebecca Sutton, for example, said she’d like to see GreenPan make more of its data public: “We’d like to see all the data they provided to FDA, as well as FDA’s assessments of the product, required for its approval as a food contact substance.” A discussion of the chemistry of breakdown products would help too, Rebecca says.
Is the average consumer satisfied with GreenPan’s safety claims? Some, like Lauri of LauriLiau , are taking a wait-and-see approach. “I’m not saying Thermolon is dangerous,” she says, but notes that the stuff’s just been invented. “We really do not know what material is used in Thermolon.”
Others have already started cooking. EatPlayLove says her GreenPan’s been working fabulously, and The Boston Mamas say they’ve “enjoyed” their GreenPan frypan, which cooked scrambled eggs to “a light, fluffy, and thankfully flake-free perfection.” Even green living expert Danny Seo’s been cooking with GreenPan.
Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray are already selling GreenPans under their names, so GreenPan products are available through a number of retailers including Amazon. For those not ready to buy into GreenPan, stick to glass or cast iron cookware — tried and true eco-friendly options that won’t keep you up wondering if your organic eggs are causing environmental damage.
Top image via ewg.org (PDF); photo of Martha Stewart Collection GreenPan via Macys.com
The other aspect here is that non-stick pans aren’t actually any good.
One good cast-iron skillet, one good (non-non-stick) saucepan, and one good stockpot should be able to handle 99% of your stovetop cooking needs. If you think you “need” a nonstick pan, that’s a sign that you’re doing it wrong. Modify the way you use heat, change your technique, and use more fat or a more appropriate fat to reduce the need for nonstick surfaces. For low to medium heat, olive oil is both healthy and appropriate. For high heat cooking, almond oil fills the same niche, or safflower oil if you can’t find almond oil.
Comment by peterb — December 25, 2008 @ 6:00 am
Have you ever heard of anyone diagnosed with Teflon toxicity? Now how many people do you know who are over weight and suffering from obesity’s ill effects? Teflon pans are far better for your health than cooking with poisonous fats/oils. No fat is a good fat. The fat you eat is the fat you wear. You’re body stores over 90% of the fats you consume. These free oils/fats increase the hormones in your body like IGF, which spur cancer growth, and not to mention growth of your mid section. Check out Dr. McDougall’s website for more information on fat.
Comment by Lex — January 5, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
Peter — agreed.
Lex — Your bizarro argument that good old organic olive oil’s worse for you than toxic Teflon does nothing besides perpetuate the angry crazy vegan stereotype.
Comment by Siel — January 5, 2009 @ 11:29 pm
As a long time mcdougaller I think you should hear the poster out.
Comment by Karen — January 8, 2009 @ 6:43 pm
Lex sent me a couple links to a McDougall article about Teflon and fat, and I dutifully read them. Here was my response to Lex:
Lex — Thanks for the links. I’m actually wondering if you read them yourself, because your comment on my blog seems rather off base, even if one’s a fan of McDougall. For one, you’ll notice that his assessment of the dangers of Teflon relies very heavily on the research done by Dupont itself — hardly a reliable source. He also conveniently ignores all the research that HAS shown that Teflon is dangerous — including the EWG findings that I mention in the post.
That aside — McDougall actually says at the end of the article: “we still recommend the use of iron, stainless steel and copper cookware.” This makes your diatribe against oils odd indeed, since the very cookware recommended by McDougall still requires oil.
Everyone knows obesity and its related diseases are a problem in the U.S. — but most nutritionists and scientists would agree that that’s due to overeating unhealthy foods (including, to McDougall’s credit, excessive fats and oils) and sedentary lifestyle, not “oil poisoning.”
Comment by Siel — January 8, 2009 @ 9:10 pm