Is teflon a carcinogen?

[Special K]

I bought a George Foreman grill in 2007 and have been using it pretty frequently ever since. For at least the past year and a half (and possibly longer), I have noticed that the teflon coating has started to discolor and flake off in spots on the bottom grill plate. The top grill plate shows no such signs of wear.

It's only recently that I've started to wonder whether or not this is really a bad thing. I've been searching Google but so far have only found results on yahoo answers and other blogs/websites of questionable accuracy. Snopes doesn't seem to have anything on this topic, although I did submit it as a question.

Do any ATOT'ers know of any substantive evidence that links teflon to cancer (or shows that no link could be found)?

The only news articles I could find date back to 06/05, and involve a dispute between the EPA and DuPont regarding PFOA, a chemical involved in the manufacture of Teflon:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8408729/

The EPA claims PFOA is a carcinogen, but DuPont says the PFOA is removed in the manufacturing process and isn't even present in the final product.

 

[Modular]

I don't know about teflon causing cancer or not...but I do know that according to Google, a George Foreman grill costs $19.99 brand new at Target. I say you get your ass to Target and buy a new one. It's not worth the hassle to worry about such things!

 

[lxskllr]

I don't know much about it, but I'd guess it would pass through your system. Any residual chemicals should get cooked out after first use, and non disolvable solids would be left if they flaked off. I avoid Teflon coated stuff because of that problem, but not out of any fear of being poisoned.

 

[Special K]

I don't know about teflon causing cancer or not...but I do know that according to Google, a George Foreman grill costs $19.99 brand new at Target. I say you get your ass to Target and buy a new one. It's not worth the hassle to worry about such things!

I have the large deluxe model, which costs a bit more than that:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/George-For...-Grill/2684063

The same issue applies to non-stick cookware, and some sets cost enough that I, or anyone else, would rather not replace them if we didn't have to.

 

[Matthiasa]

Well oxygen is a carcinogen if you want to worry about something.

Really the grill is cheap get a new one if your worried.

 

[lxskllr]

Or wire brush the Teflon off. Of course the metal's probably aluminum, and I'd worry more about that than Teflon.

 

[Rubycon]

PTFE is probably one of the most least reactive resins in existence. It's used for a non stick coating. What's dangerous are the by-products of decomposition of PTFE at high temperatures - in excess of what the grille surfaces should see in normal cooking. This is why its unwise to put PTFE treated parts (like baking pans) in a self cleaning oven! On a clean cycle the oven can exceed 900 degrees Fahrenheit which can cause the release of harmful byproducts of decomposition of PTFE coatings. PTFE stands for polytetrafluroethylene. Teflon is the DuPont trade name.

 

[minendo]

All organic compounds are carcinogens. As well as all polymers, naturally occurring compounds, etc. You are not even safe with water.

 

[0roo0roo]

overheated teflon will go toxic fast though..fumes and all that.
once it starts flaking, you toss the pan or whatever, anything with teflon has a limited life span.

 

[Kelvrick]

PTFE is probably one of the most least reactive resins in existence. It's used for a non stick coating. What's dangerous are the by-products of decomposition of PTFE at high temperatures - in excess of what the grille surfaces should see in normal cooking. This is why its unwise to put PTFE treated parts (like baking pans) in a self cleaning oven! On a clean cycle the oven can exceed 900 degrees Fahrenheit which can cause the release of harmful byproducts of decomposition of PTFE coatings. PTFE stands for polytetrafluroethylene. Teflon is the DuPont trade name.

Its too late for me to use google to sound smart. At what temperature does ptfe start to give off dangerous chemicals?

 

[zinfamous]

All organic compounds are carcinogens. As well as all polymers, naturally occurring compounds, etc. You are not even safe with water.

so should I just /wrist now and get it over with?

 

[Matthiasa]

Well living is also a carcinogen...

 

[zinfamous]

Well living is also a carcinogen...

not exactly. Cancer can be considered somewhat natural when it comes to really, really old age, but not every elderly person dies of cancer.


I think you're mistaking the adage that living will also get you killed, or something like that....

 

[Matthiasa]

Fun fact your body radiates something like an "x-ray" worth of x-rays each year due to radioactive material in your body.

I would say having radioactive material in your body is conducive of causing cancer.
But maybe thats just me.

Another fun fact is DNA, when you get older, tends to suck at replicating itself properly (more like added up effects over the years but whatever) which also leads to cancer.

 

[zinfamous]

Fun fact your body radiates something like an "x-ray" worth of x-rays each year due to radioactive material in your body.

I would say having radioactive material in your can cause cancer.
But maybe thats just me.

Another fun fact is DNA, when you get older, tends to suck at replicating itself properly (more like added up effects over the years but whatever) which also can lead to cancer.

edited for more relevancy. Again, not everyone succombs to cancer when they age. Telomere shortening is inescapable (for now, at least ), but it isn't cancer.

Recombination is both essential for genetic differentiation and stability, but by it's very nature has potential for higher mutation--which is what we want to happen. But not all mutations lead to unchecked cell growth.


and what radioactive material in your body are you referring to? I am curious... :hmm:

 

[gaidensensei]

I usually just play it safe and purchase the quality cookware that costs more. I just personally feel that past a certain amount of money spent, it can be said that there is more craftmanship put into it as well as less risk of heat combustion with the substances imbued into the cookware. It's kinda the same principle I put with purchasing a PSU by weight, the heavier / priced it is, generally the better it probably is by a first glance.

Too much of anything is always bad. I'm sure there are traces of teflon byproducts in any modernized human's biomass, but perhaps everyone's body has different reactions or tolerance levels.

You should be more worried about the gas being emitted or food that that's cooking can be carcinogenic. I'd wager that it is easier to create a carcinogenic substance (eg, Acrylamide forming from Pizza, Hash Browns, Chicken nuggets, etc) that can do you worse in the long run than it is to devour some tiny worth of teflon however much it is possible to do so.

In the past when it were cast-iron and aluminum pans, I believe for a time those were linked to cancer/alzheimer's due to the oxidizing properties of the metal from older manufacturing technology and process. But nowadays I think they have made it past this hurdle.

 

[gaidensensei]

Its too late for me to use google to sound smart. At what temperature does ptfe start to give off dangerous chemicals?

Wiki says melting point for teflon is 327 degrees Celsius. That's about ~600+ degrees F.

For clarity, this doesn't mean that it can be necessarily carcinogenic or whatever. It just means this is when it can change from one form to another.

 

[Hacp]

Wiki says melting point for teflon is 327 degrees Celsius. That's about ~600+ degrees F.

Glass transition temperature is 260.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

PTFE in the body (usually thru inhalation) is a neurotoxin, not a carcinogen. in the application process the solvents used, like MEK, can be more dangerous.

as for coated cookware, don't use more than medium heat on a pan, and never let an empty pan sit on heat for a while. problem solved.

 

[oynaz]

Wiki says melting point for teflon is 327 degrees Celsius. That's about ~600+ degrees F.

For clarity, this doesn't mean that it can be necessarily carcinogenic or whatever. It just means this is when it can change from one form to another.

The fumes released by teflon at +300 degrees Celsius is definitely nasty stuff.

 

[SlickSnake]

I huff TEFLONtm spray cans and watch Mr. Ed and the Patty Duke Show on THIStm channel because THIStm is too cheap to show anything else in the morning.

 

[lykaon78]

I've not heard concern about teflon for cancer... I've heard it potentially linked to Alzheimers. Apparently Alzheimer's patients that are autopsied have higher levels of heavy metals in their brain. One theory is that it comes from the cooking utensils that we use and is ingested in our food.

If I was less lazy I would Google it for you.

 

[SlickSnake]

I've not heard concern about teflon for cancer... I've heard it potentially linked to Alzheimers. Apparently Alzheimer's patients that are autopsied have higher levels of heavy metals in their brain. One theory is that it comes from the cooking utensils that we use and is ingested in our food.

If I was less lazy I would Google it for you.

Teflon was discovered accidentally as a by product derived from a nerve agent used in chemical warfare.

Works best when you drink lots of delicious and healthy fluoride before ingesting.

so enjoy!

 

[little elvis]

Teflon used to mean PTFE, however, Dupont now uses the Teflon brand as a catch-all for any of their fluoropolymer resins (FEP, PTFE, ETFE, PFA, etc). Most non-stick cookware labeled Teflon is most likely using PFA (perfluoroalkoxy co-polymer)

 

[PlasmaBomb]

The highest toxicity occurs when PTFE is decomposed under non-flaming conditions (i.e. in an oven as Ruby said) over a temperature range of 400-650°C(~840-1110 °F), and when the primary decomposition products are subjected to continuous secondary heating (i.e. it decomposes to nasty stuff, which then decomposes to even nastier stuff if you keep heating it).