Bans on Teflon By 2002, the majority of manufacturers ceased making
Safety Concerns. While Teflon itself isn't deemed harmful under normal use, the controversy arises from its manufacturing process. The chemical PFOA, once used in making Teflon, has been linked to health risks. However, since 2013 in the U.S. and 2008 in Europe, cookware is supposed to be free of PFOA.
Note: As of January 2024, substances containing PFAS are no longer being sold into the U.S. market for food contact use as grease-proofers and their associated authorizations have been revoked by the FDA due to abandonment.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (a.k.a. PFOA) was a key chemical in Teflon. It has been phased out of Teflon products since 2013 — even before Canada banned it altogether. Canada has banned a handful of chemicals in the PFAS class (e.g., PFOA and PFOS) because of possible environmental and health risks. That's a good thing.
Restrictions on Teflon Starting 2023
The FDA has stated that cooking and eating food on Teflon products is perfectly safe. But effective 2023, 12 U.S. states implemented laws restricting or banning all PFAS products. Maine was the first state to ban the manufacture and sale of PFAS products completely.
For our recommendations, we stick to stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel or ceramic coatings. If you're making the switch from traditional nonstick cookware, you should look into ceramic or enameled cookware. These coatings tend to hold up for years, especially if you cook over medium to low heat.
The knock on Teflon is that it's unsafe if consumed or absorbed into the body and can increase the chances of cancer and other diseases. Studies have shown some connections (more on that below), but Teflon still exists and is used to make cookware, but the safety concerns around Teflon are mostly a thing of the past.
GenX and PFBS are being used as replacement chemicals for PFOA and PFOS, the original Teflon chemicals that were forced off the market due to their decades-long persistence in the environment and their link to serious health harms in exposed people and wildlife.
SEATTLE, WA—Yesterday, leading outdoor retailer REI announced it will ban PFAS “forever chemicals” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in all textile products and cookware from its suppliers, in a major update to its “Product Impact Standards” for its 1,000+ brand partners.
In general, you want to replace nonstick pans after five years.
For decades, DuPont used perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, or C8) during production of PTFE, later discontinuing its use due to legal actions over ecotoxicological and health effects of exposure to PFOA. Dupont's spin-off Chemours today manufactures PTFE using an alternative chemical it calls GenX, another PFAS.
Is HexClad cookware safe? HexClad describes its nonstick coating as a "Japanese coating infused with diamond dust." The company states that its pans are PFOA-free, though they do contain PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), commonly known by the brand name Teflon.
Most air fryer baskets are coated with Teflon or a similar nonstick coating. The majority of air fryers in the market today have Teflon or nonstick-coated cooking baskets. They function similarly to nonstick cookware in that they release food easily and can be cleaned often with just soapy, hot water.
Teflon® is a registered trademark of DuPont and a brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) a nonstick finish. While Calphalon cookware features polytetrafluoroethylene-based nonstick finishes, we are not associated with, nor do we use, Teflon® branded products.
TEFAL pans are not made of TEFLON™
Historically Tefal has used TEFLON™ brand coatings for its non-stick pans. However, when Groupe SEB purchased TEFAL in 1968, it wanted to internalize the manufacturing of its own non-stick coatings to better control all stages of production.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) appears to be the most common fluorinated compound in cosmetics. It is used most widely in anti-aging products and cosmetics, likely because it provides a smooth, sleek finish. PTFE is trademarked as Teflon®, for use in non-stick cookware.
Conventional nonstick cookware is made with a PFAS called PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), also known as Teflon. In the past, PTFE was produced with the help of another PFAS called PFOA. But studies clearly linked PFOA to health risks, so this specific chemical was phased out in 2014.
Take action. You can avoid the most obvious offenders by replacing nonstick pans with stainless steel, cast-iron, glass, or ceramic alternatives. Also, don't heat up food that's wrapped in grease-resistant packaging. And make popcorn on the stovetop instead of in PFAS-treated microwave bags.
Broken or scratched Teflon coating could lead to the release of thousands to millions of plastic particles, a study suggests. The coating may shed microplastics and PFAS, also known as forever chemicals. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to health risks including liver disease and kidney cancer.
ceramic is among the safest material for pans
From dishes, to glasses, bakeware and cookware, ceramic bakeware is our pick for the best cookware material for health thanks to its non-reactive nature and resistance to high temperatures and acidic foods. Plus it's so pretty!
Today, Teflon™ fluoropolymers are found in communications cables, automobile components, aerospace, and, of course, cookware and textiles.
Our products are safe, and compliant with with all applicable federal and state safety regulations. We are proud to be able to offer our customers a variety of cookware materials to choose from, including stainless steel and nonstick ceramic.
Then, we removed GreenPan entirely from our list of non-toxic cookware. There were two primary reasons: Competing brands began providing independent laboratory testing to prove their products are non-toxic. We became aware of lawsuits against GreenPan that cast doubt on the company's marketing claims.
A: All Rachael Ray cookware products are non-toxic, lead-free, cadmium-free and PFOA-free. The non-stick coating used on Rachael Ray cookware is a conventional PTFE based non-stick. If you have further questions please feel free to contact the manufacturer directly as well.