A proposed ban is being discussed among New York lawmakers that may cease the sale of nonstick cookware.
Nonstick cookware has been a fairly ubiquitous home good since the 1960s, popularized by the brand name Teflon. But research about the chemicals used to create the "nonstick" factor, known as PFAS, has revealed their potential risks for human health.
A New York Post article discusses the reasons for the potential ban.
"The popular — and typically cheaper — style of pots and pans could be wiped off store shelves by the start of 2027 because the kitchen items contain a type of plastic made from 'forever chemicals,'" the article states.
Interestingly, it's so far primarily media organizations critical of the ban that have been giving it the most coverage, as The Sun also covered the news and had a headline focusing on the notion that the ban will "make washing up a lot harder." In reality, there are PFAS-free nonstick options such as those from GreenPan and Caraway, with sites like Grove selling several nontoxic options for different price ranges.
PFAS forever chemicals, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are highly toxic chemicals found in everything from cookware to toiletries to clothes. They are given the "forever" qualifier due to their inability to truly break down naturally. Research also shows that PFAS can be linked to developmental delays and birth defects.
Since the FDA technically considers nonstick cookware safe, as the forever chemicals should not be able to burn off the pan unless it is heated over 500 degrees, there is some trouble getting these New York bans passed. But concern remains in part because over time, the pans can deteriorate with use, especially from scraping or using abrasive sponges — and even the production process or disposal of the pans each bring risks for environmental contamination.
Some concern about the ban is that there would remain other PFAS-containing products that do not get banned, though the intent of the bill — New York State Senate bill S1767, currently in the committee phase — is clearly to start somewhere and target a type of PFAS-containing product that directly touches food we eat.
"If we're gonna go around the state of New York and point at things in everybody's home and say that good, that's good, that's bad, what's it based on?" Steve Burns of Cookware Sustainability Alliance commented to the Post.
Still, the decision to limit human interactions with toxic chemicals — particularly when nontoxic nonstick options exist and any manufacturer can pivot to those safer methods — should be an easy one. Specifically, the bill focuses on prohibiting "the manufacture, sale, and use of cookware containing polytetrafluoroethylene," one of the most common PFAS chemicals in cookware products as it is the central ingredient in Teflon products.
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No way 👎 The bill says PFAS "are known to have severe health effects such as harm to reproductive and bodily functions, developmental effects in youth, increased cancer risk and increased risk for high cholesterol and obesity."
Introduced by State Senator Nathalia Fernandez, the bill reportedly has broad support so far, and New York may soon join other states like California, New Mexico, and Maine in having bans on forever chemicals.
To avoid PFAS and other forever chemicals in your personal life, you can avoid using disposable plastic products, which often contain the harmful substance, and invest in PFAS-free cookware.
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