Teflon coming off

[wvjules]

of my favorite pot. I thought I read somewhere that it was dangerous if ingested. Is it?

 

[pumba]

I would not use it unless it is written in gravy somewheres

 

[TheLionKing]

It is just a florinated hydrocarbon that is polymerized.

That doesn't sound bad does it?

 

[caitycaity]

is it really bad? i have a pot that that is happening to too.

 

[Boots]

I got rid of my favorite skillet when that happened to it. Someone told me it was bad for you when ingested but I don't know that for a fact.

 

[jfulcer]

From the www.discovery.com website:

Are there health consequences to ingesting all those non-stick molecules? Not to worry, says DuPont's Kris Mohan: We are, after all, talking non-stick. "It's completely inert, and it passes right through the body without interfering with anything."

But then again, watch those birdies (from www.drweil.com):

However, Teflon emits fumes when heated to unusually high temperatures, and there have been reports that caged birds in kitchens have been poisoned by them. Birds are much more sensitive to toxic fumes than humans, so I see no reason not to use Teflon-coated cooking surfaces, as long as you don’t space out and leave empty pots and pans over burners turned all the way up.

 

[Kermit]

I think that most of the experts agree that it's not dangerous, but I don't know who funded the research. It could have been DuPont for all I know. Seriously, it's not going to cause sudden death or anything. But it's probably best to not eat it. I find that it's easiest to keep my non-stick pans in good condition if I only use them when I need to. I have a non-stick griddle that I use for pancakes, eggs, and stuff like that. Everything else I cook in stainless steel pots and pans.