Nonstick (PTFE) Cookware

Teflon-type nonstick pans.

31High burden · out of 100

Cleaner swapCast iron or stainless steel

How this score is built

100Start
72.4Chemical hazard 6 × 4.6−27.6
52Everyday exposure 6 × 3.4−20.4
31Persistence 8 × 2.6−20.8, then rounded to 31
HighThe band31 sits in 20–39.

What each input rests on

The three ratings behind the score, and the studies each rests on
Input	Rating	Evidence
Chemical hazard	6/10	unsourced input
Everyday exposure	6/10	Four brands of nonstick frying pans released 7-337 ng of PFOA per pan into the gas phase at normal cooking surface temperatures (179-233 °C). Quantitation of gas-phase perfluoroalkyl surfactants and fluorotelomer alcohols released from nonstick cookware and microwave popcorn bags · Environ Sci Technol 2007 DOI 10.1021/es062377w · PMID 17593716 · Abstract · read 2026-10-02
Persistence	8/10	unsourced input

Ratings are editorial. A study listed here supports the rating; it did not compute it. How the index is built

What this means for you

The chemical-hazard rating is what drives the score down. Scratched or overheated nonstick can shed PFAS-family compounds — the 'forever chemicals' that persist in the body and environment for years.

Evidence strength: strong

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