this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2025
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Science Memes

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It's on your blood! (feddit.cl)
submitted 6 days ago by A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] Shareni@programming.dev 41 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Quite good, if you avoid the fact it's literally everywhere including the atmosphere, doesn't break down, and causes cancer. But who cares about such little things like cancer causing rain...

[–] Mr_Fish@lemmy.world 27 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Again, that's from getting it to stick to things. The smaller PTFE chemicals that make it possible to suspend Teflon in water are the problem.

[–] Rooskie91@discuss.online 35 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Teflon is the brand name for for the chemical Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Making PTFE requires PFAS, which are the toxic part. Think of PFAS as little bits of chain varying lengths that get strung together to make the larger PTFE molecule.

The argument you're making sounds similar to something like "Fossil Fuels are safe, it's just the CO2 that's dangerous." PFAS contaminated water being released to the environment is an unavoidable by produce of making Teflon. You can only make Teflon as a solid without suspending the PFAS in water first.

Here's a pretty good video about the history, manufacturing process, and toxicity.

https://youtu.be/SC2eSujzrUY

[–] Rednax@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

There is one important note: you won't get cancer from the Teflon in your pans. You get it from the PFAS used to produce the pans. This means you don't have to throw out all your pans, as if they were made from lead and asbestos. Just make sure not to buy new ones with Teflon.

[–] ExFed@programming.dev 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The argument you're making sounds similar to something like "Fossil Fuels are safe, it's just the CO2 that's dangerous."

I didn't read it that way at all. Their argument sounds more like "there's nuance that you're glossing over."

It seems that we all agree PFAS are generally nasty chemicals, some worse than others. Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) is just one of the "nicer" ones.

[–] BakerBagel@midwest.social 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

You can't make teflon without the PFAS though. It's like saying AIDS is completely different than HIV

[–] 9bananas@feddit.org 4 points 6 days ago (2 children)

no it's more like saying "desalinated water is fine, it's the brine that's problematic."

which is true.

and the same goes for teflon:

the PFAS are toxic, not teflon itself.

glossing over that distinction is disingenuous...

yes, you can't make one without the other, true, but the end product is not toxic. that's an important difference you can't just ignore in order to say teflon is toxic, because a requisite material in (cheap) production is toxic.

because that's like saying desalinated water is toxic, just because brine is toxic..which is obviously ridiculous.

[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone 2 points 5 days ago

ie if you already have a teflon thing, that teflon is non-toxic and there’s no point to just throw it out… avoid new things if possible because they byproducts are harmful, but disposing of existing product is unhelpful

[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone 1 points 5 days ago

ie if you already have a teflon thing, that teflon is non-toxic and there’s no point to just throw it out… avoid new things if possible because they byproducts are harmful, but disposing of existing product is unhelpful

[–] BrokenGlepnir@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago

It's also what makes it cheap. Making Teflon other ways is much more expensive.

[–] Shareni@programming.dev 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

It's releasing a high amount of micro and nano plastics, and those are linked to different health issues including cancer.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724027232

our findings suggest that PTFE-MPs-associated toxicity may be specifically linked to the activation of the ERK pathway, which ultimately induces oxidative stress and inflammation.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37419366/

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 18 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Teflon itself is inert, but it's also not needed to avoid that food sticks in a pan. In a good prepared Steel pan food sticks less than in a Teflon pan and is way more resistant to damages. The food sticks in the pan, if you don't wait to add the food until it's heated enough, not for other reasons, mistake often don by normal users. Professional cooks never use Teflon pans.

Preparing a Steel pan non-stick

  • Clean the pan after buy it
  • Heat the pan on the kitchen
  • Add some oil and heat somewhat more until it smoke
  • After this, wait until i's cold enough and distribute and eliminate the oil film over the whole surface with an kitchen paper.
  • Done

After this, to fry something, add a little oil and wait until the oil has enough heat (test with the handle of a wood spoon, if it forms little bubbles on it in the oil, the temperature is OK), to add the food. It will never stick this way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXEt-fhyCis

[–] Shareni@programming.dev 9 points 6 days ago

Teflon itself is inert

About that

our findings suggest that PTFE-MPs-associated toxicity may be specifically linked to the activation of the ERK pathway, which ultimately induces oxidative stress and inflammation.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37419366/

Steel/iron > teflon for sure though.

[–] A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl -1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Teflon, on it's own is safe, the problem are the chemicals used to produce it.

[–] Shareni@programming.dev 1 points 5 days ago

Read the rest of my comments...