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cogman10yesterday at 8:41 PM2 repliesview on HN

PFAS (which is what makes nonstick nonstick) have tentative links to several cancers [1]

[1] https://dceg.cancer.gov/research/what-we-study/pfas


Replies

culiyesterday at 8:48 PM

It's worth noting that all "forever chemicals" have major health concerns. PFAS, as a class, is the one most studied. They have been explicitly banned in many countries (e.g. France and Sweden) and even some US states (Maine, Minnesota, etc).

But it's a bit like how the DEA has to update their list of banned substances multiple times a month because people keep coming up with new designer drugs and "research chemicals" that aren't technically banned.

I think a broader umbrella term might be POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) though that might also be too broad to be useful. A lot of times it's their non-stick properties themselves that make them so toxic, especially to fish and smaller organisms.

quickthrowmanyesterday at 9:16 PM

PTFE is perfectly safe as long as you don’t get it too hot. So, not the best material for non-stick pans.

The thread tape on all non-compression screw-type plumbing fittings is made of PTFE, and so is Gore-Tex.

I’m well aware of the danger of PFAS, my local watershed is contaminated with it from a 3M plant.

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