Short answer: No.
This is a misconception – but there is a story behind it! PTFE, also known as Teflon, has an extremely stable molecular structure: it consists only of carbon and fluorine atoms. PTFE-coated pans have been used all over the world every day since 1955. – Those were different times! And this is where the rumor comes from: not the material itself, but the production materials used at the time are not only harmful to health or even carcinogenic, but they were also discharged directly into the water (hence the film“Dark Waters 2019“). You could therefore eat the material itself every day in bowls for breakfast and it would simply pass through you – just like sand, for example.
However, there is one warning sign: If you overheat the pans to over 300ยฐC without contents! From then on, the fluorine molecules decompose and turn into toxic gases and you get a fever. However, if you do this with everyday table salt (NaCl), you will have produced much more toxic chlorine gases! Therefore: In standard use below this temperature, numerous studies show no harmful effects on the body, even with abrasion and direct ingestion of whole PTFE coating parts.
Learned something again ;-)
There is nothing better than Teflon for non-stick coatings (yet). Only uncoated stainless steel or cast iron can be an alternative in some cases – but this must be learned!
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