I was recently at a friends house over the holidays and told him I would be happy to cook us a nice dinner for Christmas Day. One morning, I had woken up and decided to cook us breakfast. When I opened his cupboards, the only actual pan he had was a cast iron but it was severely rusted.

I told him there was no way I would cook on the rusted out pan, so he offered to buy a new one because he figured he needed it anyway. I explained to him that by cooking on a rusted pan, food then becomes contaminated with that rust and well— rust isn’t something you should be ingesting! You could see in his face that he had never really thought about it before but knew it made sense. 

Keep in mind that cast iron cookware is amazing but can quickly become toxic if not properly treated. 

When we walked into Canadian Tire to look at pans, my friend immediately picked up a T-fal non stick pan. I looked at him and said “absolutely not, put that down”. He really didn’t understand why I was so against it, which made me confused. Why WASN’T he against it?! I thought everyone knew how bad teflon can be for your health. 


A Short History on Teflon

The company DuPont was the original manufacturer of Teflon. This company technically still exists but now operates under the name Chemours and still manufactures this product today.

When Teflon was first created, it contained an extremely toxic chemical known as PFOA. As early as 1998, people who lived near the factory began filing lawsuits against DuPont for severe health related issues including cancer, in which they claimed was caused by PFOA. Rivers and soil near the factory had alarmingly high levels of this chemical due to run off from the plant which meant cattle were dying and people were getting sick. The lawsuit was initially settled in court and put to rest, allowing the company to continue on without change.

When the information in the 1998 lawsuit about the dangers of PFOA surfaced, it began to spark more lawsuits. There were even internal company documents that had been leaked, that clearly stated the company had known about the dangers of PFOA dating back to 1961. Then in 1984, documents found that the company was aware of the presence of PFOA in the local water supply. They knew for decades how poisonous their product was and continued to use it in their cookware and hide the information from consumers.

PFOAs are a health concern for many reasons. They don’t easily break down meaning they stay in our bodies and the environment for a very long time. They have found low levels of PFOAs in nearly every person tested for it from all over the world.

Anyway—DuPont (now known as Chemours) stopped using this chemical in 2013. By 2015 the chemical would be banned from being manufactured in the US. The kicker? As recent as 2017, DuPont settled over 3,550 PFOA related law suits and paid out $671 million but has still refused accountability.

So if Teflon no longer contains PFOA, isn’t it safe?

Teflon today contains a chemical called Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) which can cause toxicity. On the T-fal website, it claims this only happens if you heat the cookware past 500F and they continue to maintain that it is safe to cook with. However, studies show that PTFE coated pans do release gases and chemicals even under ‘normal’ cooking temperatures.

There is actually a term that has been coined the ‘teflon flu’ referencing a sickness you can get from these chemicals. It’s mind boggling that not only are they still allowed to manufacture cookware, but that people still continue to use these products.

You also have to take into consideration about what happens when the coating becomes compromised. Meaning, chipped or scratched from cooking utensils or scouring pads. Yes, even the smallest of scratches matter.

We can’t ever fully escape the toxins that are in our households, environment, food, etc. But we can absolutely do things that help minimize our overall exposure to these chemicals. These chemicals have massive adverse effects on our health right down to a cellular level. That’s why I am going to give you some tips on the healthiest cookware!

Safe & Healthy Cookware

1. 18/10 Stainless Steel – Studies have found that cooking with stainless steel grade 18/10 is a great material to cook with because it’s durable and resistant to rusting and toxic exposure. They are made with solid materials meaning they won’t leach harmful constituents into your food like other cookware that is made up of multiple types of material.

2. Cast Iron – Made up of about 98% iron and 2% carbon. Probably my favourite pan to cook with as is gives you incredible browning on foods, and doesn’t comprise the taste of food. It can be non stick providing you season it properly.

How to care for: Don’t use soap after using the pan as it will take off the seasoning. Simply rinse it with water when finished using. You can very lightly scrub it to get any chunks off. I like to put it back on the burner on low heat for 5 mins to make sure that it is fully dry and to kill any bacteria. I then put about a teaspoon of avocado oil and rub it all over the pan using a paper towel or cloth, leaving it on low heat for another minute. If you don’t dry your pan immediately after rinsing, it will rust. I store mine directly in my oven all by itself!

Fun Fact: cooking with a well cared for cast iron pan can also add a significant amount of iron to your food! Be careful if you know you already have high iron levels.

3. 100% non toxic ceramic – when shopping for ceramic cookware, it’s important to do your research and make sure that its 100% non toxic. This means that it will not leach any harmful chemicals and are free of heavy metals, coatings, and dyes.

Tips: 

  • Remember to not use metal on any cookware, even the ones I suggested above. I personally cook with all wooden utensils. 
  • Investing in new cookware can be expensive but the cool thing is that the materials I listed above are easy to find in thrift stores or garage sales. If you find a used cast iron pan be sure to scoop it up (if not rusted)! Buying a new cast iron takes a while to build up the seasoning so the more used it is, the better! 

 

Cookware to Stay Away From!

1. Teflon (T-Fal) – contains a chemical called Polytetrafluoroethylene, which is known to release gases and chemicals into the air and food when exposed to heat while cooking. You do not want this in your body!

 

2. Aluminum (including tinfoil & baking sheets) – Ongoing studies have shown that long term exposure to aluminum may be linked to Alzheimers disease and autoimmune disorders due to the fact that it is a neurotoxin. Studies have also shown that cooking with aluminum also causes the leaching of other heavy metals which are usually found in aluminum cookware such as nickel, copper, lead, arsenic and cadmium into your food.

 

3. Copper– copper is toxic in high levels. Using copper cookware daily can cause copper to accumulate in the body and can become toxic overtime. Heavy metals in excess will not simply pass through the body and be excreted, they will instead hide in tissues and cause severe cellular damage.

Excess heavy metals have been linked to huge health issues such as nervous system disorders, cancer, vascular damage, kidney dysfunction, and more.

Avoiding heavy metals entirely is impossible. However—we can drastically reduce our exposure to them providing we have the knowledge and awareness of the products we are using. Our bodies are very resilient and are built to detoxify harmful substances, but not if they are in excess. Be mindful of your household items, and take care of your health!