Just when you thought those “nonstick” pans at Ikea were safe, some bad news hits the wire that has health-conscious moms across the globe frustrated. ALL nonstick pans are more harmful than useful. Therefore, If you want to protect your family from hormone disruption, nonstick cookware and bakeware should be removed from your kitchen. This is going to put a dent on the amount of time we all spend on the dishes. But just like how frequent dusting can protect your family from fire retardants, avoiding nonstick cookware protects your family from perfluorinated alkylate substance (PFAS) exposure. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like nontoxic & eco-friendly school supplies, 12 reasons to ditch your plastic cooking utensils, & disposable diaper and baby wipes investigation, now join us as we bring to you the nonstick cookware industry and the dangerous chemicals they contain.
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Click Here to View Mamavation’s Full Cookware Investigation
Disclosure: This post is written by Hannah Gardener, an epidemiologist and nontoxic living consultant, from A Green Slate. You can find her consultancy also on Facebook here. This post contains affiliate links.
Nonstick Chemicals are Toxic Study Says and Replacements Aren’t Any Better
“Generation X”, the replacement chemical to PFOA in Teflon, has been deemed problematic by the Environmental Protection Agency. This is bad news for all the nonstick products you have in your kitchen. This means that pans and cookware that marketed themselves as “nontoxic” because they were PFOA-free weren’t exactly telling the truth about their replacement chemicals. Replacement nonstick chemicals that are marketed as “nontoxic” have demonstrated problems when seriously evaluated for health and human safety.
If you’ve been paying attention to this topic over the past 10 years you have probably heard that conventional nonstick cookware, often referred to by the brand name Teflon, is unhealthy. Teflon is the brand name for a chemical known as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which was originally made using the surfactant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, aka “C8”). PFOA is an infamous member of the class of chemicals known as PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) or PFCs, which have come under increased scrutiny in recent years – by scientists, medical researchers, regulatory bodies, and the public – for their health effects.
Once the carcinogenic potential of PFOA became more understood, chemical manufacturers scrambled to come up with substitutes that did not compromise the superior nonstick capability of Teflon that required minimal cleaning. In 2009 Dupont introduced GenX and touted it as a safer substitute for PFOA. However, there was no evidence to support GenX as a safer substitute. It was simply not PFOA, but its structure was quite similar. GenX also falls into the category of PFAS (Or PFC) chemicals. Therefore, it is not shocking that in recent years since GenX came on the market, new research, particularly studies conducted with animals, have suggested that GenX has similar toxic effects as PFOA. So we’d be smart to remove any nonstick cookware made from GenX off our shopping list and get it out of our kitchens too. It should be clear at this point that substituting a known toxic PFAS chemical with a structurally-similar option can’t be trusted as health-protective either.
(Sidenote: This alphabet soup of letters can get confusing. Just remember that these abbreviations are a similar class of chemical to avoid: PFOA, PFOS, PFCs, PFAS, C8, etc.)
The Health Impacts of NonStick Cookware to Your Family
The first thing to know is that your cookware can impact your health, just like your food can impact your health. These “indirect additive” chemicals within nonstick cookware can be detected in your food, so it’s important to take them seriously. Cookware can leach toxic chemicals into your food and can even impact the air quality in your kitchen, releasing unhealthy fumes. PFOA was slowly phased out as its health hazards became more widely recognized, but note that PFOA was only one chemical in a class of chemicals called PFAS chemicals (Or PFCs). PFAS chemicals, as a chemical category, are believed to have carcinogenic effects and are known as endocrine disruptors, impacting the fine balance of hormones in the body. PFAS chemicals are linked to the health ailments below:
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- metabolic diseases like obesity & diabetes
- reduced vaccination response
- affect the growth, learning, and behavior of infants and older children
- lower a woman’s chance of getting pregnant
- interfere with the body’s natural hormones
- increase cholesterol levels
- affect the immune system
- increase the risk of cancer
PFAS chemicals, including PFOA, are pervasive in our environment, with exposure detected in all subsets of the population. And they don’t go away… like NEVER! They accumulate in our tissues and in the environment and have been a recent horror story to water agencies across America as they have shown up in tap water. And what is even more disturbing is how difficult is it to get them out of our bodies because of their persistence. Detoxing them out of your body is difficult. They don’t just pass right through us like other endocrine disruptors (eg BPA). This just underscores the fact that we want to consciously limit our exposure and not support the production of these toxic man-made substances inside products in our home.
Safer Options than Nonstick Cookware For Your Family’s Health
So the bottom line is that when shopping for healthy cookware and when parsing down your own kitchen, you want to avoid all nonstick cookware, regardless if it says it is PFOA-free or not! Don’t let them trick you with another “regrettable substitution” chemical. You’re smarter than that! The replacement chemicals are just as bad and they are banking on you not knowing. So, now that we have covered the biggest health threat when it comes to cookware, what do we want to buy and keep? Here’s our suggestions as you are going through your kitchen cookware.
Click Here to View Mamavation’s Full Cookware Investigation
Nonstick Pans, Bakeware, & Specialty Pans–AVOID
Nonstick cookware typically includes a chemical class called PFAS or PFCs. (Scientists and public health officials disagree on what to call them so I’m giving you both chemical abbreviations.) GenX is the more modern substitute chemical that replaced PFOA called ammonium 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propanoate, CAS no 62037-80-3. Teflon production originally was comprised of the chemical PFOA, but it’s very clear now that it was toxic to humans and the environment, so has been phased out. But be very wary of the replacement chemicals. They aren’t any better. Bottom line, if it is nonstick, its out!
Ceramic-Coated Cookware–AVOID (Except There is One Good Brand)
Where does ceramic-coated cookware stand in the ranking? Sort of in the middle. I classify it as “meh”… Ceramic-coated cookware (eg Green Pan, ScanPan, Cuisinart Green Gourmet, and many others) can reliably be classified as FAR safer than conventional Teflon cookware. It also performs extraordinarily well from a nonstick perspective – quite similar to Teflon in fact. However, they are not ideal as they can sometimes be contaminated with heavy metals and dangerous titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Thermalon is an alternative non-stick coating for pans found in brands like Green Pan. It’s made from silicon dioxide. But a study released from the journal Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, reported on the possible release of titanium dioxide nanoparticles from non-stick coatings into food. This is incredibly problematic because chronic oral exposure to nanoparticle titanium dioxide results in immune disruption and precancerous lesions in the gut. However, we couldn’t find any migration studies on Thermalon specifically but are taking precautions regardless. There are several brands here we would avoid that have gotten really popular as replacement cookware such as Green Pan, ScanPan, Cuisinart Green Gourmet, etc.
Update 12/20/18: We did find ONE ceramic cookware company that is 100% ceramic with no coating that contains nanotechnology. That is Xtrema Cookware! We had to go back and forth with them a bit to say this, but it’s true. No nanotechnology used and we are overjoyed there is a good brand in this category!
- Xtrema Cookware is Safe! And they have a sale here, Christmas Sale! 25% or More Off Everything! Plus, Christmas Bonus Buys
Aluminum–AVOID
Your grandmother’s old aluminum pots can leach aluminum into your food, especially with extended contact, and especially when cooking foods that are acidic or high in fat (like tomato sauce or fish). Aluminum is a metal with suspected neurotoxic effects (meaning it is bad for our brains!). Luckily, you don’t see bare aluminum pots and pans much these days.
Cast Iron–KEEP OR PURCHASE
Cast iron is safe and healthy, durable, and easy to clean. Season it with organic high heat oils to make it an even better option. The brand Finex even comes seasoned with organic oils. Cast iron is the healthiest option that is even marginally nonstick, making it a good option for cooking eggs and pancakes as long as you use oil or butter.
Here are some recommendations you can add to a wishlist on Amazon:
Stainless Steel–KEEP OR PURCHASE
Another great option! To minimize leaching of nickel and chromium I suggest avoiding scratching it when possible, which may be particularly important for people with nickel allergies. All Clad stainless steel cookware is made in the US, which is an expensive but ideal option.
Here are some recommendations you can add to a wishlist:
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Cuisinart MCP-12N Multiclad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set
- Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel Cookware Set, 10-Piece
- Heritage Steel 5 ply Titanium Cookware Set (not nano)(Made in the USA with global materials)(Use discount code “MAMAVATION” for 10% off products!)
- Heritage Steel 5 Ply Eater Series Cookware Set (Made in the USA with global materials)(Use discount code “MAMAVATION” for 10% off products!)
Glass Pots & Pans from Visions–KEEP OR PURCHASE
Glass is inert and nontoxic, and you can throw it in the dishwasher. The only drawback is that you have to avoid extreme shifts in temperature to avoid shattering.
Here are some recommendations you can add to a wishlist on Amazon:
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CorningWare French White Round and Oval Bakeware Set (12-Piece)
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Pyrex Basics Clear Glass Baking Dishes 3 Quart Oblong and 2 Quart Square
Click Here to View Mamavation’s Full Cookware Investigation
Bottom line: if you want to maximize the health of your cookware choices, both from a consumer health perspective and an environmental health perspective, go for a variety of cast iron, stainless, steel, and glass options. And take the five extra minutes required to soak and scrub your pots and pans from stuck on food. Those extra few minutes may seem tedious but they can decrease your family’s exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals and also decrease the amount of PFAS chemicals that will enter and remain in our environment forever, polluting our bodies and our waterways.
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