A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at Flinders University and Newcastle University (published in Science of the Total Environment, December 2022) has shown that a single scratch on a Teflon-coated non-stick pan can release up to 9,100 microplastic particles.
Even more alarming is the fact that, in the case of extensive damage, up to 2.3 million particles could be released during normal cooking. These particles are primarily composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a PFAS compound, raising additional health concerns.
What are microplastics and why are they important?
Microplastics can be:
Primary: Intentionally made smaller (such as microbeads)
Secondary: Created by the breakdown of larger plastics
They have been detected in:
Seafood and drinking water
Household dust
Even human lungs and blood
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