Corey Pierce

With so much hype about plastics in baby bottles contaminating milk, it makes sense to take a closer look at the cookware many of us are using to prepare our food every day.

Non-stick coatings, a boon to housewives who were weary of scraping pans back when it was introduced in the 1940s, are applied to metal cookware to prevent food from sticking. Teflon is a brand name and registered trademark of DuPont, but companies such as T-Fal and Silverstone also make non-stick coatings.

Teflon and other non-stick substances use perfluorochemicals (PFCs), a group of chemicals that are also used in the production of a plethora of other products including stain-repellent coatings for clothing and furniture, fast-food packaging and carpet. Beyond pots and pans, non-stick coatings are used in rice cookers and other small appliances, as well as baking pans, cookie sheets and even in bags of microwave popcorn.

PTFE, known in chemistry circles as polytetrafluoroethene and trademarked as the DuPont brand name Teflon (also used in GoreTex) is a known carcinogen believed to be present in the fumes given off by non-stick cookware at high heat. While PTFE itself is chemically inert and non-toxic, it begins to deteriorate when subjected to high temperatures, at which point non-stick coatings can release toxic particles and gases including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and phosgene, which can cause headaches, fever and chills – a condition that has been referred to as “Teflon flu.”

Health Canada believes that there is no risk to the health of consumers using non-stick cookware “under normal cooking conditions.” What constitutes normal cooking conditions? Health Canada (as well as manufacturers of non-stick cookware) advises against using any cookware with non-stick coatings at temperatures above 350 C. It is unlikely that you’ll get a pan this hot while you’re cooking your dinner unless you use baking pans with nonstick coatings under the broiler or on the grill, but it could easily happen if an empty pan is left on a burner set on high, even for just a few minutes. A recent study tested the temperatures of various non-stick pans put on burners for three to five minutes, and the resulting temperatures ranged from 354 C to 394 C.

From the T-Fal Canada website: “Use only low to medium heat with your T-Fal cookware at all times (including to boil water). Never let cookware boil dry and never leave an empty piece of cookware on a heated burner. Select proper burner size so that the heat touches only the bottom of the cookware and does not climb up the side walls. Do not use pans to flambé. Caution: Cooking at ultra high settings can cause emission of fumes from the non-stick interior that could be dangerous for certain animals with very sensitive respiratory systems, such as birds. Birds should not be kept in the kitchen.”

Indeed, there have been hundreds of cases of birds dropping dead in kitchens where non-stick cookware was being used. All I can conclude from this is, if it kills birds, it can’t be good for my two-year-old’s lungs, my dog’s or mine, particularly if it’s a daily occurrence.

It’s important to note that there have been no recalls of non-stick cookware. And apparently when it becomes scratched, the little bits of coating that flake off are not harmful to your health. However, to date, there have been no long-term studies done on the effects of exposure to Teflon and other non-stick cookware. And besides the potential health risks, there are environmental issues.

Another chemical used in the manufacture of non-stick coating is called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA (usually pronounced “pee-fo-ah”). PFOA does not remain in cookware or other products after manufacture, but has spread throughout the environment worldwide. Several studies have determined that PFOA causes cancer in laboratory animals. Based on these and other studies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific advisory board labelled PFOA a likely human carcinogen.

Although there should be no measurable amount of PFOA on a finished pan, it is measurable in the environment. PFOA has been detected (albeit in low concentrations) in the blood of 95 per cent of Americans as well as in the blood of marine animals and polar bears in the Arctic, where it remains for up to a decade before being eliminated. DuPont has agreed to ensure that the chemical would not be released into the environment from its manufacturing plants by the year 2015, but will continue to use it, since there are as yet no suitable substitutes.

Health Canada and Environment Canada are currently assessing the potential health risks of exposure to PFOA as part of a larger action plan to assess a group of PFCs. The evaluation is a component of a possible move toward banning the manufacture of four such chemicals in Canada, considering that they are harmful to the environment and potentially harmful to human health.

What are the alternatives for cooking at home? Stainless steel has always been a great choice, but won’t do much to keep your food from sticking. Anodized aluminum cookware uses a technique to coat the surface of aluminum with an oxide layer by placing it in an acid solution and exposing it to an electric current. Anodized aluminum pans are sometimes referred to as non-stick as well, but since they are not made with a coating are scratch resistant, can be used at higher temperatures and are made without the use of PTFE or PFOA.

My choice will always be cast iron. They have the ability to withstand and maintain very high temperatures and have excellent heat diffusion and retention. The set of two I picked up at a church sale for $5 have lasted for years and rather than wear out, simply get better. When they are well seasoned (a concept that is intimidating for most people), they develop a non-stick coating you can easily fry an egg on.

Seasoning cast iron is not complicated; simply cook fatty foods in it. Roast chickens in your cast iron skillet in the oven. Occasionally fry up a batch of bacon. Contrary to popular belief, you can wash it, and even soak it, if you need to. Just don’t soak it for hours, or use a scrubbing pad to wash it, which could remove your well-seasoned surface. If this happens, it’s more bacon for breakfast.

Julie Van Rosendaal is a food journalist and cookbook author, food and nutrition columnist for the Calgary Eyeopener on CBC Radio and co-host (with Ned Bell) of It’s Just Food on Access and Canadian Learning Television.