The Weekend Post - Real Estate
Cooking the non-toxic way
I’m trying to reduce my exposure to chemical residue but lately I’ve realised it may be in some of the utensils I cook with. What’s the deal? Should I be worried?
Potentially toxic ingredients are hidden in a range of items in our kitchens, from oven cleaners to multipurpose sprays. However, environmental engineer Laura Trotta says some traditional non-stick cookware pans with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) are among the most toxic items found in our kitchens.
She points to new research by cookware manufacturer GreenPan, which reveals about half of us are unaware of the harmful chemicals used to manufacture PTFE non-stick coatings.
For decades, PTFE non-stick cookware has been produced with the side-effect of environmental contamination as well as human health impacts from the PFAS (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals used to manufacture the PTFE coating.
Their impact on human health is still hotly debated.
“When manufacturers fail to manage and dispose of these chemicals correctly, they can enter our environment,” says Laura.
“Being water-soluble, PFAS are very mobile in the environment and can easily infiltrate through the soil profile to groundwater. “PFAS are very stable chemicals and persist in the environment and in the human body, so they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time.” Studies indicate that PFAS in the human population can increase cholesterol levels, reduce infant birth weights, affect the immune system and cause thyroid hormone disruption. Some studies have also suggested that PFAS chemicals can cause reproductive and developmental problems, liver and kidney issues, and immunologic effects as well as tumours in laboratory animals.
“Despite the use of some chemicals being phased out of conventional non-stick coatings, (some) manufacturers have used loopholes in the regulations to continue production by using alternative chemicals that are just as persistent and continue to pollute our food chain and harm our ecosystem,” Laura says.
South Australia was the first state to ban PFAS in firefighting foams in 2018.
However, cookware products containing PFAS are still available for purchase.
“Consumers can take a simple step to make their food safer by choosing non-stick cookware that not only says PTFE-free, but PFAS-free as well,” says Laura.
She says PFAS-free non-stick cookware has the benefits of nonstick cooking without the health and environmental risk. PFASfree cookware, like GreenPan, has a coating derived from natural materials such as sand.
“This coating doesn’t release toxic fumes when overheated, like PTFE-coated pans do,” says Laura.
The PTFE coating in traditional non-stick cookware can begin to break down at temperatures above 300C, releasing toxic fumes.
The coating of traditional
PTFE cookware can also be easily damaged by metal utensils or through the process of the pan becoming overheated, and flakes of the lining can easily be ingested in food cooked in the pan.
New non-stick PFAS-free ceramic cookware can withstand high temperatures of over 450C.
“As more and more conscious consumers look to purchase healthier and environmentally friendly cookware, it is expected that the percentage of the market held by toxic cookware will reduce,” says Laura.
“PFAS ARE VERY STABLE CHEMICALS AND PERSIST IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND IN THE HUMAN BODY
That’s a photo of my mother and her family on a canal in Bangkok in the early 60s, which was known as the Venice of Asia. My grandparents were dissidents from China, a communist country, and fled to Thailand. When I look at that photo I think it must have been such heaven to land in that country.