mlk_man
04-22-2005, 01:18 PM
A Sticky Situation
Teflon, the nonstick surface that made fat-free cooking easy for everyone, started life as an accident in the DuPont labs nearly 70 years ago. Scientists working on Freon refrigerants stumbled onto a new material that is considered the most slippery in the world. The first Teflon products hit the marketplace nearly 60 years ago, with their nonstick surface seemingly making foods healthier, since you could cook with virtually no oil or butter.
Several readers questioned the safety of Teflon. What about the chemical content of its cooking surface? Does it leach into the foods?
Coincidentally, Teflon's safety concerns resurfaced in January with a finding by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that exposure to a chemical used to make Teflon could possibly cause health risks. The chemical in question is perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and the concern arose because blood samples from three population groups taken at random showed low residue levels of PFOA. In another study, rats fed large doses of PFOA had delays in sexual maturation and accelerated mortality rates. It's important to remember, however, that these findings do not relate directly to Teflon -- they concern PFOA itself.
Facts About Teflon
To find out if cooking with Teflon pans still is considered safe, I talked with Christopher J. Portier, PhD, associate director, National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Unfortunately, the answer still isn't crystal clear. Dr. Portier doesn't say it isn't safe, but neither does he endorse it as completely risk free. The reason, he says, is that research on Teflon and PFOA is an emerging science, and that studies are in the beginning stages, even after all these years. Previous studies on the material took place before the substance was so ubiquitous in cooking. Now that it is in such widespread use, it may be having a larger impact.
Heat Factor
There is one definite health risk that is well documented about cooking with Teflon pans. When empty Teflon-coated pans are allowed to rise to high temperatures -- over 500°F -- the Teflon emits dangerous fumes. (Teflon pans were never meant to be used with high heat and are clearly labeled to that effect.) Picture this scenario -- the fumes emitted from Teflon killing pet birds. The closer the birds are to the kitchen, the more likely they are to die. When I first heard of this it sounded eerily reminiscent of canaries being sent into a mineshaft to determine air safety. I didn't think it was an issue, since people don't normally cook at such a high heat. Don't be so sure...
Since one of the culinary drawbacks of Teflon pans is that food will not brown in them, users all too often turn up the heat under a Teflon pan and walk away for a few minutes. This is all it takes, says Dr. Portier, to bring a pan up to the 500-degree danger zone. He cautions that if you see smoke coming from the pan -- assuming you have not put in oil -- it is far hotter than it was ever meant to be.
Chipped Teflon has been another rumored health risk, but Dr. Portier says there is no research that supports any special risk from this. Nevertheless, he feels it is prudent to replace chipped or scratched pans because there may be the possibility of a long-term hazard.
When pressed for further advice, Dr. Portier is hesitant to give a firm recommendation one way or the other about cooking with Teflon. His own pans are aluminum, but just because he likes to cook with them, not because he is worried about Teflon. (A side note about aluminum: The longer an acidic food sits in a pan at high temperatures, the greater the tendency for aluminum to be released as a salt into the contents. Don't store food in aluminum utensils or cook acidic sauces like tomato-based marinara in aluminum cookware.) Dr. Portier has a heavy iron skillet he likes for certain dishes, but he points out that it's possible the black residue that builds on the bottom of these pans might turn out to be a carcinogen. There's no proof on this yet, but he says, you never know -- so don't scrape the browned-bits into your food.
Keep the Teflon? Or start scrubbing sticky pans? I asked contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, what he uses. His reply: Cast iron with an enamel coating for cooking... stainless steel to boil water... and glass in the microwave.
As for Teflon, I go back to the concept of moderation. If used properly, Teflon still appears to be "okay." That said, I will use my Teflon pan as part of a varied cooking and food regimen that includes assorted cooking methods and pans.
Teflon, the nonstick surface that made fat-free cooking easy for everyone, started life as an accident in the DuPont labs nearly 70 years ago. Scientists working on Freon refrigerants stumbled onto a new material that is considered the most slippery in the world. The first Teflon products hit the marketplace nearly 60 years ago, with their nonstick surface seemingly making foods healthier, since you could cook with virtually no oil or butter.
Several readers questioned the safety of Teflon. What about the chemical content of its cooking surface? Does it leach into the foods?
Coincidentally, Teflon's safety concerns resurfaced in January with a finding by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that exposure to a chemical used to make Teflon could possibly cause health risks. The chemical in question is perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and the concern arose because blood samples from three population groups taken at random showed low residue levels of PFOA. In another study, rats fed large doses of PFOA had delays in sexual maturation and accelerated mortality rates. It's important to remember, however, that these findings do not relate directly to Teflon -- they concern PFOA itself.
Facts About Teflon
To find out if cooking with Teflon pans still is considered safe, I talked with Christopher J. Portier, PhD, associate director, National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Unfortunately, the answer still isn't crystal clear. Dr. Portier doesn't say it isn't safe, but neither does he endorse it as completely risk free. The reason, he says, is that research on Teflon and PFOA is an emerging science, and that studies are in the beginning stages, even after all these years. Previous studies on the material took place before the substance was so ubiquitous in cooking. Now that it is in such widespread use, it may be having a larger impact.
Heat Factor
There is one definite health risk that is well documented about cooking with Teflon pans. When empty Teflon-coated pans are allowed to rise to high temperatures -- over 500°F -- the Teflon emits dangerous fumes. (Teflon pans were never meant to be used with high heat and are clearly labeled to that effect.) Picture this scenario -- the fumes emitted from Teflon killing pet birds. The closer the birds are to the kitchen, the more likely they are to die. When I first heard of this it sounded eerily reminiscent of canaries being sent into a mineshaft to determine air safety. I didn't think it was an issue, since people don't normally cook at such a high heat. Don't be so sure...
Since one of the culinary drawbacks of Teflon pans is that food will not brown in them, users all too often turn up the heat under a Teflon pan and walk away for a few minutes. This is all it takes, says Dr. Portier, to bring a pan up to the 500-degree danger zone. He cautions that if you see smoke coming from the pan -- assuming you have not put in oil -- it is far hotter than it was ever meant to be.
Chipped Teflon has been another rumored health risk, but Dr. Portier says there is no research that supports any special risk from this. Nevertheless, he feels it is prudent to replace chipped or scratched pans because there may be the possibility of a long-term hazard.
When pressed for further advice, Dr. Portier is hesitant to give a firm recommendation one way or the other about cooking with Teflon. His own pans are aluminum, but just because he likes to cook with them, not because he is worried about Teflon. (A side note about aluminum: The longer an acidic food sits in a pan at high temperatures, the greater the tendency for aluminum to be released as a salt into the contents. Don't store food in aluminum utensils or cook acidic sauces like tomato-based marinara in aluminum cookware.) Dr. Portier has a heavy iron skillet he likes for certain dishes, but he points out that it's possible the black residue that builds on the bottom of these pans might turn out to be a carcinogen. There's no proof on this yet, but he says, you never know -- so don't scrape the browned-bits into your food.
Keep the Teflon? Or start scrubbing sticky pans? I asked contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, what he uses. His reply: Cast iron with an enamel coating for cooking... stainless steel to boil water... and glass in the microwave.
As for Teflon, I go back to the concept of moderation. If used properly, Teflon still appears to be "okay." That said, I will use my Teflon pan as part of a varied cooking and food regimen that includes assorted cooking methods and pans.