• grandkaiser@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Can you share the negative health effects of ptfe consumption? I would have assumed that it would be inert in humans considering it’s extraordinarily inert properties. Obviously it breaks down at temperatures over 315c, but that’s not really relevant with ptfe in the water.

    • jabathekek@sopuli.xyz
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      11 months ago

      It doesn’t seem to be the PTFE themselves, it’s the molecules released when it eventually degrades due to fire, time or mechanical force; particularly PFOAs, which were at one point so widely used you can now find them everywhere. As well, they are still used to manufacture non-stick pans, just at an earlier step in the process so they are still present, but at ‘safe’ levels; however, if a non-stick pan is overheated, the coating almost instantly breaks down and releases unsafe levels of PFOA after that event.

      Purchasing non-stick cookware is supporting companies that create, ship, and use PFOA which further degrades the environment and contaminates water.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluoroalkyl_carboxylic_acids

      Schlummer, M., Sölch, C., Meisel, T., Still, M., Gruber, L., & Wolz, G. (2015). Emission of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCA) from heated surfaces made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) applied in food contact materials and consumer products. Chemosphere, 129, 46-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.11.036