Nov 21, 2022

A single scratch on a non-stick coated pan can release approximately 9,100 PFAS plastic particles.

A new study, published in the Science of The Total Environment (PMID: 36030853) found that a single scratch on a non-stick coated pan can release approximately 9,100 plastic particles.

"Plastic" in this paper refers to PFAS chemicals that are polymers - not the kind of plastic used in water bottles, etc.

Many (but not all) chemicals in the PFAS family are classified as polymers. Polymer simply means "many segments" - they are molecules that are long chains made up of many segments.

This paper has found that non-stick-coated cookware can release thousands to millions of these micro and nano-plastic polymers. They are releasing PFAS particles when used, and these particles are ending up in our food. This testing was done mimicking around 30 seconds of cooking on both new and old/used cookware with different types of utensils.

Study authors write: "It is expected that the true amount of the released microplastics and nanoplastics from the actual cooking process is significantly higher, even with variations"

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