nonstick cookware

Celebrity chefs and forever chemicals

October 22, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances – better known as PFAS – are a type of human-made chemicals that are found in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. They don’t break down in the environment or in the human body, so they are often called forever chemicals. They can contaminate drinking water sources and can get into the food supply. PFAS chemicals have been linked to low birth weight, birth defects and developmental delays in infants, and an increased risk of some prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers. PFAS can be found in the blood of almost every person in the United States.

PFAS chemicals are used in some food packaging, dental floss, and nonstick cookware. Some states have taken action against the use of the chemicals. Minnesota has a law that prohibits PFAS in cookware and 10 other types of products. Several other states including New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, and Maine have passed laws banning specific uses of PFAS.

California has passed a bill that would phase out the use of PFAS for a range of products including nonstick cookware and celebrity chefs are joining forces to defend the use of the chemicals in pots and pans. These include Rachael Ray, Marcus Samuelsson, and David Chang. All of them endorse cookware products.

The chefs say that nonstick cookware using PFAS coatings are safe when used responsibly and that eliminating the use of the coatings would be a serious loss to restaurants and home cooks. Opponents say that PFAS can end up in food when nonstick cookware overheats, is scratched or otherwise degrades. In any case, manufacturing products containing PFAS causes significant pollution.

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California Wants to Ban ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Pans. These Chefs Say Don’t Do It.

Photo, posted January 31, 2018, courtesy of Quiet Hut via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

PFAS and groundwater

November 26, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, more commonly known as PFAS, are a family of human-made chemicals that have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries since the 1940s. They provide water-resistance, oil-resistance, dirt-resistance, and corrosion-resistance to a wide range of products, including food wrappers and packaging, clothing, dental floss, nonstick cookware, textiles, and electronics.

Exposure to PFAS has been linked to birth defects, thyroid disease, liver disease, kidney disease, and cancer. These chemicals do not break down in the environment and therefore, over time, become concentrated in plants, animals, and people.

According to a new first-of-its kind study by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 20% of the U.S. population could be drinking groundwater contaminated with PFAS. The study, which was recently published in the journal Science, found that those living in the Eastern U.S. are particularly likely to be exposed.

The study is the first to report national estimates of PFAS in untreated groundwater that supplies drinking water to private and public wells. The USGS research also provides the first estimate of the total number of Americans – anywhere from 71 to 95 million – who might be exposed to this contamination.

The researchers note that their estimates merely measure the existence of PFAS – before the water has undergone any treatment or filtering – meaning that, while they may be present, they may be at very low levels.

To find a link to the detailed USGS map showing the probability of PFAS groundwater contamination in your region, visit our website: EarthWiseRadio.org.

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PFAS in US Groundwater Interactive Dashboard

Predictions of groundwater PFAS occurrence at drinking water supply depths in the United States

Photo, posted January 12, 2008, courtesy of Andrew Kraker via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Cleaning Up Forever Chemicals | Earth Wise

August 29, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemical pollutants that threaten human health and ecosystem sustainability. They are used in a wide range of applications including food wrappers and packaging, dental floss, firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, textiles, and electronics. Over decades, these manufactured chemicals have leached into our soil, air, and water. Chemical bonds in PFAS molecules are some of the strongest known, so the substances do not degrade easily in the environment.

Studies have shown that at certain levels, PFAS chemicals can be harmful to humans and wildlife and have been associated with a wide variety of health problems.

Currently, the primary way to dispose of PFAS chemicals is to burn them, which is an expensive multistep process. Even trace levels are toxic, so when they occur in water in low amounts, they need to be concentrated in order to be destroyed.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a novel bioremediation technology for cleaning up PFAS. It uses a plant-derived material to absorb the PFAS which is then eliminated by microbial fungi that literally eat the forever chemicals.

The sustainable plant material serves as a framework to adsorb the PFAS. That material containing the adsorbed PFAS serves as food for the fungus. Once the fungus has eaten it, the PFAS is gone.

The EPA has established a nationwide program to monitor the occurrence and levels of PFAS in public water systems and is considering adding PFAS threshold levels to drinking water standards. If this happens, the technology developed at Texas A&M may become an essential part of municipal water systems.

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Texas A&M AgriLife develops new bioremediation material to clean up ‘forever chemicals’

Photo, posted August 10, 2013, courtesy of Mike Mozart via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.