Plastics are ubiquitous.
From scented candles to conventional cleaning products and make up, air fresheners to plastic food storage containers, the most toxic forms of plastic could be lurking in our homes.
On top of the list of items that should be tossed and never be bought are non-stick cookware.
Non-stick cookware seems to make our lives easier and convenient. Non-stick coating can repel water and oil and there is no need to scrub burnt, baked-on food. It also needs only little oil or fat, making it a healthier way to cook food.
However, most nonstick pans contain perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA (ones manufactured up until 2015) which is a health concern and has been linked to a number of health conditions.
It can cause liver disease, thyroid disorders, impact hormone levels and has even been classified as possibly carcinogenic by International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Non-stick cookware is not suitable for high temperature cooking. When heated to temperatures, typically above 570°F (300°C) fluorine containing compounds can start to break down, burn off and release toxic fumes. Breathing these fumes can cause temporary, flu-like symptoms and can be hazardous to both humans and pets especially birds.
PFOA can stay in the environment and in the human body for long periods of time.
More recently, as an alternative to these PFOA coated cookware, “green” cookware is on the rise. These are yet another minefield to navigate and could be just as harmful if not worse.
Just because something is “green” does not mean it’s safe.
With Greenwashing so prevalent, even controversial food ingredients such as, artificial colors, flavors that wreak our health are legal and successfully make it to the store shelves.
Likewise, though "green" cookware may be free of PFOA, they could contain aluminum or even lead and cadmium which cause a number of serious medical problems such as brain damage, kidney problems and certain types of cancer.
Some non-stick cookware is manufactured using Nanotechnology; nanoparticles from these coatings can leach into food especially when cooking at high temperatures and from scratches that result due to regular wear and tear.
In spite of following the manufactures’ guidelines in caring for such non-stick cookware, they are typically not durable and do not last. They need to be replaced every few years since the non-stick lining can scratch and chip off into food.
In general, it would be best to avoid non-stick cookware.
With vested interests, manufacturers may not always be transparent about what is in their “green / safe” coating. Also, it may take years for long term research to assess the safety of any new coating and may take decades to arrive at any meaningful or conclusive health information
One more thing to avoid are kitchen utensils made from Black Plastic. They can be harmful to health since some black plastic could be sourced from plastic parts recycled from discarded electronic devices like laptops. They could then be repurposed into household items and can be higher in toxic chemicals than other plastics
Black plastics may be aesthetically pleasing, however, optical sorters in recycling facilities do not detect them. Hence, they never get recycled and almost always end up in landfills, contaminating and harming the environment.
It would be wise to stick with time tested cookware and utensils made from cast iron, stainless steel, glass and wood (utensils). These can withstand temperatures way above that of non stick cookware and do not release toxins while cooking or leach harmful chemicals into food.
