What Do I Do if I Scratched My Non-Stick Wok?

What Is a Nonstick Coating?

• Nonstick coating is a plastic -- a fluoropolymer called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) -- that's so slippery food can't stick to it. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is used to manufacture the coating. Although most of the PFOA is destroyed in the manufacturing process, trace amounts may remain.

Safety Concerns

• Some components of PFOA have been linked to cancer and birth defects in laboratory animals, according to the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection (EPA). The late-1990s discovery that environmental perfluorinated compounds accumulate in the human body raised concerns regarding the effects these substances may have on humans, and prompted an EPA investigation. Compounding these fears is the fact that overheated -- generally to 500 degrees F. or higher -- nonstick cookware emits fumes that are harmful to birds and that may cause flulike symptoms in humans, according to Consumer Reports. However, DuPont, which makes Teflon, notes that only a few cases of "polymer fume fever" have been reported in humans over the last 40 years, and symptoms in those cases were reversed fairly quickly.

Conclusions

• Nonstick cookware has Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as being safe for contact with food. The FDA's position is that neither the coating particles nor the fumes emitted when the cookware is heated to high temperatures are dangerous to humans. The EPA reminds consumers that nonstick coatings are not PFOA -- PFOA is merely used in the manufacturing process. The agency doesn't consider routine consumer use to be dangerous, and it makes no recommendations that consumers take steps to reduce their exposure. Consumer Reports notes that when it tested the air above hot nonstick pans, emissions were barely measurable. The highest levels measured were 100 times lower than the levels that published studies found to be harmful to animals.

Safe Use

• DuPont and WearEver, another nonstick manufacturer, maintain that minor scratches in their cookware affect neither use nor safety. The FDA agrees that particles from a damaged nonstick surface pose no danger to humans. However, Consumer Reports recommends disposing of nonstick cookware with a scratched or damaged surface. Consumer Reports, DuPont and WearEver all suggest cooking over low or moderate heat that keeps the cookware temperature below 500 degrees F.