---
title: How safe is Teflon/nonstick cookware?
date: 2010-09-13T12:55:35Z
modified: 2010-09-13T12:55:35Z
permalink: "https://elizabethyarnell.com/how-safe-is-teflonnonstick-cookware/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 1582
categories:
  - Glorious One-Pot Meals
  - Living Naturally
  - Nutrition in the News
tags:
  - birds and teflon
  - Environmental Working Group
  - nonstick dangers
  - PFCs in nonstick cookware
  - safe cookware
  - teflon dangers
  - Teflon flu
  - Teflon heat safety chart
  - Teflon Toxicosis
author: Elizabeth
---

Teflon is not as slick as we’ve been led to believe.

The [Environmental Working Group](http://www.ewg.org/healthyhometips/dangersofteflon?utm_source=hhtengage&utm_medium=email&utm_content=first-link&utm_campaign=fund "ewg teflon report") says that there is a risk of inhaling toxic particles if the pan gets a little too hot or if the nonstick coating has been compromised (scratched or overheated).

[![](http://www.ewg.org/files/infographic_740x585.gif "teflon dangers when heated")

](http://www.ewg.org/node/8304)Click image to see larger graphicJust two to five minutes of heating on a regular cooktop can release enough toxic fumes from that nonstick pan to kill a canary, and in fact, many pet birds have succumbed in kitchens from “Teflon flu” or “Teflon Toxicosis”.

**What should you do?**

Cook with stainless steel or cast iron to avoid the exposure to [perfluorinated chemicals](http://www.ewg.org/pfcdictionary "perfluorinated chemicals PFC") (PFCs) used in nonstick cooking surfaces. Fortunately, [Glorious One-Pot Meals](http://www.goriouspotmeal.com "Glorious One-Pot Meals") cook in cast iron Dutch ovens, so we’re safe there!

**How to cook more safely with nonstick cookware**

Here’s the list of what the EWG suggests to keep you safe from PFCs if you must cook with nonstick cookware:

- Never preheat nonstick cookware at high heat — empty pans can rapidly reach high temperatures. Heat at the lowest temperature possible to cook your food safely.
- Don’t put nonstick cookware in an oven hotter than 500 degrees.
- Use an exhaust fan over the stove.
- Keep pet birds out of the kitchen — the fumes from an overheated pan can kill a bird in seconds. [Learn more here.](http://www.ewg.org/node/8309)
- Skip the self-cleaning function on your oven. It cleans by heating to high temperatures, which can release toxic fumes from non-stick interior oven parts.
- Choose a safer alternative when buying new cookware.