All about PFAS
Are you familiar with PFAS? PFAS are toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment and to our health. But why are they harmful? Where are they found? And can we avoid PFAS? We explain it here.
GreenPan pans are always PFAS-free
Forever Chemicals
What are PFAS?
Synthetic chemicals
PFAS (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances) are human-made chemicals used to make everyday items resistant to water, oil and dirt. These items include things like raincoats, food packaging, cosmetics, fire-fighting foam and certain types of non-stick pans.
Indestructible
PFAS are extremely durable and decompose very slowly. Some take as long as 1,000 years to break down completely. That means that all PFAS that have ever been produced are still in existence on the planet. This is why they have earned the nickname ‘forever chemicals’.
Impact on people and the envoirnment
Are PFAS harmful?
During the production process, PFAS can end up in the air, water, soil and thus in our food chain. Just think of the fish, meat, fruit, vegetables and even the tap water! Toxic fumes can also be released when a pan with a traditional non-stick coating overheats, which we then inhale. As a result, we ingest a measure of PFAS every day without realising it.
Health problems
The consequences are serious: almost everyone in the world has PFAS present in their blood today. And if the concentration of certain types of PFAS in your body is too high, according to studies you are more likely to have serious health problems. These include an impaired immune system, hormone imbalance, increased cholesterol, increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and lower birth weight in new born babies.
Our Solution for you
The PFAS-free alternative
GreenPan
Are you cooking with pans containing harmful chemicals? It can be different! Back in 2007, GreenPan developed the first pans with a PFAS-free ceramic non-stick coating called Thermolon™. It is made of natural materials, such as diamond and a derivative of sand.
Guaranteed PFAS-free
It is important for us to be able to guarantee that our products are of excellent quality and completely PFAS-free. That is why we produce our Thermolon™ non-stick coating ourselves. That is how we always know exactly what is in our pans!
Sources
‘How Teflon is made -Background, History, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing process of Teflon’ – 2006 ; ‘An Industrial Approach to Evaluation of Pyrolysis and Combustion Hazards‘ – Environmental Health Perspectives, 1975 Jun ; ‘Polymer fume fever and other fluorocarbon pyrolysis-related syndromes’ – Entrez PubMed, 1993 Jul ; ‘Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls.’ – Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2018 Jun ; Intertek Labtest ‘Testing of a Frying Pan for Emission of Toxic Gases’ - 2007 July ; ‘Basic Information on PFAS’ – United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2018 Jun; ‘KEMI Report Occurrence and use of highly fluorinated substances and alternatives’ – Swedish Chemicals Agency, 2015 ; ‘Fact Sheet PFOA & PFOS Drinking Water Health Advisories – United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016 Nov ; ‘Supplying of scientific information concerning the safety and toxicology of : GreenPan™ cooking utensils and Thermolon™ anti-stick technology” – Prof. Dr. J. Tytgat, 2008 Feb ; ‘Polytetrafluoroethylene Toxicosis in Recently Hatched Chickens (Gallus domesticus)’ – Comp Med. 2012 Feb ; WWF Chain of Contamination: The Food Link – 2006; Synthesis paper on per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCS)’ – OECD, 2013; ‘Working towards a global emission inventory of PFASS: focus on PFCAS – status quo and the way forward’ – OECD, 2015;
https://www.pfasfree.org.uk/; https://waarzitwatin.nl/; https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/human/chemicals/emerging-chemical-risks-in-europe; https://www.regeringen.se/49e14e/contentassets/bc1b86d633ed4615bf367ae7d2192bcc/eu-strategy-for-pfass_december-19.pdf; https://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/portal-perfluorinated-chemicals/aboutpfass/; http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1509934/