Should I Throw Out All My Non-Stick Pans?

A Reader Writes The Green Guide:

I'm reading your article about the possible carcinogenic effects of Teflon pans and getting just a little upset as many of my frying pans are non-stick. I've been buying the French T-Fal pans. Your article mentions the temperatures at which the fluoropolymers degrade, but I can't relate those temperatures—some 600 degrees F, some 900 degrees F—to frying an egg or frying a steak. Can you be of help, or shall I just throw out all those pans?

The Green Guide Responds:

If you're not a bird owner, don't throw out your pans yet: Buying new cookware can be an expensive investment, and reducing cooking temperatures will minimize the fumes. A preheated pan on high heat can reach over 600 F in two to five minutes, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). When it comes to frying an egg or a steak, however, there's no need to set the burner on "high." Heating the pan to medium (300 to 350 F) then reducing it to low heat (175 to 300 F) will cook eggs and meat just as well. Meat will brown at medium heat and sauteeing should always be done at medium or lower heats. If you want to sear your steaks, we would recommend purchasing a cast iron or stainless steel pan for that purpose. Amy Topel, The Green Guide's cooking expert, only uses non-stick pans for eggs, because steak and other foods don't stick to regular pans.

As for when you should replace your pans, the non-stick coating should last for about two years before it begins to degrade, according to a 1991 study published in Chemical Engineering Progress. Be sure to replace your pans two years after you purchased them, time enough to save up for cast iron or stainless steel alternatives. And during those two years, do keep an eye on your pans to avoid overheating; don't walk away or get distracted by other tasks.

Bird-Safety

Because the fumes offgassing from Teflon pans can be fatal to birds even at very low levels, we advise bird owners to replace Teflon pans as soon as possible and not to cook with Teflon in a room that connects to the one housing your pet bird. Bird owners should also be wary of Teflon-lined ovens, non-stick cookie sheets and burners lined with Teflon drip pans. Since birds are so sensitive to these fumes, owners should also make sure that space heaters or other items that operate in the house at high temperatures have no Teflon coated parts. For a list of products containing Teflon and related perfluorochemicals (PFCs), see the EWG's page here: www.ewg.org/reports/pfcworld/products.php

PFOA

Teflon pans are made using the chemical perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA), "a likely human carcinogen" according to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advisory panel. PFOA was found in the umbilical cord blood of 99 percent of 300 babies born at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2004. Researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health are now determining if the chemical has harmed the infants by altering their hormone levels. The source of the PFOA's widespread diffusion into the blood of infants, adults and the environment appears to be both industrial emissions and the use of now-discontinued Scotchgard stain-resistant products.

Recent research, however, indicates, that microwave popcorn may be another source of PFOA in our bodies, according to a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and published in the October 2005 Food Additives & Contaminants. Some paper food wrappers include fluorotelomer coatings to repel grease with the highest amounts of these coatings contained in microwave popcorn bags. The FDA found that significant amounts of fluorotelomers migrate from the bags to the oil in microwave popcorn. Unfortunately, once in the body these chemicals may be metabolized to form PFOA. Though the amounts from any single popcorn bag are small, because PFOA remains in the body for years, levels can build up over time.

Although a 2001 study published in Nature did not find PFOA in the fumes given off by heated Teflon, it did find greenhouse gas chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The EWG notes that at 680 F, Teflon gives off six toxic gases including two carcinogens.

What to Look Out For

Since Teflon is only one variety of the non-stick chemical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) used on cookware, watch out for “non-stick” labeling and ask if the coating is PTFE, even if it’s not Teflon. Calphalon, Scanpan and All Clad’s non-stick pans all use PTFE coatings.

Alternatives

When you do replace your pans, choose cast iron, stainless steel or enameled iron. Here are some popular brands:

KitchenAid Stainless Steel 10-piece cookware set, including 8" and 10" French skillets ($149; www.jcpenney.com)

Lodge unseasoned Original Finish 10.25" skillet, ($13.95) and Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies set ($89.95; www.lodgemfg.com; 423-837-7181)

Cuisinart 10" stainless steel skillet ($60) and 7-piece Chef's Classic stainless steel set ($260; www.cuisinart.com)

DeBuyer Lyonnaise Carbon Steel Frying Pans 11" ($44.95; www.broadwaypanhandler.com, 866-COOKWARE)

All-Clad 10" stainless-steel frypan with aluminum core ($84.95) or 5-piece set ($394; www.broadwaypanhandler.com; 866-COOKWARE)

Le Creuset enameled 9" skillet ($49.95; www.broadwaypanhandler.com; 866-COOKWARE)