Nonstick update
Hi all,
I have updated our nonstick guide, thanks to some research from supermod u/Wololooo1996!
We have added this part:
While Teflon coatings in and of themselves — when completely intact — are chemically inert, micro and nanoparticles from the PTFE coating somehow disrupts the body: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389425031759
Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10237242/
A short article on toxicological investigation and gene-related molecular interactions of polytetrafluoroethylene nanoparticles (PTFE NPs): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11033-025-11033-w
A quote from a study on polytetrafluoroethylene microplastic properties, pollution and toxicity: "In vitro studies [...] suggest significant biological effects of PTFE microplastics, although the number of scientific papers is low. In human cell lines, particles sized 6–32 μm induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and disrupted intracellular signaling pathways, with smaller particles exerting a stronger impact [...]. In murine intestinal organoids, PTFE exposure impaired mitochondrial function and suppressed the protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (AKT/mTOR) pathway, leading to reduced metabolic activity, necrosis, and autophagy [...]. A mouse oocyte maturation assay revealed reproductive toxicity at 10 μg/mL, evidenced by a significant reduction in oocyte maturation [...]." Full article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10311-025-01885-w
It's not only the old PFOA additives (and likely the new GenX additives as well) that are toxic, the final PTFE product itself according to the studies is also almost certainly toxic when the coating is not intact. And this is not to mention the complete toxic dumpster fire that instantly happens to an otherwise intact coating if any of the coating is even accidentally heated to 280°C and up (the coating itself starts to break down already at 240°C): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11324993/#bib20
The full guide to nonstick safety can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/cookware/s/o1zMjvpweB
Thanks all, and happy cooking!