this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2025
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Again, that's from getting it to stick to things. The smaller PTFE chemicals that make it possible to suspend Teflon in water are the problem.
Teflon is the brand name for for the chemical Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Making PTFE requires PFAS, which are the toxic part. Think of PFAS as little bits of chain varying lengths that get strung together to make the larger PTFE molecule.
The argument you're making sounds similar to something like "Fossil Fuels are safe, it's just the CO2 that's dangerous." PFAS contaminated water being released to the environment is an unavoidable by produce of making Teflon. You can only make Teflon as a solid without suspending the PFAS in water first.
Here's a pretty good video about the history, manufacturing process, and toxicity.
https://youtu.be/SC2eSujzrUY
There is one important note: you won't get cancer from the Teflon in your pans. You get it from the PFAS used to produce the pans. This means you don't have to throw out all your pans, as if they were made from lead and asbestos. Just make sure not to buy new ones with Teflon.
I didn't read it that way at all. Their argument sounds more like "there's nuance that you're glossing over."
It seems that we all agree PFAS are generally nasty chemicals, some worse than others. Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) is just one of the "nicer" ones.
You can't make teflon without the PFAS though. It's like saying AIDS is completely different than HIV
no it's more like saying "desalinated water is fine, it's the brine that's problematic."
which is true.
and the same goes for teflon:
the PFAS are toxic, not teflon itself.
glossing over that distinction is disingenuous...
yes, you can't make one without the other, true, but the end product is not toxic. that's an important difference you can't just ignore in order to say teflon is toxic, because a requisite material in (cheap) production is toxic.
because that's like saying desalinated water is toxic, just because brine is toxic..which is obviously ridiculous.
ie if you already have a teflon thing, that teflon is non-toxic and there’s no point to just throw it out… avoid new things if possible because they byproducts are harmful, but disposing of existing product is unhelpful
ie if you already have a teflon thing, that teflon is non-toxic and there’s no point to just throw it out… avoid new things if possible because they byproducts are harmful, but disposing of existing product is unhelpful
It's also what makes it cheap. Making Teflon other ways is much more expensive.
It's releasing a high amount of micro and nano plastics, and those are linked to different health issues including cancer.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724027232
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37419366/